India

The religious family to which the new pontiff belonged, and which he led as Prior General for 12 years, has a long history of missionary presence on the Asian continent, beginning with the Basilica of Santo Niño in Cebu. Fellow Augustinians in India and Indonesia describe him as "a deeply spiritual man, capable of truly listening." His coat of arms features a phrase from Augustine and the order's emblem: a burning heart pierced by an arrow above a book.

As clashes between India and Pakistan intensify after the attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, military operations are increasingly seen as testing the most advanced weapons on the market. Today India struck Pakistani air defences, risking further escalation. Pakistan has promised a response “at a time and place of its own choosing” with the risk of causing the worse confrontation between the two countries since 1971.

The Indian military claims that Operation Sindoor against Pakistan was “focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature.” Pakistan’s response killed students at a Catholic school. Sadly, “two students lost their lives, and their parents were severely injured,” lamented Bishop Ivan Pereira of Jammu (India). For his part, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore (India), called on the faithful to “pray specially for the leaders of our country to pursue attempts for peace”.

In a town of just 8,000 inhabitants in the state of Goa lie the roots of both the Indian Filipe Neri Ferrão and the Pakistani Joseph Coutts, who from this afternoon are participating as electors in the selection of the new pontiff. A sign of the Church of the peripheries, but also of the vitality of a community founded four centuries ago by Portuguese Franciscans. And in these hours, it is also a symbol of the thirst for peace between the two countries now plunged into a new crisis over Kashmir.

India struck Pakistani territory overnight in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan responded by shooting down planes and stressing that the victims were civilians, not terrorists as claimed by India. In Pakistan, activists, religious leaders and civil society groups harshly condemn the attack.

India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty, following a terror attack in Pahalgam (Indian Kashmir), reactivating hydroelectric projects left unfinished because of the agreement with Pakistan. Meanwhile, violence against Muslims and Kashmiris is growing, victims of assaults and threats in several Indian cities.

Born Isaac Thottunkal, he chose the name of Clement of Alexandria as bishop. Major Archbishop since 2007, created cardinal by Benedict XVI, he is the first cardinal of this Eastern rite Church that has its seat in Trivandrum in Kerala. In his ministry he has closely followed the communities of the diaspora, but has also promoted numerous social works in India. He was president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.

Born into a mixed family with a Catholic father and a Hindu mother, he experienced firsthand and from an early age the difficulties and marginalisation outcasts face. He was able to study thanks to men of the Church who strengthened his faith and allowed him to discover his vocation. Hyderabad is a cosmopolitan, multicultural place with different languages. Proclaiming the Gospel is a “challenge”.

New Delhi has revoked the system that allowed Bangladeshi goods to be exported to third countries via Indian territory. Dhaka responded by suspending imports of cotton yarn from India through five border crossings, including Benapole and Bhomra. In the background are India's concerns after Yunus's overture to China.

From Kerala, 51, the Syro-Malabar prelate has served in various nunciatures in Latin America as well as the Islamic world. A few days before he was hospitalised at the Gemelli, Pope Francis picked him as prefect of the dicastery for interreligious dialogue. For the cardinal, it is imperative to look at “a world where religious differences not only coexist peacefully but become essential elements in building peace among peoples.”

The archbishop of Goa, 72, has chaired the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences since the start of the year. He has been very attentive to the life of families whom he constantly encouraged in his ministry. As head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India-Latin Rite, he promoted a broad consultation in the dioceses, which led to a document with 16 priorities, including Dalits and digital technologies.

Tension remains high between Delhi and Islamabad after the attack in Kashmir that left 26 dead. Airspace closed, agreement on rivers revoked, Hindu nationalists press for armed retaliation. The vice-president of the Bishops' Conference: “May our efforts for peace continue.”