SEOUL, April 30, 2013–A bishop in Suwon called on society to respect workers’ rights during a commemorative march to the Daehanmun gate ahead of the country’s celebration of Labor Day on Wednesday. The gate, located at Seoul’s Deoksugung palace, has a memorial marker that lists the names of 24 people killed in clashes between activists [...]

SHANGHAI, China, April 27, 2013–Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai, a prominent and controversial figure in the Church of China, died on Saturday aged 96 following a long struggle against pancreatic cancer. His prominence was reflected from the title of his biography Le Pape Jaune (the Yellow Pope), written by French journalist Dorian Malovic in 2006. “The [...]

KONTUM, April 27, 2013–Ten years of evangelization among the peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam “is a magnificent achievement”, as well as a sign of “missionary journey” of the Vietnamese Catholic community. The work of proclaiming the Gospel “must remain the most important task” for each of the faithful, especially “among minorities, which are [...]

SEOUL, April 26, 2013–The bishops of South Korea have asked the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to open the beatification process for the bishop of Pyongyang Msgr. Francis Borgia Hong Yong-ho and his 80 companions, martyrs of the persecution carried out by the Stalinist regime of Kim Il-sung immediately after the division of the [...]

SEOUL, April 25, 2013–New Martyrs, the fight against pedophilia and reconciliation with North: these were the main issues under discussion at the recent General Assembly of the Korean Bishops’ Conference. Among the priorities established for the coming year is greater attention to the situation in North Korea, with the decision to submit to the Congregation [...]

BETHPHAGE, April 24, 2013–Muslim and Christian leaders as well as civil authorities in Jerusalem have signed a treaty of friendship to nip in the bud disputes between communities of different faiths and thus avoid sectarian clashes. The first example of this kind of “local” diplomacy was achieved in Bethphage (East Jerusalem) on Monday, with the [...]

COLOMBO, April 24, 2013–A Catholic bishop responded today to allegations by local media accusing him and the Church of engaging in a conspiracy to promote a separate Tamil state in collaboration with representatives of the Indian government. Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Manar said he had never advocated an autonomous state for the ethnic Tamil population [...]

VIJAYAWADA, April 23, 2013–”Be faithful to the Lord Jesus in life and prayer, [be] a sign of God’s love with all people you meet in your ministry,” said full of hope Mgr Govindu Joji, apostolic administrator of the diocese of Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), as he spoke to the six new consecrated members of the Missionary [...]

INDIA, April 22, 2013–”It is already 18 days since the murder of Fr K J Thomas and the police who are investigating his murder still have not been able to identify the culprits and the motive,” said Mgr Bernard Moras, archbishop of Bangalore (Karnataka), in a public statement, signed also by 15 bishops from the [...]

FAISALABAD, Pakistan, April 22, 2013–More than one hundred children of the diocese of Faisalabad, Punjab, participated in a meeting of prayer and spiritual formation called “The Catholic Faith” in the context of a series of events dedicated to the Year of Faith. The seminar was held in the Youth Hall of the Cathedral of Saints [...]