Asia - Pacific News
Catholic Church reportedly closer to getting its first samurai saint
The Vatican is currently investigating miracles associated with the intercession of Blessed Justus Ukon Takayama. Read more
Indian priest jailed under ‘anti-conversion’ laws is released
Father Babu Francis was detained by the police on Oct. 1 after he sought information on the arrest and detention... Read more
Dissenting priests in Syro-Malabar Church protest Pope Francis’ Christmas deadline
Tensions have risen in the Eastern Catholic Church in the Indian state of Kerala as the deadline approaches to implement... Read more
Jimmy Lai unlikely to receive a fair trial from Hong Kong judges, lawyer says
Catholic democracy activist Jimmy Lai was arrested in August 2020 under that year’s controversial national security law. Read more
Congressional commission urges sanctions if Hong Kong won’t release Jimmy Lai
Jimmy Lai, now 76, has been imprisoned for three years in a maximum security prison, charged with a variety of... Read more
Catholicism and martyrdom in Japan: Church marks 400 years since Edo massacre
The small but devout Catholic community in Japan is built upon the witness of untold numbers of martyrs. Read more
Christian population shrinking in China amid ‘crackdown’
This finding, human rights activists told CNA, is not surprising given the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts in recent years to... Read more
More than 10,000 Indian Catholics welcome new archbishop in conflict-torn Manipur
More than 10,000 Catholics from across the state of Manipur attended the Dec. 8 installation of the new archbishop of... Read more
Pope Francis accepts resignation of head of Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Alencherry
Pope Francis on Thursday accepted the resignation of Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, based in... Read more
Refugees of ethnic clash in India find open arms in majority-Christian state
“We are grateful to God [that] we are safe here,” said Mercy Tungdian, who now lives with her three small... Read more
Pope Francis prays for victims of bombing of Catholic Mass in the Philippines
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Dec. 3 blast in a university gymnasium. Read more
At least three killed in explosion during Mass on Philippine campus
Authorities are investigating whether Islamic insurgents were responsible for the blast. Read more
Catholic cathedral complex bombed, bishop flees with refugees in worsening Myanmar civil war
The pastoral center of Christ the King Cathedral in Loikaw, Myanmar, was bombed on Nov. 26 and occupied by the... Read more
St. Andrew Dung-Lac and companions: vanguards of the faith in a time of persecution
On Nov. 24, the Church remembers and honors St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions, a group of 117 martyrs who... Read more
Archbishop to invite young North Koreans to next World Youth Day in Seoul
Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick shared this week that he plans to invite a youth delegation from North Korea to the... Read more
Hong Kong lawmaker blasts Catholic bishops’ petition for release of Jimmy Lai
“I advise those religious leaders to know when to quit, or else they will have a heavy price to pay,”... Read more
China’s top patriotic bishop stresses unity, sinicization to guide evangelization
After a three-day visit to Hong Kong, Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing stressed the importance of building unity. Read more
Beijing archbishop becomes first to visit Hong Kong since Chinese revolution
The archbishop of Beijing is visiting Hong Kong in a trip that marks a historic first since the Chinese Communist... Read more
Shanghai bishop calls on faithful to support Chinese Community Party’s ‘sinicization’ of Church
Bishop Joseph Shen Bin was unilaterally appointed as bishop of Shanghai in April without a papal mandate. Read more
China’s new ‘Patriotic Education Law’ places further limits on religious instruction
The new law would require churches and religious groups to adapt their educational activities to promote the party’s official ideology. Read more
