Asia

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  16 October 2015
  ASIA/INDIA - Protestant Pastor killed in Jharkhand Bhopal (Agenzia Fides) - A Protestant Pastor was killed in the state of Jharkhand, eastern India. As reported to Fides by the Evangelical Fellowship network of India, Chamu Hasda Purty, 54, of the Independent Pentecosta ...
• 16 October 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Fifty Christians in Qaryatayn held hostage by jihadists have been released Damascus (Agenzia Fides) - At least fifty Christians in Qaryatayn taken hostage last August by jihadists of the Islamic State (Daesh) were released on Sunday 11 October, and were able to return to the villages of Zaydal ...
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  16 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Caritas Jerusalem: pilgrimages cancelled due to the blocks in the neighborhoods of the Holy City Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - All the security measures which have taken place by the Israeli authorities in Jerusalem - especially those inside the Old City - are causing the cancellation of pilgrimages, "which means the ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Over 1400 cases of blasphemy in a year Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - In 2014, 1,400 cases of blasphemy were registered in Pakistan: it is a peak, compared with the trend of recent years, which reveals a very worrying situation. This was reported by senior lawyer ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - New arrests and violence against Christians for alleged blasphemy Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – The arrests of Christians falsely accused of blasphemy continues. According to new cases one of the victims is the young Christian Naveed John, 24, accused and arrested in Sargodha, Punjab. Ac ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - Religious leaders and Shimon Peres against sectarian violence Tel Aviv (Agenzia Fides) - The leaders of different faith communities and religious traditions met former Israeli President Shimon Peres to talk about the escalation of violence that is bloodying the Holy Land again. The ...
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  15 October 2015
  ASIA/UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Minister of Culture to Christians in Abu Dhabi: "We have learned a lot from you" Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) - Sheikh Nayan bin Mubarak al Nayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development of the UAE, spoke at the ceremony organized on the occasion of the completion of the restoration of the ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Peace and prosperity, the duty of every citizen Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) - "Every Pakistani citizen has a responsibility and a key role in building peace in Pakistan": said His Exc. Bishop Joseph Arshad, Bishop of Faisalabad, speaking at a recent seminar dedicated t ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/INDIA - Hindu extremists demand an anti-conversion law in Jharkhand Ranchi (Agenzia Fides) - Hindu extremist groups have begun a campaign to promote the adoption of a new "anti-conversion law" in the Indian state of Jharkhand, in north central India. As Fides learns, after the news of th ...
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  14 October 2015
  ASIA/HOLY LAND - The Director of Caritas Jerusalem: the block of East Jerusalem feeds anger and feelings of revenge Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - "The imposition of Israeli checkpoints in Palestinian areas of Jerusalem represents a 'safety measure' that provides no security, but on the contrary increases anger and frustration, and thus ...
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  13 October 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Archbishop Hindo: who defines military operations against the jihadists as a "Holy War" is foolish Hassaké (Agenzia Fides) - "I have heard that senior officials of the Patriarchate in Moscow have blessed the Russian military operations against jihadi militias operating in Syria as a 'Holy War': I want to clearly say ...
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  13 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Blasphemy: bail for a Christian, final hearing for another case Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - There is good news for the Christian community in Pakistan: the Christian Pervaiz Masih, arrested in the district of Kasur on September 2 for alleged blasphemy (see Fides 03/09/2015), was granted ...
• 13 October 2015
  ASIA/SRI LANKA - Resignation of the Bishop of Jaffna, appointment of successor Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On 13 October 2015, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Jaffna (Sri Lanka), presented by His Exc. Mgr. Thomas Savundaranayagam Emmanuel, in acc ...
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  12 October 2015
  ASIA/PAKISTAN - Fears for the Catholic headmaster's family Kasur (Agenzia Fides) - Fear and insecurity prevail in Siddique Azam's family, headmaster in the village of Pernawa, in the district of Kasur in Punjab, who was beaten by fellow Muslims. The latter do not recognize the h ...
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  12 October 2015
  ASIA/SYRIA - Father Jihad (Community of Deir Mar Musa): we thank Christians and Muslims who prayed for the release of father Murad Homs (Agenzia Fides) - "We are grateful to the Lord and give praise to the merciful God for this gift. And we thank all the friends in the world who prayed for Jacques and for our monastic community, Christians, Muslims ...