About a hundred people from across the continent gathered in Quezon City for a meeting promoted by Radio Veritas and the FABC Office of Social Communication. “We bring Jesus, not by shouting over Asia, but by drawing close to Asia, listening to its people,” Archbishop Garcera said. “Behind every screen is a person who is looking for meaning,” Father Mi Shen added.
In a letter sent to the participants in the 2021 Spring Meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Francis calls for the search for the common good to guide finance. Wealthy nations should pay their "ecological debt", "We particularly need a vaccine solidarity that is rightly financed".
Heavy rains and six-metre waves hamper rescue work. Basic necessities can only arrive by plane. Sea travel is impossible. Card Suharyo appeals through the local Caritas: “Professing the Christian faith implies doing good to others.”
In a demonstration in Kalay, soldiers "fired in all directions" and ambushed demonstrators. Three of the killed were not part of the protest. In Bago two killed in a residential area. In the villages there is forced recruitment of men or young people. Anyone who refuses is arrested. Many villages are abandoned because people flee. Kyaw Zwar Minn, the Burmese ambassador to Britan and former military officer speaks in favour of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Recent research shows that the number of religiously unaffiliated is increasing in Thailand, more now than a decade ago. Many students oppose the compulsory teaching of religion in school. At the same time, conversions to Catholicism are growing, after a path of search and study.
President Jokowi calls on ASEAN to intervene to ensure the safety of the people of Myanmar whose generals are more interested in Thailand’s military coup than Indonesia’s model of democratic transition. In Indonesia there is little empathy for protesters in Myanmar.
The dossier was compiled by the CHRP, the group representing the civilian government deposed by the military junta. It catalogues 180,000 cases of atrocities: extrajudicial killings, murder of prisoners, torture, illegal detention, disproportionate use of force. The CHRP is at the heart of the civil disobedience movement. It is working for a new federal constitution and for unity among all armed ethnic groups. Since the coup d'état, 581 have been killed and 2750 arrested.
“When we pray, we never do it alone: even if we don't think about it, we are immersed in a majestic river of invocations that precedes us and continues after us”. Francis recalled "in prayer the victims of the floods that hit Indonesia and East Timor in recent days". Vatican Athletics continue in their commitment to "spreading the culture of fraternity in the sports field".
On Easter eve, a group of ethnic Jarai became Christian in Anphongso, at the local Redemptorist mission. This is a sign of hope in a farming area seriously affected by the global health crisis.
Protesters use painted eggs with pro-democracy writing. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and members of the various ethnic groups show unity against the military coup. One person was killed yesterday in Sagaing. So far, the military has killed at least 564 people. German firm stops supplying Myanmar’s mint. ASEAN’s current chair, Brunei, proposes a meeting to deal with the situation in Myanmar with support from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
East Timor also hit. Entire villages swept away by floods and landslides. About 10 thousand residents have fled in search of shelter. More than 100 are missing. Rescuers continue to dig. President Widodo orders rapid evacuation. Catholics launch a fundraiser. At least 125 million Indonesians live in endangered areas.
Young people killed in Myanmar, oppressed in Bangkok, imprisoned in Hong Kong, with no prospects for the economic crisis ...Pope Francis’ long list of social "plagues". Easter is not a vague symbol or psychological consolation. Nor is it just a past event.
At the Regina Caeli, which replaces the Angelus during the Easter period, Pope Francis explains that "Christ’s tomb was not opened by some physical phenomenon, rather by the Lord’s intervention". "All the plans and resistances of Christ’s enemies and persecutors have been in vain". The guards choose to remain silent "in the name of the god of money". “Take every opportunity to be witnesses of the joy and peace of the Risen Lord”. Greetings to the elderly and the sick.
Subscribe to the newsletter to receive verified news, analysis and insights from Asian countries every week.
Subscribeto the newsletter
