Asia

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  23 May 2016
  ASIA/CHINA - The death of Bishop Luke Thomas Zhang Huaixin, zealous and patient Pastor Jixian (Agenzia Fides) – On Sunday, May 8, 2016, around noon, His Exc. Mgr. Luke Thomas Zhang Huaixin, Bishop of Jixian (Weíhwei), Henan Province (Mainland China) died. He would have turned 91 on May 23. On May 6 he h ...
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  21 May 2016
  ASIA/INDONESIA - The Bishops: "The government must stop radical Islamic groups and preserve coexistence" Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - "We hope the government does its part to stop Islamic radical groups and preserve Indonesia's multicultural and multireligious identity, based on the Pancasila", the "five principles" at the ba ...
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  20 May 2016
  ASIA/JORDAN - Aid from the UAE for Iraqi Christian refugees Amman (Agenzia Fides) - The eleven Iraqi Christian refugee families in Mosul who found hospitality in Naur, western urban area of the municipality in Amman, will also receive this year material aid reserved for them from ...
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  19 May 2016
  ASIA/IRAQ - US set to arm "Christian" anti-extremist militias in Iraq? The Chaldean Patriarch: "It is a very bad idea" Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) - Christian anti-Islamic State forces in Iraq are set to benefit from a defence spending bill headed for authorisation by the US Congress and Senate, justifying this action as part of the fight ag ...
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  18 May 2016
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Mine clearance of the area around the site of the Baptism of Jesus has been announced Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - The area of Qasr al-Yahud, which extends around the western bank of the Jordan River, a place which tradition identifies as the site of Jesus' baptism, will be cleared of mines and other ordna ...
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  18 May 2016
  ASIA/IRAQ - Christian refugees welcomed in Slovakia ask to be repatriated Bratislava (Agenzia Fides) - At least twenty of the 149 Iraqi refugees who have been in Slovakia for a few months on the basis of a "selective" welcome program reserved for Christian refugees, have decided to return to I ...
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  18 May 2016
  ASIA/CHINA - Solemn celebration of the Pentecost in the sign of Mercy Shi Jia Zhuang (Agenzia Fides) - During the Eucharistic liturgy of the Solemnity of Pentecost celebrated in the parish of Xiao Dian, 62 faithful delivered a copy of the Gospel of St. Mark that everyone had transcribed by ...
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  17 May 2016
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - The 'Robin Hood' of Pakistan to help the poorest Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - In Karachi, home to about 20 million people, almost half live below the poverty line and many families struggle every day to be able to get something to eat. A group of young people have joined ...
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  17 May 2016
  ASIA/SYRIA - "Stop sanctions against the Syrian people". An online petition launched by Bishops and religious of the local Catholic Churches Aleppo (Agenzia Fides) - A digital online petition to sign on change.org platform, aimed "at MPs and the mayors in every Country" to ask for "the iniquity of sanctions on Syria to be made known to the citizens of the Eur ...
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  17 May 2016
  ASIA/TURKEY - The frescoes in the ancient church of Trabzon destroyed, transformed into a mosque Trabzon (Agenzia Fides) - The ancient Byzantine church of Aghia Sophia (St. Sophia) in Trabzon, converted into a mosque in 2013, was severely damaged due to the work carried out for its transformation into a Muslim place ...
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  16 May 2016
  ASIA/IRAN - Pastor released, three faithful detained Tehran (Agenzia Fides) - Iranian Protestant Pastor Nadarkhani, of the "Church of Iran," arrested in recent days in Rasht was released, while three other believers arrested on May 13 are still in custody. As NGO Catholic ...
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  16 May 2016
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - The mercy between Christianity and Islam Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "The mercy in Christianity and Islam" is the title of a seminar organized in Lahore, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, by the "Council for Interreligious Dialogue in Pakistan", coordinated by ...
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  16 May 2016
  ASIA/JORDAN - Construction of Our Lady of Mount Center starts in Anjara Anjara (Agenzia Fides) - At the initiative of the Parish “The Visitation of Our Lady”, construction work of a multipurpose center has started in Anjara, Jordan. The project, named after Our Lady of Mount, will serve ...
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  14 May 2016
  ASIA/IRAN - A Protestant pastor arrested Tehran (Agenzia Fides) - Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, of the Protestant community "Church of Iran", acquitted in 2012 of the charge of apostasy, was arrested yesterday, May 13, in Iran with his wife, Tina Pasandid ...
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  14 May 2016
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Cardinal Quevedo: "May president Duterte work for peace in Mindanao" Davao (Agenzia Fides) – Need to address the issue regarding stability and reconciliation in Mindanao and immediately engage in defining the peace process with the Islamic community and the communist rebels: asks Cardin ...