Court relief to India’s minority institutions
Madras High Court in southern Tamil Nadu bans government from imposing education quotas
In a land area of 187,400 square kilometers, the diocesan territory, according to the open Church authorities, covers almost the whole Province of Jilin in northeastern China. According to the Vatican, the Diocese of Kirin (Jilin) Szepingkai and Yanji in Jilin province are suffragan of the...
The Diocese of Keningau is located in the "Land Below the Wind" - north of Borneo Island - in the state of Sabah. When it became a diocese in 1993 it covered the interior division of Sabah comprising the towns of Beaufort, Keningau, Tambunan, Tenom, Kuala Penyu, Membakut, Sipitang, Sook and...
Recent Events
Nagasaki cathedral, a testimony of persecution and atomic bombing
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Urakami of Nagasaki is a witness of persecution of Christians from 17th to 19th centuries and deadly atomic bombing during the Second World War. This European-style, red-brick church continues to preserve some relics that survived the atomic bombing. Urakami cathedral, also known as St. Mary’s Cathedral, was almost destroyed when the atomic bomb was dropped on Aug. 9, 1945. The church stood about 500 meters from the hypocenter of atomic explosion. The devastation shattered and charred stone-made statues of saints, which were later preserved as relics along with the surviving head of Virgin Mary statue and one of the church’s original bells.
Sri Lanka’s St. Anthony cathedral promotes religious harmony, cultural diversity
St. Anthony Cathedral at Wahakotte in Kandy is a melting of cultures and religions in Sri Lanka. Wonder worker St. Anthony of Padua is a highly respected saint among Sri Lankans of all ethnicities and faiths. Thousands visit this pilgrimage site all the year round. On the feast of St. Anthony on June 13, this national Catholic shrine draws tens of thousands of faithful from all over the country.
Kyoto cathedral lives the memory of brave Japanese martyrs
Asian Catholics who wish to learn about persecution and martyrdom of Japanese Catholics for faith can visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Kwaramachi of Kyoto. The church is named after St. Francis Xavier, the first Catholic missionary to reach the shores of Japan on July 15, 1549. The saint is credited for introducing Christianity in Japan. Kyoto cathedral is one of several churches under the patronage of the Jesuit saint.
Vietnam’s Marian Church with a feminist charm
Domaine de Marie Church on the Mai Ahh hilltop at Da Lat is famed for its feminist charm and known as Pink Church and Cherry Church, because of its walls made of pink limestones and a surrounding with tall, pink grasses that grow in the area. The church in the Central Highlands of Vietnam is a complex of buildings comprising the Marian Church, two convents of Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, and a school and an orphanage forchildren run by the nuns.
St. Gonsalo Garcia: First Indian missionary martyred in Japan
Gonsalo's martyrdom at Nagasaki with the other Christian missionaries is regarded as the most tragic and historic event for Catholicism in Japan
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St. Pedro Calungsod, Filipino lay martyr and patron of catechists
Calungsod and his companion Father Vitores baptized infants, children and adults, defying the risk of persecution and murder
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St. Lorenzo Ruiz, Filipino layman who became a martyr in Japan
Despite being an ordinary layman, Ruiz remained defiant while facing torture by the Japanese and died a brave martyr
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India’s first tribal Cardinal Toppo dies
The first Indian tribal cardinal had been bed-ridden for some time because of age-related ailments
Lawyers, civil society support judge who fled Sri Lanka
Judge Saravanarajah who recently ruled on a case pertaining to a disputed religious site has cited 'threat to life, stress'
Apathy worsens suffering of Pakistan’s climate-vulnerable poor
Marginalized communities are always first to be hit by natural disasters, and last to be tended
Lockdown in Nepalese city to prevent Hindu-Muslim clashes
An indefinite curfew has been clamped down in Nepalgunj in Banke district, bordering India
Exhibition on Korean Catholic martyrs draws thousands
Paul Yun Ji-chung and 123 other Catholics were martyred for the faith in the early days of Christianity in Korea
Indonesian Christians told to ditch ‘money politics’
Use of money in campaigns fuels potential corruption by candidates after they get elected, says church leader
Church leaders condemn arrest of Indian website editor
Say arrest over alleged Chinese funding is another example of how press freedom has been eroded in India
