Asia

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  21 April 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Child marriages and the case of Christian Maria Shahbaz: Christian community calls for respect for laws protecting minors Lahore (Fides News Agency) – “It is urgent to implement child protection laws and an immediate review of the legislative gaps highlighted by the recent case of the Christian girl Maria Shahbaz is necessary. Existing ...
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  21 April 2026
  ASIA/CHINA - "Encounter with the Lord, a synodal journey": the first spiritual retreat of the Chinese bishops Wuhan (Fides News Agency) – A total of 23 bishops from nine Chinese provinces participated in the first spiritual retreat of 2026 from April 13 to 18, focusing on the theme “Encounter with the Lord, a Synodal journey ...
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  21 April 2026
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Easter Sunday massacre, Cardinal Ranjith: "We are closer to the truth, but obstacles still exist" Colombo (Fides News Agency) – "The current Sri Lankan government, which took office in 2024, has a more positive stance regarding the Easter Sunday massacre of April 2019 and is searching for the truth. However, some o ...
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  20 April 2026
  ASIA/UZBEKISTAN - The Bishops of Central Asia express “firm support” for Pope Leo XIV and elect Cardinal Marengo as President of the Bishops' conference Tashkent (Fides News Agency) – The bishops of the Central Asian countries, who gathered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from April 15 to 19 for the Fifth Plenary Assembly of the Central Asian Bishops' Conference, reaffirmed ...
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  20 April 2026
  ASIA/LAOS - Two new Laotian priests, the first Redemptorists Thakhek (Fides News Agency) - The small Catholic community of Laos will celebrate the priestly ordination of two Redemptorist deacons on April 22 at St. Louis Cathedral in Thakhek, Khammouane Province: Father Peter Gnant ...
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  18 April 2026
  ASIA/HONG KONG - Diocese celebrates 80th anniversary: Mission and charitable service to the most vulnerable Hong Kong (Fides News Agency) – “Eighty years ago, on this very day, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the elevation of Hong Kong from an Apostolic Vicariate to the rank of a diocese. We are grateful for the selfless dedica ...
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  18 April 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Right to housing: Federal Court defends poor families in slum settlements in Islamabad and Rawalpindi Islamabad (Fides News Agency) – Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi described the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, which calls on the Islamabad-Rawalpindi city government to "develop a comprehensive ...
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  17 April 2026
  ASIA/INDIA - Indian Christians support Pope Leo XIV’s call for lasting peace New Delhi (Fides News Agency) - “As Indian Christians, we wholeheartedly support the Holy Father’s call for a ceasefire, dialogue, and the restoration of peace in the Middle East. The Pope’s voice, rooted in the G ...
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  16 April 2026
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Catholic politician Navid emphasizes Pakistan's continued mediation efforts in the war in the Middle East to achieve peace for the benefits of all Rome (Fides News Agency) - “I am proud that Pakistan has done its utmost to bring together all the actors involved in the war in the Middle East and invite them to a negotiating table in Islamabad. Of course, this is n ...
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  16 April 2026
  ASIA/MYANMAR - Burmese Bishops express their solidarity with the Pope: "Lay down weapons, open hearts, and seek the difficult but necessary path of dialogue and peace" Yangon (Fides News Agency) - Following the verbal attack by US President Donald Trump, the Burmese bishops of the Bishops' Conference of Myanmar express their solidarity with Pope Leo XIV. They praise the Pope “amid th ...
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  15 April 2026
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - WYD 2027: From barbed wire, the "Cross of Peace" - a symbol of reconciliation between North and South Korea Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – According to the Archdiocese of Seoul, a striking symbol will accompany the events of World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, which will focus intensively on the division between North and South Korea: a ...
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  14 April 2026
  ASIA/INDIA - Christian holidays, an occasion for celebration and friendship with non-Christians New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - Celebrating Christian holidays in India "is a precious opportunity for interreligious dialogue and also for the New Evangelization,” Sister Lissy Maruthanakuzhy, an Indian nun from the Congr ...
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  13 April 2026
  ASIA/VIETNAM - A film about the life of a Vietnamese Catholic family has attracted considerable interest and been very well received by Andrew Doan Thanh Phong Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) - The first film of "Dating on the Day of Eclipse" about Catholicism has recently been widely beloved in Vietnam, a country where the Catholic population is very mo ...
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  12 April 2026
  Amel Shimon Nona is the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Church and takes the name Paulos III Rome (Agenzia Fides) – The Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church, gathered in Rome since Thursday 9 April, today elected Amel Shimon Nona as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. Until now, he has served as Archbishop of ...
• 11 April 2026
  ASIA/VIETNAM - Appointment of Auxiliary Bishop of Thành-Phô Hô Chí Minh Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Leo XIV has appointed the Reverend Father John Baptist Nguyen Quang Tuyen, of the clergy of the same Archdiocese, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Thành-Phô Hô C ...