Bishop Palinuro tells AsiaNews about the Holy Week celebrations, just a few months after the Pope’s visit. The repercussions of the Gulf War are hitting the most vulnerable: the poor, migrants and refugees. Ankara “has not responded” to Tehran’s “provocations” and remains a “moderating presence” in regional conflicts. Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey continues to “yield positive results”.

The ‘Yesterday’ observatory monitored 50 such incidents in a single month. These are fragmented initiatives, most often linked to unpaid wages. They are also fuelled by the obstacles placed in the way of the petition system, with local officials paying teams of men to discourage the submission of complaints to the relevant office in Beijing, which would cast them in a bad light. A reality that the Party prefers to hide and ignore.

The fact that it coincided with the end of Ramadan provided an opportunity this year to reflect on the national festival as a “bridge between different eras”, linking back to the origins of the Iranian-Turanian civilisation. In the face of hostility from Salafi preachers who regard it as a pagan ritual, Dushanbe recalls that the Arab caliphs themselves rediscovered the value of local traditions.

New Beijing-mediated talks took place today in Xinjiang to halt fighting along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Meanwhile, Islamabad is positioning itself as a mediator in the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, after presenting a tentative ceasefire initiative, with Chinese backing.

Leo XIV spoke yesterday at Castel Gandolfo, stressing that Holy Week is a "time of peace," yet today there is “so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children.” He urged world leaders to “Come back to the table, to dialogue”, to find solutions. On Good Friday, he will carry the cross in the Via Crucis. In today’s audience, he spoke about the role of the laity, saying that, “we are all called to be missionary disciples”.

In the shadows cast by war in the Palestinian territories, construction work is progressing on projects designed to “normalise” life in Jewish settlements. Work began at the end of February on a new road connecting settlements north and south of Ramallah with Israel proper. The US$ 215-million investment will benefit places inhabited by just a few tens of thousands of settlers. But the goal is to “bring one million residents to Judea and Samaria.”