Asia

• 16 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - Today 16 April in Baghdad children make their first Holy Communion. Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Mattoka, of Syrian Catholics in Baghdad told Fides: “Iraqis of different faiths can live side by side Baghdad (Fides Service) - “We ask all Christians to pray for the people of Iraq at this difficult time” Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Mattoka, Archbishop of the Catholic Syrian Church in Baghdad, told Fides. “All ...
• 16 April 2004
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Progressive party wins general elections, President Roh entrusted with the re-launching of the economy Seoul (Fides Service) - Korea begins a new political era with the victory of the liberal-progressive Uri Party which defeated a coalition of conservative and moderate parties. The results were announced by the South Kore ...
• 16 April 2004
  ASIA/CHINA - Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo and Easter Rome (Fides Service) - Chinese Catholic Bishop Julius Jia, not recognised by the Beijing government, has been released. On his release after ten days of detention he said it had been very painful to be away from his peo ...
• 16 April 2004
  ASIA/NORTH KOREA - UN Human Rights Commission institutes role of Special Observer for North Korea Geneva (Fides Service) - The figure of a Special Observer for North Korea to monitor the situation of human rights in that Asian country was instituted on 15 April by the United Nations Commission for Human Rights during ...
• 16 April 2004
  ASIA/VIETNAM - Mountain peoples continue to flee Vietnam, but the Office of the UN High Commission for refugees in Cambodia which provided assistance has had to close Ho Chi Minh City (Fides Service) - Mountain people known as Montagnards in central Vietnam, many of whom are Christians, continue to flee for safety to Cambodia to escape repression which was especially fierce over the E ...
• 15 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - “It is time for the Arab world to condemn acts of terrorism like the brutal killing of one Italian hostages ” says Father Nizar Baghdad (Fides Service)- “I am deeply grieved by the murder of Fabrizio Quattrocchi” Nizar Semaan, a Iraqi Catholic priest in Mosul told Fides who voiced his condolences for the killing of the Italian hostage in Iraq ...
• 15 April 2004
  ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Uphold values, avoid taking sides with political parties: Archbishop Fernando Capalla urges priests and religious in view of elections on May 10 Davao (Fides Service) - Uphold values, avoid taking sides with political parties is the advice to priests and religious offered by Archbishop Fernando Capalla, President of the Philippines Bishops’ Conferences , in vie ...
• 14 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - Christians flocked to Easter Liturgies. Gesture of solidarity with Sunni Muslims in Falluja trapped in the city in crossfire between US troops and guerrilla forces Baghdad (Fides Service)-“Despite the atmosphere anything but calm, Iraqi Christians came in great numbers to take part in all the Easter liturgies” local Catholic priest, Father Nizar Semaan, in Mosul told Fides. “ ...
• 14 April 2004
  ASIA/INDIA - Popular Bible Correspondence Course in Santali language launched by two Catholics in Bangalore Bangalore (Fides Service) - The first Bible Correspondence Course in the Santali language has been launched in India to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and the teachings of his Gospel. The initiative was undertaken ...
• 14 April 2004
  ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Imbuing politics with the Gospel values: a duty for Christians in the 3rd millennium - Catholic Bishops of Korea issue message in view of general elections on 15 April Seoul (Fides Service) - Evangelise politics, bring Christian values to the management of public affairs, guarantee the common good by acting according to criteria of justice, solidarity and honesty: these are indications ...
• 7 April 2004
  ASIA/CHINA/HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s diocesan newspaper Kung Kao Po provides Audio News on the Internet Hong Kong (Fides Service) - The Catholic Chinese weekly Kung Kao Po published by the diocese of Hong Kong available on the web (www.kkp.hkcatholic.org) now provides an audio version for the visually impaired. The audio ...
• 7 April 2004
  ASIA/TAJIKISTAN - Second Charity Concert of Classical Religious Music in Dushanbe in aid of deaf and dumb children Dushanbe (Fides Service) - A Charity Concert of Classical Religious Music in aid of Deaf and Dumb Children in Tajikistan was held on Friday 2 April at the Catholic Mission of Tajikistan, Father Carlos Avila VE Superior o ...
• 7 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - “Why the international community united and resolute must stand up to extremist violence here in Iraq ” Father Nizar Semaan tells Fides Baghdad (Fides) - Commenting on the latest episodes of violence in Iraq a local Catholic priest Father Nizar Semaan in Mosul, sent the following statement to Fides: “Behind the clashes provoked by Shiite leader Moqtada ...
• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/IRAQ - “A Holy Week of suffering for Iraqi Christians” reports Father Nizar Semaan from Mosul. Palm Sunday processions and Easter Night Vigil Mass cancelled for security reasons Baghdad (Fides Service)- “Holy Week will be a time of suffering in Iraq” Father Nizar Semaan, in Mosul, told Fides. Mosul has been the scene of recent between the coalition forces and Shiite activists. “Yesterday f ...
• 5 April 2004
  ASIA/INDONESIA - Indonesia votes in general elections: “It is fundamental that politics and religion are separate” local Catholic Bishop told Fides Jakarta (Fides Service) - Elections in Indonesia start today. The vote in the populous country 145 eligible voters out of a population of 210 million will last until the Summer, July 5 when there will be the first round ...