South Asia

by Sumon Corraya | BANGLADESH

The latest to lose their lives were two students from Comilla while flying kites. Lightning is one of the leading causes of death in the country, with 3,845 deaths since 2011. Despite the development of early warning systems, deaths are mainly among farmers. The government is pushing for timely alerts via text message and phone calls, but obstacles remain in rural areas. Tree planting and awareness-raising are crucial preventive measures.

by Sumon Corraya

More than 1,100 people, mostly female workers, died trapped in the textile garment factory. Wounds remain open due to slowed-down legal processes. But Caritas Bangladesh with its support programmes manages to be close to those who have lost their parents or have been disabled.

| 24/04/2025
| BANGLADESH
by Maria Casadei

Twenty-six people, mostly tourists and Hindu pilgrims, were killed yesterday in an attack by a Pakistani terrorist group. The region has long been disputed between India and Pakistan and marked by violence. After revoking Kashmir's special status, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted tourism and religious travel in recent years.

| 23/04/2025
| INDIA-PAKISTAN
by Shafique Khokhar

The Archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi expresses the deep sorrow of Catholics and non-Catholics in the country. The ‘courage’ to bring people who are often ‘discarded’ to the ‘front line’. From interreligious harmony to ecological issues, gestures that are ‘testimony to his deep commitment to unity’. Looking ahead to the next conclave, so that ‘the Holy Spirit may guide the cardinals’.

| 23/04/2025
| PAKISTAN - VATICAN
by Card Anthony Poola*

One of the great signs of the pontificate that ended this morning with the death of Pope Francis is his care for the peripheries of the world. The archbishop of Hyderabad, the first Dalit called to join the College of Cardinals in 2022, pays tribute to the late pontiff who “looked each person in the eye, not as a number, but as a soul beloved by God.”

| 21/04/2025
| VATICAN - INDIA
by Suriya Tangwel

The testimony of a catechumen who will be baptised this Easter in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Mumbai. ‘This journey has shown me that no matter how low you have fallen, God's love can reach even deeper. Just take a step towards Him and He will run to you."

 

| 19/04/2025
| INDIA
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

Despite officially banning palm oil cultivation in 2021 due to its environmental impact, large companies involved in this market continue their activities in the country, where consumption of this ingredient remains high. The measure ultimately discourages the introduction of new plant varieties that could represent a solution to the problem, as they have a more limited impact on water resources.

| 19/04/2025
| SRI LANKA
Editor's choices
 
by Gianni Criveller
The College of Cardinals Francis created reflects the world more than the Catholic Church, or rather, it reflects her missionary vocation. Numbers count far less than bearing evangelical witness, which Christians are expected to live in the community ...
| 27/04/2025
| EDITORIAL
 
by Sumon Corraya
The meeting in 2017 in Bangladesh with a delegation of one million exiles from Myanmar was one of the most touching moments in the pontiff's trip. He often remembered that embrace in the following years. “Pope Francis was a beacon of hope for ...
| 26/04/2025
| BANGLADESH - VATICAN
 
A source talked to AsiaNews about how Chinese Catholics are coping with Francis’s death. Remarks and pictures abound on local social media. “Amid the sorrow and mourning, the joy of announcing love prevailed,” as “a spontaneous ...
| 24/04/2025
| RED LANTERNS
 
The 12 years of Francis’s pontificate were marked by 13 trips in Asia, from the first visit to South Korea to the long journey last September to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. During this time, his message of peace and ...
| 23/04/2025
| VATICAN – ASIA
 
by sr. Mary Joseph *
From Calcutta, the superior of Mother Teresa's sisters remembers Pope Francis. ‘He made the Church refocus its attention on the marginalised’. Bergoglio wanted the Missionaries of Charity to open a new home in Bajo Flores, a slum ...
| 23/04/2025
| INDIA - VATICAN
 
by Gianni Criveller
Proclaiming the Gospel was his top priority: he reminded us that mission is about joy, that its territories are not defined by geography or people's religious affiliation. Through his life and teaching, he taught us that Jesus' missionaries ...
| 22/04/2025
| EDITORIAL
 
by Card Anthony Poola*
One of the great signs of the pontificate that ended this morning with the death of Pope Francis is his care for the peripheries of the world. The archbishop of Hyderabad, the first Dalit called to join the College of Cardinals in 2022, pays tribute ...
| 21/04/2025
| VATICAN - INDIA
 
by Gianni Criveller
From Myanmar to the Middle East, countless women, children and men in Asia, victims of pain and injustice, weep like Mary Magdalene who lost her Lord and friend. But with her, they believe that the Risen One changes the course of history and allows ...
| 19/04/2025
| EDITORIAL
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”