Asia

The Indian government has apologized to a top Catholic Church official in the country for refusing visas to two Vatican officials traveling to address a meeting of the India’s Latin rite bishops. "(A) senior officer from the Ministry of External Affairs called me up ...

The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur told Christians on Tuesday that the country’s “Allah” ban was only limited to a Catholic newsweekly and that the word can still be used in Malay bibles and during worship sessions.

“Why is God allowing such things to happen, even if it is not the fault of the children? And why are there only very few people helping us?” she asked. Her comments followed an affecting testimony from a former homeless boy, 14-year-old Jun Chura,...

Some 300 children at a Manila center for street kids got the surprise of their lives on Friday when Pope Francis showed up at their door. The pontiff snuck in a visit to the Anak-Tnk Foundation in Manila's Intramuros district after celebrating Mass at ...

Pope Francis arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, Wednesday, where he greeted over 500,000 faithful who had gathered to hear him speak about the importance of the shrine during the almost three decades long civil war. The shrine in the northwest ...

Pope Francis arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday morning, at the beginning of a week-long visit to Asia that will see him in both Sri Lanka and the Philippines. The Holy Father arrived to pomp and circumstance: traditional dancers, a children’s choir ...

At a press conference in the Vatican on Wednesday, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the head of the Holy See Press Office, spoke about the significance of Pope Francis’ upcoming Apostolic Voyage to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and gave details of the trip.

The Turkish government has authorized the construction of a new Syriac Christian Church. Quoting official sources, the Andaolu Agency reported that the church will be built in the Yeşilköy quarter on the outskirts of Istanbul, on the Sea of Marmara.

Pope Francis has written a Christmas letter to the Christians of the Middle East to express his closeness to them at a time of “afflictions and tribulations” due to “the continuing hostilities in the region, but especially because of the work of a newer and disturbing terrorist organization.”

Sword-wielding Hindu devotees will transform a remote corner of Nepal into the world's largest abattoir this weekend when they slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals in defiance of a growing chorus of protests.

Announcements by Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo that they plan to change the way that the government regulates religious affairs is a promising sign that the administration ...

Japan is a dangerous place. The country is prone to volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and typhoons. The earthquake and tsunami that three years ago took more than 18,000 lives brought that fact to the attention of the world. But, smaller quakes are a daily occurrence.

Despite efforts by northern Iraq’s Catholic bishops to ensure that Christians and other refugees can survive the winter, housing shortages and a significant lack of financial support pose serious threats.

Turkish lawmakers voted Thursday to authorize military force against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, joining a growing international coalition against the Islamist militants as they continued to capture territory just south of Turkey’s border.

The Pontifical Sistine Chapel Choir is to perform for the first time in Macao, Hong Kong and Taipei. The concerts will be made possible through the Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture, in collaboration with the Coro Perosi of the Diocese of Macao and...

US air raids fundamental. The Islamist militants mined many houses before fleeing. Syriac Christians return to the city of Alqosh, liberated days ago, and celebrate the feast of the patron saint.

Nearly half of all girls in South Asia marry before they turn age 18, according to a United Nations report that lays bare what it calls "glaring inequalities". The report, published by the UN children's agency UNICEF on Thursday, also revealed ...

Donations raised up to 31 August have been sent to the patriarch of Baghdad and the bishops of Kurdistan. The campaign helps to feed, house, clothe, and bring comfort to more than 150,000 Christian, Yazidi, Turkmen, Shia and Sunni refugees who fled the violence...

The Jinghong dam can contain up to 600 million cubic meters of water and a capacity of 1,750 megawatts. Experts in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia carefully monitor the level of the river. High risk of flooding. But the government of Phnom Penh, a staunch ally of Beijing, denies the threat.

Pope Francis held two private audiences on Thursday morning, one with the ex-President of Israel, Shimon Peres, and another with Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi...

Pope Francis has expressed his "dismay and disbelief" over the atrocities committed by the Islamic State in Iraq, and on August 19 he reportedly reached out directly to an Iraqi priest to offer a message of solidarity.

In his trip to Sri Lanka, that will take place between the 13th and the 15th of January 2015, before proceeding to the Philippines, Pope Francis will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu and will thus be the first Pope in history to set foot in a territory where most inhabitants are Tamil.

The Asian media has welcomed Pope Francis’ trip to Korea, that has just ended, with utmost attention and, only in few cases, coldness. Columnists of the various newspapers in the continent have reported and given peculiar interpretations of ...

On Sunday, Cardinal Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay and president of the Federation of the Asian Bishops’ Conference, told thousands of young pilgrims gathered at Mass in Haemi, Korea, that the next Asian Youth Day will be held in Indonesia in 2017.

Pope Francis met with members of a lay apostolate at the Kkottongnae Spirituality Center on Saturday as part of his Apostolic Journey to Korea. During his address, the pope emphasized the importance of ensuring that everyone experiences the dignity of being able to provide for oneself.

Pope Francis on Friday met some 6,000 delegates to Asian Youth Day 2014 in Dangjin before visiting the shrine of Solmoe – the birthplace of Korean Catholicism – where Korea’s first priest and many other martyrs were killed. Pope Francis watched as AYD delegates...

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Friday before a rousing stadium audience on the second day of a five-day trip that will also see him meet with Asian youth.

“These two celebrations complement one another,” the Holy Father said. “Korean culture understands well the inherent dignity and wisdom of our elders and honors their place in society. We Catholics honor our elders who were martyred for the faith because ...

Pope Francis’ first major address during his Apostolic Voyage – to Korea’s political and civil leaders – was also one of his first speeches in English. Sean Patrick Lovett, the head of Vatican Radio’s English section, was in Seoul, and reports on the reaction to the Pope’s words:

During his upcoming trip to South Korea, Pope Francis will pray for the unborn at the “Cemetery for Aborted Children” as part of his visit to the Kkottoghnae Home for the sick.