Another boat with 45 refugees on board sank in the past few hours in the very stretch of water at the centre of concerns over Houthis attacks against shipping. Almost one hundred thousand people travelled this route in the past year, which the International Organisation for Migration defines as the most dangerous in the world.
This week, the prelate made his first pastoral visit to the Christian place of worship located in the Abrahamic Family House, which includes also a mosque and synagogue. Dialogue with people of different faiths "is not only desirable, but necessary." The local Christian community is “multi-ethnic and multicultural ever since its origin”. The prelate stressed that bearing witness to the faith "excludes any form of proselytism.”
A report by the US defence department covers the period between December and February, involving about 65 countries and 29 shipping and energy companies. This has increased insurance premiums and pollution. Attacks by the pro-Iranian militant group were sparked by the war in Gaza.
The first World Children's Day is being celebrated over the weekend, at the initiative of the Holy Father. Bishop Martinelli met with a group of children, answering their questions, and inviting them to put "their joy, their enthusiasm" at the service of the Church. About a hundred young people met in Hong Kong to share experiences and expectations.
Bishop Aldo Berardi, head of the vicariate that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, comments on Pope Francis' decision to grant the Syro-Malabar Church jurisdiction over Indian migrants. "This is not a secondary element, it concerns areas that go beyond rituals" and will have to be defined. The problem of places of worship, relations with the State and interlocution with the Muslim world. "Too many voices" can create "confusion".
Hundreds of aid groups and NGOs are calling for help. So far, only US$ 435 million have been raised out of US$ 2.7 billion needed to meet basic needs. The EU is providing €125 million, but, in addition to “life-saving assistance”, what is really needed is a “political solution”.
