Asia

Pope Francis has sent a video message to the people of Korea, broadcast on Korean television over the weekend and ahead of his Apostolic journey to Korea. In the message, the Holy Father begins by inviting the Korean people to pray ...

China will construct a "Chinese Christian theology" suitable for the country, state media reported Thursday, with both believer numbers and tensions with authorities on the rise.

The Holy SeePress Office issued a comunique Tuesday confirming the dates of the Apostolic Trip of the Holy Father in Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

One of the most joyous days in the Muslim calendar, the holiday of Eid al-Fitr was marked on Monday by tears and sorrow in the Gaza Strip, left battered by three weeks of merciless fighting between Israel and Hamas Islamists. Marking the end of the...

Millions of people in the capital and in other areas of the province of Luzon are without electricity and water. At least eight people are still missing; Initial toll is about $ 15 million in damages. 7 thousand houses destroyed and another 19 thousand damaged...

The first typhoon of the Philippines’ brutal rainy season shut down the nation's capital on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people across the country and cutting power for millions. Ferocious winds from Typhoon Rammasun tore roofs off houses, ...

In a press conference held this morning the metropolitan archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, presented the logo and official prayer for the 31st World Youth Day.

Travellers and pilgrims rejoice: a portion of the Silk Road has winded its way into the list of the World Heritage Sites. The Silk Road has been a vital part of world history as a major connecter of trade, culture, religion, politics and much more. This month, UNESCO...

When the pope excommunicated the mafia during his visit to Cassano all'Jonio, it raised concerns in the South Korean government about possible repercussions for his trip to the peninsula. Asian Youth Day is vocational in nature and the pope is set to meet...

India's new government will seek the advice of holy men on how best to carry out an ambitious plan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clean up the Ganges, a river that is sacred to the majority Hindu population. Hindus bathe in the Ganges in an act of...

A Sudanese court has canceled the death sentence of a Christian woman who had been convicted of apostasy. Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was released from prison, along with her two small children who had remained with her during her...

With the celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration, a photo exhibition, film screenings dedicated to two Saint Popes and their teachings, Macau paid tribute to Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II, canonized on April 27.

The Vatican Press Office on Wednesday released the Programme for Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey on the occasion of the 6th World Asian Youth Day in August. The journey, to the Republic of Korea, will take place from 13 to 18 August 2014.

More than 120,000 Cambodians have fled Thailand to return home in the past week, fearing a crackdown on migrant workers after last month's military takeover, an official said on Sunday. The mass exodus of labourers - who play a key role in Thai industries...

Over 80 organizations from civil society worldwide today call on Burma to scrap proposed legislation that would unlawfully restrict the right to freely choose a religion. If adopted, this law would violate fundamental human rights and could lead to

The Vatican delegation, appointed to study the details of the next scheduled visit of Francis from 14 to 18 August, arrived in South Korea on Monday and today concluded its second visit. This was communicated by the website ‘Il Sismografo’ with an article ...

Exploring realities of multi-religious societies and discovering new ways of working together as faith communities to promote justice and peace, young Christian leaders from Asia have gathered in Cambodia to take part in a two-week training programme...

The houses were swept inland by rivers of mud and landslides, or are under water. So far 23 confirmed dead. The most serious situation is in Kalutara district (Western Province): 12,651 displaced, 101 houses damaged, 42 completely razed.

The Loyola School of Theology (LST) in Manila has begun offering a theology programme through which students, especially Jesuit scholastics, can engage with Asian contexts. Asia Pacific is marked with great cultural diversity, extreme poverty in...

Pope Francis will pay a two day visit to Sri Lanka in January 2015 and then to Philippines was an announcement he made at a news conference in the aircraft on his return home to the Vatican.

It is the most important religious congregation in the Mashriq. During the Mass with Pope Francis, Patriarch Twal called for the canonisation of its founder, the Blessed Marie-Alphonsine. At present, it has 250 sisters and is present throughout the Middle East ...

Over 8,000 Israeli Security Personnal on Duty During Francis Visit to Jerusalem. On Sunday, the second day of his Holy Land pilgrimage, Pope Francis will preside over a Mass in Bethlehem’s Nativity Square. For this reason, the Israeli authorities will allow 650 Palestinian Christians ...

The Catholic Church in Thailand, while recognising that declaration of martial law was imperative to control riots, urged that talks be initiated between the warring factions to restore peace in the nation.

The new National Director had worked as a lay missionary in Cambodia and after his 2009 ordination has been working with PIME.

China must guarantee its citizens’ rights to freedom of religious belief and expression, a coalition of lawyers, religious leaders and academics have told Beijing as church demolitions and the arrests of Christians stoke fears of a nationwide “anti-church” campaign.

China on Thursday, May 8, held its first bishop election since Pope Francis assumed the papacy in March last year, in what will be a key test of relations between Beijing and the Vatican as they decide whether to endorse the candidate.

A clause in Aceh's new Islamic criminal procedural codes, finally approved in February could see non-Muslims tried in Sharia Court , but lawyers, legal experts and human rights activists in the province contest the application of...

The first presence of Jews in Kaifeng, China's former imperial capital, dates back to the 10th century AD. The last recognised rabbi died in 1810, and since then the community has lived without knowing the faith of their ancestors...

Sri Lanka's energy minister offered flowers and lit thousands of oil lamps as she prayed for rains to replenish drought-hit reservoirs which are used for hydro-power plants, an official said Tuesday.

Sawan Masih's conviction came at the end of a trial held in prison because of a high risk of Islamist attacks. The Christian man's lawyers announce that they will appeal the verdict. Religious leaders and civil society groups express their anger and outrage over the court decision....