HO CHI MINH, Vietnam, February 6, 2010--Bible, catechism, pastoral and social activities: they are the "subjects" of informal classes organized by the archdiocese's Pastoral Center, proposed to the faithful and young people, half of which are lay people.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, February 6, 2010--Many farmers in the province of Kandy in central Sri Lanka, attended the funeral of Italian missionary Fr Stefanizzi Angelo, who died February 3. The funeral of "Fr. Gandhi" - this is the nickname given by the faithful - took place yesterday in Lewella.

NEW DELHI, India, February 5, 2010--A priest in Karnataka, whose church was robbed this week, has warned against labeling every attack “sectarian.” Some are simply the work of vandals and thieves, he says.

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, February 5, 2010--Tamil Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam has visited the civil war’s final battlefield for the first time since the fighting ended, and said rebuilding lives and churches in the area was an “unbearable burden” on the people there.

LANZHOU, China, February 5, 2010--Biblical studies in Lanzhou (Gansu) warmed the heart of parishioners in this cold and wintry region of northwestern China. They are usually held in December and January, a time of ‘peasant leisure’ in which the faithful can deepen their faith and renew their affiliation with the Church.

HONG KONG, February 3, 2010--An appellate court in Hong Kong dismissed a challenge from the diocese to an education bill that the Church fears will undermine the Catholic school system.