Asia

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  27 February 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN -"Open war" between Pakistan and Afghanistan; "Terrorist attacks and the expulsion of Afghans have increased hostility" Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – Hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated into “open war,” Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared. Mutual attacks and military escalation between Pakistan and Af ...
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  26 February 2026
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Father Fernando on the Easter attacks: "We want nothing more than justice" Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – Sri Lankan police have arrested former intelligence chief, retired General Suresh Sallay, in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks of April 21, 2019. The coordinated attacks on three luxur ...
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  25 February 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - A bill to protect religious minority property in Punjab Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - A bill entitled "Protection of Minority Community Properties Bill 2026," intended as a comprehensive measure to protect the property of religious minorities throughout Punjab province, has been s ...
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  24 February 2026
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Jesuit Fr. Alejo: "The spirit of EDSA calls us to a responsibility in the present" Manila (Agenzia Fides) – "For 40 years, the Philippine education system has failed to convey the spirit of the EDSA revolution. Textbooks do not fully explain what happened during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos S ...
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  24 February 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - A new church opens amidst conflict to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - A church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus – a devotion that is gaining increasing importance in Myanmar during a time of war and suffering – was opened in the Archdiocese of Yangon, a ...
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  24 February 2026
  ASIA/CHINA - Called and led to true happiness. The "Program for the practice of charity" for the Lenten journey of the Parish of Lucheng Wenzhou (Agenzia Fides) – Fasting and other forms of penance that Catholics practice during Lent are not self-imposed deprivations for the sake of self-satisfaction, but arise from gratitude for the gift of true peace ...
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  23 February 2026
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Forty years after the "Rosary revolution", a "revolution of the heart" is urgently needed today Manila (Agenzia Fides) – “Filipinos today face a new ‘moral fatigue’ and, forty years after the historic People Power Revolution of 1986, they are called to actively safeguard freedom and truth.” This was the s ...
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  21 February 2026
  ASIA/INDIA - Supreme Court confirms: In public cemeteries, space for the deceased of all religious communities Raipur (Agenzia Fides) – “This ruling is a fundamental step forward in protecting the dignity of the deceased and respecting the religious and cultural rights of Christian communities,” commented the ecumenical Uni ...
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  20 February 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Burmese Catholics call for peace and observe Lent in the spirit of prayer and charity Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - The civil war in Myanmar is still at a stalemate, as “neither side has been able to achieve a decisive victory, nor is a complete defeat in sight,” according to the recently published report ...
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  19 February 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Archbishop Arshad: "Churches and mosques should be centers of compassion and peace" Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - During Lent and the holy month of Ramadan, which Christians and Muslims are observing simultaneously this year, "churches and mosques should be centers of compassion, peace, and love." This ap ...
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  19 February 2026
  ASIA/VIETNAM - The Secretary General of the Pontifical Mission Societies of France: "A Church to draw inspiration from" Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) – Facilities for the disabled, schools, parishes, missionary centers. These are the places visited in various dioceses of Vietnam from February 10 to 16 by a delegation of the Pontifical Mission S ...
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  18 February 2026
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - The "Silsilah" movement: Lent and Ramadan offer believers a path of fraternity and peace Zamboanga (Agenzia Fides) - “The special seasons of Ramadan and Lent invite us to reflect, pray, and fast in order to achieve a conversion of the heart and rediscover that we are all part of the same human fraternity, ...
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  17 February 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - A new Catholic church in Chin State, a sign of faith and hope amid suffering and displacement Hakha (Agenzia Fides) - The inauguration of a new church is a powerful sign of rebirth and hope for the Catholic population in Chin State in northwestern Myanmar. The only Burmese state with a Christian majority, Chin S ...
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  16 February 2026
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Bishop Bagaforo: Lent and Ramadan begin together, an opportunity to build harmony between Christians and Muslims Manila (Agenzia Fides) – “This year, the holy month of Ramadan and the Lenten season (with Ash Wednesday) begin together on February 18. This shared beginning is a grace. It invites us to slow down, to return to God, ...
• 14 February 2026
  ASIA/INDIA - Appointment of bishop of Sindhudurg Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Francisco Antonio Agnelo Jacinto Pinheiro, of the metropolitan archdiocesan clergy of Goa and Damão, until now professor of philosophy at the Pat ...