Asia - Pacific News

The Vatican ambassador to Colombo, Archbishop Brian Udaigwe (third from left) and Sri Lanka's Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith (fourth from left) take part in a remembrance service during the fifth anniversary of the Easter Sunday suicide attacks at St. Anthony Church in Colombo on April 21, 2024.

More than 50,000 sign petition to recognize 171 killed in Sri Lanka attack as martyrs

Apr 23, 2024

By Walter Sánchez Silva

On April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, eight suicide bombers attacked two Catholic churches, a Protestant church, and three luxury hotels,... Read more

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Indian bishops condemn Hindu group’s attack on Catholic school and priest

Apr 22, 2024

By Anto Akkara

On April 16 a mob of activists assaulted a priest and vandalized the Mother Teresa English Medium School in Telangana... Read more

A member of New South Wales Forensic Police is seen at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley, Australia, on April 16, 2024. Hundreds clashed with police in western Sydney on April 15 after Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the altar. New South Wales police have declared the attack a terror event. Police apprehended a 16-year-old in connection with the attack.

‘I forgive whoever has done this’: Australian bishop who survived stabbing speaks out

Apr 18, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was attacked at an Australian church earlier this week, told his attacker: “You’re my son,... Read more

Cardinal William Goh of Singapore celebrates Mass at the city-state's Indoor Stadium on July 4, 2015.

Cardinal Goh of Singapore hopes Pope Francis’ visit will ‘spur a renewal’ in the country

Apr 17, 2024

By Kristina Millare

Cardinal William Goh expressed his hope that the Holy Father’s visit to the city-nation from Sept. 11–13 “will bring renewed... Read more

Forensic police are seen at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley, Australia, on April 16, 2024. Hundreds clashed with police in western Sydney on April 15 after Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the alter during a service at an Assyrian church in Wakeley. New South Wales police have declared the attack a terror event. Police apprehended a 16-year-old in connection with the attack.

Australian archbishop, religious leaders urge calm after violent attack on Sydney bishop

Apr 16, 2024

By AC Wimmer

“I urge the faithful to not respond to these events with fear, avoiding places of worship because they are worried... Read more

Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni Church, an Indian-Mughal style Catholic church in Medan, Indonesia.

Pope Francis’ Indonesia visit to ‘strengthen message of tolerance, unity, and world peace’

Apr 15, 2024

By Kristina Millare

The Indonesian government has confirmed the country will be the first destination in the 87-year-old pontiff’s apostolic journey to the... Read more

City skyline in Sydney, Australia.

Australian police arrest male suspect following stabbing attack at Sydney church

Apr 15, 2024

By AC Wimmer

In a first statement, New South Wales police urged the community to avoid the area, saying several people were stabbed,... Read more

Pope Francis speaks at the Vatican's Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Pope Francis expresses sorrow as Sydney knife attack shocks Australia

Apr 13, 2024

By AC Wimmer

“Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the violent attack in Sydney, and he sends the assurance of his... Read more

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar priest shot while celebrating Mass amid violent conflict 

Apr 12, 2024

By Daniel Payne

Masked assailants shot Father Paul Khwi Shane Aung as he celebrated Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in the town of... Read more

Exposition of the official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad on April 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City, Philippines.

13-year-old Filipina who loved the Eucharist is officially on path to sainthood

Apr 11, 2024

By Valerie Joy Escalona

On April 7, the cause for canonization of 13-year-old Filipina Niña Ruíz-Abad was officially opened at St. William the Hermit... Read more

Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher (center) meets with Vietnamc’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (unseen) and other officials at the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on April 9, 2024.

Vatican official meets Vietnam’s prime minister during historic diplomatic trip

Apr 11, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about a... Read more

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Japanese company’s pivot to adult diapers underscores crashing fertility rates worldwide

Apr 10, 2024

By Daniel Payne

Oji Holdings’ pivot to adult diaper manufacturing underscores an ongoing crisis facing many developed nations around the world: cratering fertility... Read more

Students in morning assembly prayer in Catholic school at Seppa in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian bishops’ ‘guidelines’ for Catholic schools elicit mixed reaction

Apr 10, 2024

By Anto Akkara

The 13-page document issued to India’s 15,000 Catholic educational institutions includes a recommendation that schools display the preamble to the... Read more

The official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad was presented to the public during the opening session of the diocesan phase of her cause for beatification and canonization at the Cathedral Church of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City on Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Filipino Catholic Church presents official portrait of 13-year-old girl considered for sainthood

Apr 9, 2024

By Diego López Marina

The official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad was presented during the opening of the diocesan phase of her... Read more

The Apostolic Administration in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, made up of priests, religious, and laypeople, gather in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, during Easter Week, April 2-3, 2024, to pray and discuss the work of the small but growing  Catholic community spread throughout the Central Asian country. Father Anthony Corcoran (pictured in glasses holding a blue pen and paper) and Caritas representative Sher Abdugapirov (glasses and light blue hoodie) can be seen in this photo.

Church in Kyrgyzstan: a ‘blossoming bud’ growing in the peripheries of the world

Apr 8, 2024

By Kristina Millare

The Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan convened a two-day meeting April 2-3 in the capital of Bishkek to pray and discuss... Read more

A person walks past an area of a damaged building that is cordoned off following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake on April 3, 2024, in Hualien, Taiwan.

Pope Francis ‘deeply saddened,’ expresses closeness with victims of Taiwan earthquake

Apr 4, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The Holy Father “assures everyone affected by this disaster of his heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness,” a Vatican telegram said. Read more

St. Paul's Church, in Imphal, capital of Manipur state, after the church was set on fire in 2023.

Easter holiday is canceled then restored in heavily Christian Indian state

Mar 28, 2024

By Anto Akkara

The March 28 reversal by the Manipur government came within 24 hours after Manipur Gov. Anusuiya Uikey canceled the Easter... Read more

Catholic faithful offer prayers during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad in India on Feb. 14, 2024.

Incidents of violence and persecution against Christians shoot up in India

Mar 27, 2024

By Anto Akkara

Violence and persecution against minority Christians, who account for only 2.3% of India’s 1.41 billion people, have been on a... Read more

Asian elephant.

Despite Church warnings, tigers and elephants threaten lives in Kerala, India

Mar 27, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The Catholic Church in Kerala has been leading the charge in urging the government to take decisive action to protect... Read more

The Vatican on March 16, 2024, determined that nothing prevents the opening of the cause for canonization of Niña Ruiz-Abad, a 13-year-old girl who died in 1993 in the Philippines and whose grave has become a place of pilgrimage.

Vatican authorizes opening of cause for canonization for 13-year-old Filipina girl

Mar 18, 2024

By Walter Sánchez Silva

The grave of Niña Ruiz-Abad, a 13-year-old girl who died in 1993 in the Philippines, has become a place of... Read more