Asia - Pacific News

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Hong Kong. Credit: Volodymyr Dvornyk/Shutterstock

Who will be the next Bishop of Hong Kong?

Apr 20, 2021

In the wake of the sentencing of several pro-democracy figures, one observer said this week that this would be an... Read more

Charles Maung Bo pictured during a visit to Rome in 2017.

Cardinal Bo: 'We need the light of God’s mercy in Myanmar'

Apr 13, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo has urged Catholics in Burma to share God’s mercy amid the suffering caused by the military... Read more

Pope Francis, pictured April 17, 2013. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Pope Francis sends Easter message to Philippines to mark 500th anniversary of first Mass

Apr 3, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis sent a video message to mark the 500 year anniversary of the first Mass on Philippine soil on... Read more

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo preaching at Westminster Cathedral in London, England, May 12, 2016. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Cardinal Bo: ‘Merciless killings’ turning Burma into ‘21st-century Calvary’

Apr 1, 2021

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo has said that “merciless killings” of protesters following a Feb. 1 military coup have turned Burma... Read more

Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, archbishop of Jakarta, in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 5, 2019.

Indonesian bishops say Palm Sunday cathedral bombing ‘disgraced human dignity’

Mar 29, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Indonesia’s Catholic bishops have strongly condemned the Palm Sunday suicide bombing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral on the... Read more

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, pictured Sept. 26, 2016.

Indonesian president condemns Palm Sunday bombing at Catholic cathedral

Mar 28, 2021

Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned a bomb attack at a Catholic cathedral after a Palm Sunday Mass that killed two... Read more

An Indonesian policeman stands guard outside a church after an explosion in Makassar on March 28, 2021.

Palm Sunday bombing at cathedral in Indonesia injures Catholics leaving Mass

Mar 28, 2021

A suspected suicide bomb attack has targeted Catholics leaving a cathedral after Palm Sunday Mass on the Indonesian island of... Read more

Parliament House, Wellington.

Couples who miscarry will be eligible for paid leave under New Zealand bill

Mar 25, 2021

New Zealand is poised to become the second country in the world to offer couples paid leave after having a... Read more

President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Philippine president threatens to close Catholic churches that hold public Masses

Mar 24, 2021

A spokesperson for Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, said the government will force local churches to close if priests... Read more

Ambulances are seen outside the church premises with gathered people and security personnel following a blast at the St. Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo on April 21, 2019.

Two years after Easter attacks, Sri Lankan Catholics still calling for answers

Mar 21, 2021

By CNA Staff

Catholic leaders in Sri Lanka are urging the government to step up its efforts to investigate the 2019 Easter Sunday... Read more

Japanese district court: Failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

Mar 17, 2021

By CNA Staff

A district court in Japan has ruled that the government’s failure to acknowledge same-sex marriage is a violation of the... Read more

Priest collar /

Indian priest suspended after alleged attack on bishop

Mar 15, 2021

By CNA Staff

A Catholic priest from a northern Indian diocese has been suspended after allegedly physically assaulting the diocese’s bishop.  Read more

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo preaching at Westminster Cathedral in London, England, May 12, 2016. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org| The flag of the People's Republic of China. Credit: Gang Liu/Shutterstock

Cardinal Bo urges prayer octave for China

Mar 14, 2021

Charles Maung Cardinal Bo of Yangon on Sunday called for the expansion of a day of prayer for the Church... Read more

A radiation hotspot in Kashiwa, a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in February 2012

Japan's Catholic bishops mark 10th anniversary of Fukushima nuclear disaster

Mar 11, 2021

Ten years ago on March 11, a magnitude-9 earthquake under the ocean off the coast of Japan triggered a disaster... Read more

Catholic nun begs police not to shoot protesters during Myanmar unrest

Catholic nun begs police not to shoot protesters during Myanmar unrest

Mar 10, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

A religious sister in northern Burma knelt before police on Monday, begging them not to use violent force against protestors. Read more

Tasmania poised to legalize euthanasia, assisted suicide

Mar 5, 2021

The Australian island of Tasmania is expected to become the third Australian state to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, after... Read more

Shahbaz Bhatti, who was assassinated March 2, 2011, speaks at a 2010 press conference in Islamabad.

'He refused to be silent.' What a slain Pakistani religious freedom advocate can teach the world

Mar 4, 2021

Ten years after his assassination, various world leaders have praised the life and death of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistan cabinet... Read more

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo preaching at Westminster Cathedral in London, England, May 12, 2016. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Burmese cardinal: ‘Innocent blood may not be spilt on this land’

Mar 2, 2021

Preaching on the deadliest day of protests since Burma’s military coup, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo said on Sunday that “innocent... Read more

The flag of Australia. Credit: Rob Wilson/Shutterstock.

Australia’s Catholic bishops issue plenary council working document

Feb 26, 2021

Australia’s Catholic bishops on Thursday issued a working document ahead of the first assembly of a landmark plenary council in October.  Read more

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith outside his residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Jan. 13, 2015.

Catholic bishops urge Sri Lankan government to release report on 2019 Easter bombings

Feb 24, 2021

The Sri Lankan government must release its report on the Easter 2019 terrorist attack on Christian churches and hotels, say... Read more