Geographical areas In the spotlight

Migrants

 
Lebanon and the impossible mission of repatriating Syrian refugees
by Fady Noun

The economic and human burden of displaced Syrians in Lebanon has become unbearable. The government is trying to do its utmost to identify and repatriate some two million refugees, knowing that their presence risks altering the country’s ethno-demographic balance. Yet, the prospect of return is opposed by Syrians who fled Assad and do not believe in his reassurances.

| 03/05/2023
| LEBANON - SYRIA
 
Thailand’s 'little ghosts' are back in South Korea
by Steve Suwannarat

With pandemic restrictions lifted, undocumented Thai migrants are back in South Korea, the result of a tight labour market under a legal regime that limits immigration and favours illegality and abuses.

| 03/05/2023
| SOUTH KOREA
Editor's choices
 
Card Francis: inculturation and universality, the challenges for the Church in Malaysia
by Dario Salvi
The bishop of Penang is one of 21 cardinals who received their biretta from Pope Francis. He is enthusiastic about a youthful reality that is a source of hope for the mission. Relations with Muslims are marked by trust and fraternity. He will bring to ...
| 02/10/2023
| MALAYSIA – VATICAN
 
AsiaNews, our unbiased window on Asia
by Gianni Criveller
Father Gianni Criveller, a missionary who carried out his ministry for years in Greater China, is the new editor-in-chief of AsiaNews. In greeting readers, he writes that, while taking on a “precious legacy and demanding responsibility”, ...
| 01/10/2023
| EDITORIAL
 
Card Pizzaballa: Jerusalem, the 'Mother Church' founded on 'justice, truth, forgiveness'
by Dario Salvi
The Latin patriarch received his cardinal's biretta from Pope Francis. The presence of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch was a sign of progress in ecumenism. Christians in the Holy Land face the problems and challenges of the West (the family) and the ...
| 30/09/2023
| HOLY LAND – VATICAN
 
In Bangladesh, life expectancy for shipbreakers is 20 years less than average
A Human Rights Watch report highlights the conditions young workers face scrapping ships, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Scrapping yards employ children as young as 13, violating international standards, polluting the sea, and covering ...
| 28/09/2023
| BANGLADESH
 
Jimmy Lai marks a thousand days in prison for calling for democracy in Hong Kong
Jailed on 31 December 2020, Lai will go on trial under the national security law on 18 December after repeated postponements. His son Sebastian is concerned about his health. A group of 67 human rights organisations write to Biden asking him to bar Hong ...
| 26/09/2023
| HONG KONG – CHINA
 
Manila, Migrants' Day in the dioceses of departure
by Santosh Digal
According to Philippine government estimates, by 2023 the number of migrants working abroad will reach 2 million. The Church remembers their sacrifices and envisages the creation of a personal prelature for their pastoral care in the world. Along with ...
| 25/09/2023
| PHILIPPINES
 
Two bishops from mainland China at the Synod in the Vatican
Bishop Yang Yongqiang of Zhouchun and Yao Shun of Jining are on the list of members released today a couple of weeks before the synod opens. They were picked by the local Church in agreement with the authorities and appointed by Pope Francis. ...
| 21/09/2023
| CHINA - VATICAN
 
Iraq, Card. Sako: if Rome remains silent the future of Iraqi Christians at risk
by Dario Salvi
The cardinal relects on the the tumultuous weeks since the withdrawal of the presidential decree under pressure from self-styled leaders (in the pay of Tehran). A  "more subtle" threat hangs over the community, but with the same logic as Isis: drive ...
| 19/09/2023
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”