Asia

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  10 December 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Threats to churches for Christmas: Christians respond with prayer Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - Christians and churches in Youhanabad, an area of the city of Lahore, one of the largest Christian settlements in the province of Punjab, have received threats of terrorist attacks for Christmas. ...
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  10 December 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Other 25 Christian hostages of the Khabur valley have been released by jihadists Hassakè (Agenzia Fides) - On Wednesday, December 9 the jihadists affiliated to the self-styled Islamic State (Daesh) released other 25 Assyrian Christians, who were part of the large group of hostages kidnapped by them ...
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  10 December 2015
  ASIA/JORDAN - "Restaurant of mercy" for the poor opens in Amman Amman (Agenzia Fides) - On Wednesday, December 23 the "Restaurant of mercy" in Amman, supported and managed by the local Church in collaboration with Caritas Jordan will open its doors, and will offer five hot meals to t ...
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  9 December 2015
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Cardinal Yeom: "The visit of the Catholic delegation to the North is a starting point" Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - "The official visit carried out in North Korea has an important meaning because this time the delegation was composed of a large number of prelates of South Korea. I pray it may be a starting poi ...
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  9 December 2015
  ASIA/BANGLADESH - Missionaries escorted, but social work continues Dinajpur (Agenzia Fides) - "After the attack against PIME missionary Father Piero Parolari, the police patrol the missions in Dinajpur, and we can go out only with an escort. It is a situation that makes you feel uncomfo ...
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  9 December 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - The Maronite Patriarch visits Syria, "a sign of love for the Syrian people" Tartus (Agenzia Fides) - Maronite Patriarch Boutros Bechara Rai carried out a two-day visit to Syria, stopping in the city of Tartus, in the coastal region of Latakia. During the visit, which began on Sunday, December 6, ...
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  7 December 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christian teacher denounced on false charges of proselytism Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - Denounced because she "preached Christianity to Muslim girls": this is the fate of Mary Javaid, a Christian teacher at a female primary school in the district of Pakpattan, in the province of Pun ...
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  7 December 2015
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - North Korea "opens up" to the Masses celebrated by South Korean priests Seoul (Agenzia Fides) - From next year, the South Korean Catholic Church in North Korea will send priests to celebrate the Eucharistic liturgies during the major feasts of the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. ...
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  5 December 2015
  ASIA/LEBANON - Presidential elections, the Maronite Bishops support the "compromise" on the name of Franjieh Bkerkè (Agenzia Fides) - The "compromise" solution that is slowly being reached among opposing political forces in Lebanon sees Maronite Suleiman Franjieh emerge as a strong contender and represents "a great opportunity ...
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  5 December 2015
  ASIA/NORTH KOREA - A South Korean ecclesial delegation with four bishops visit North Korea Pyongyang (Agenzia Fides) – The 17-member delegation’s visit representing the South Korean Catholic Church ended on 4 December. The delegation included four bishops – among them, Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong, P ...
• 4 December 2015
  ASIA/LEBANON - Presidential elections: the vacant Lebanese presidency could be filled by Suleiman Franjieh, a Maronite Christian politician Beirut (Agenzia Fides) - The vacant Lebanese presidency could be filled by Suleiman Franjieh, a Maronite Christian politician, a childhood friend of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In recent days there have been increasin ...
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  4 December 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - The faithful Pakistanis are preparing themselves for Christmas Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - Advent for the faithful in Pakistan is a time to "stay awake", "a time of renewal and spiritual growth, a time to experience the presence of God that guides us every day": says to Agenzia Fides ...
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  4 December 2015
  ASIA/BANGLADESH - Threats to the pastors of Protestant Christians Dhaka (Agenzia Fides) - "He who preaches Christianity must leave the country or die": is the threatening warning which ten leaders of Protestant Christian communities in the North of Bangladesh received. As revealed by l ...
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  3 December 2015
  ASIA/IRAQ - New appeal from Chaldean Patriarchate about changes in the law regarding Islamization of minors Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) – A new letter-appeal has been addressed to representatives of the Iraqi parliament by the Catholic Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon, Louis Raphael I, to convince them to overcome resistance to the ...
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  3 December 2015
  ASIA/MIDDLE EAST - Radio Maria on 8 December will begin broadcasting in Arabic Erba (Agenzia Fides) - Radio Maria, an Italian Catholic radio station established in 1982 at Arcellasco d'Erba (Como) which today broadcasts in more than 50 countries and in as many languages, will begin programmes in Ar ...