India

"I too am a catechist," Francis said to participants from 50 countries who are attending the conference on catechesis. "Being" a catechist, "not doing" catechism, matters more since it encapsulates life. Catechists should not be afraid to go with Jesus in the peripheries of human existence.

The group is led by Ake Sellstrom, who already investigated the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta. There have been at least 14 cases of use of these deadly weapons. Both sides of conflict, the army and rebels accused. UN Security Council works for a resolution on Damascus’ hand over of chemical weapons.

Christians , moderate Muslims , Shiites are strangled by terrorist violence in Syria , Egypt, Kenya , Pakistan ... This flare up is a sign of the deep crisis of Islam, which has not yet addressed the discernment of the modern world and prefers to take refuge in an outdated Islam. The Islamic world must recognize connivance with such violence. The commitment of Christians to dialogue with Islam and modernity.

During the Mass celebrated this morning , Francis says that " You need to" go out, out walking along the streets ”. And it is ' necessary' to know Jesus in the language of action." Yesterday he concelebrated with the Maronite bishops calling for prayer for the Middle East .

India's central government releases figures concerning communal violence between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority in the first nine months of the year. About 479 violent incidents occurred over this period with 107 dead and 1,697 injured. For Christian leader, "politicians should not take advantage of people's religious identity."

Moderate tone and rejection of nuclear weapons. Commitment to dialogue . The sanctions do not affect the political elites , but the common people. No use of force in Syria. Obama expresses appreciation. Hollande shakes hands with Rouhani . For Israel , the speech of the new president of Iran is " full of hypocrisy."

The quake struck yesterday afternoon in a remote area of the southwestern province of Baluchistan . The 7.7 magnitude quake was felt in New Delhi , India. Thousands of people displaced by the collapse of houses, at least 90 % of homes destroyed. Basic necessities and tents arrive, but medicines and hospitals are lacking.

Sajan George , president of the Global Council of Indian Christians ( GCIC ) , writes a letter to the High Commissioner of Pakistan in India. The massacre of Christians in Peshawar is "a terrible tragedy " after which "promises and condemnation is no longer sufficient ."

At the General audience, Francis says that the Church is "one" while understanding different cultures and languages . "Do I, as a Catholic, live this unity of the Church? Or do I not care, because I am closed within my small group or myself? " . "When I think or hear that so many Christians are persecuted and even give their lives for their faith, does it touch my heart or not at all?”.

Yesterday, a hundred people held a demonstration in Dhaka to demand justice for the victims of the attack against a local Protestant church. In Nepal, a week of special prayer is held for the Christians of Pakistan.

" Migrants and Refugees: Towards a Better World” is the theme chosen by Francis for the Day that will be celebrated on January 19. In his message, the Pope writes that when faced with a phenomenon of unprecedented proportions calls for international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and compassion”, "close collaboration between the migrants’ countries of origin and their countries of destination" and " , the elimination of prejudices and presuppositions in the approach to migration", "to see, and then to enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved. They are an occasion that Providence gives us to help build a more just society, a more perfect democracy, a more united country, a more fraternal world and a more open and evangelical Christian community. "

"God , who has no history , because He is eternal, wanted to make history , walking close to His people. But even more He wanted to become one of us and as one of us, walk with us, in Jesus." "And the Lord Jesus, even in our personal lives is with us : in the Sacraments . The Sacrament is not a magic ritual : it is an encounter with Jesus Christ , where we meet the Lord."