Taliban cracks down on TV channels for 'violating Islamic values'
Many journalists fled Afghanistan, fearing repercussions after the collapse of the foreign-backed government in August 2021
Jiangmen diocese, one of five dioceses in Guangdong province, covers 24 counties in the districts and cities of Foshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang, Yunfu, Zhaoqing and Zhongshan. The church in Guangdong was separated from Macao diocese becoming Guangdong Apostolic Prefecture in 1858 under the...
Diocese of Chanda, the first Syro-Malabar diocese in North India, was established as part of a Latin-rite province even before the Second Vatican...
Recent Events
Marian Parish, the home of Brunei’s most famous Catholic
The Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in Seria is a small church on the western Belait district of Brunei, but it shot into fame thanks to the nation’s most famous Catholic – late Cardinal Cornelius Sim. It is also the second of three churches in Brunei dedicated to Virgin Mary. In fact, Mary has a prominent place not only in Christianity, but also in Islam, the dominant faith in Brunei. Holy Quran mentions Mary seventy times and reveres her as the greatest woman to have ever lived.
Malaysian Church’s unforgettable French missionary legacy
The Church of the Visitation in Seremban relishes the treasured legacy of pioneering French missionaries who introduced Catholicism in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding region in the 19th century. The first and oldest Church in Kuala Lumpur became a springboard of evangelization following the arrival of French missionary priest Father Pierre Favre from Paris Foreign Mission Society (MEP). Before settling down in Seremban he carried out missionary activities in the area from hismission station in Malacca.
Brunei’s St. John’s Church pays tribute to Spanish missionaries
St. John’s Church in Kuala Belait of westernmost Brunei carries the legacy of two Spanish Franciscan missionaries – Francesco de Santa Maria and Miguel Juan de Plasencia – who reached the shores of Borneo Island in 1587 and evangelized among local people. To keep the memories of great missionaries alive, when the church in Kuala Belait was constructed in 1953, it was named after St. John the Evangelist. The name of the church reminds about zeal for evangelization of the missionaries, in contrast to situation of religious freedom in Brunei.
Vietnamese cathedral holds the statue of miraculous Virgin Mary
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, popularly known as Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, is one of the tourist hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city and former capital of Vietnam. This 19th century cathedral is a historic landmark from French colonial-era, but it gained significant prominence for the four-meter-tall statue of Virgin Mary that miraculously wept in 2005.
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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Dubai airport, roads still deluged after heaviest rains
Although schools and public sector offices have been closed until next week, traffic returned to the roads
Cardinal: Vocation is call to happiness
God wants each person to be happy and to live life to its fullest, the prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy told a newspaper
Report shows increase in abortion, decrease in health services
Planned Parenthood performed 392,715 abortions in 2021-22, an increase of about 18,000 from the previous report
Myanmar junta’s mind games call for global action
This is a regime, after all, that just a week ago shot a Catholic priest while he was celebrating Mass
'Nostalgia' will not save monasteries from closing: pope
Pope Francis met the superiors and other delegates from Discalced Carmelite monasteries who were meeting in Rome
Unemployment, rights are key concerns among India’s young voters
Around 130 million young adults aged 18 to 22 will be newly eligible to vote in India's national elections when polls open — more people than the entire population of Mexico. The country has the fastest-growing major economy, but there are still not enough white-collar jobs for its educated youth. In an often communally charged election campaign topics such as farmers’ rights, transgender rights, employment skill development are all concerns among the young voters in India. We take a look at their reactions to the current socio-economic conditions in the nation and their expectations from the government — the current one and the next.
Sunday Gospel reflection with Father William Grimm
Jesus announces himself not merely as a shepherd, but as the Good Shepherd. He is the one shepherd we can trust because he is the one shepherd who is not a sheep himself.
