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Hong Kong bishop’s historic trip to Beijing amid Sino-Vatican tension

Hong Kong’s Jesuit Bishop Stephen Chow began his first visit to mainland China as tensions mount between the Vatican and China over the secretive 2018 deal on the appointment of bishops.

Published: April 21, 2023 11:03 AM GMT

Updated: April 21, 2023 11:04 AM GMT

Hong Kong’s Catholic Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan started his maiden visit to mainland China on Monday. The five-day trip comes amid allegations of the communist regime flouting the terms of a Vatican-China deal over the appointment of bishops.

In Beijing, the Hong Kong delegation led by Bishop Chow attended a prayer vigil for the beatification of pioneering Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, who was declared ‘venerable’ by Pope Francis last December. Chow earlier said his visit would “underscore the mission of the Diocese of Hong Kong to be a bridge Church and promote exchanges and interactions between the two sides.”

The visit comes as tensions mount between the Vatican and China’s communist regime. It came two weeks after the Vatican accused the Chinese regime of violating the Vatican-China agreement of 2018 by installing Joseph Shen Bin of Haimen as the bishop of Shanghai without Vatican approval.

Bishop Bin is known as a pro-Beijing figure and current chairman of the state-run bishops' conference that the Vatican does not recognize.

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong started his first visit to mainland China on April 17

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong started his first visit to mainland China on April 17. (Photo: Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific)

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A Catholic archdiocese in southern India has marked the end of a centuries-old practice of endogamy, disallowing members from marrying outside the close-knit Knanaya community, following a court order. For about 17 centuries, Catholics in the archdiocese faced expulsion if they married outside the community. 

The archdiocese was established for the Knanaya Catholic community who claim to have their origin from a group of Jewish-Christian emigrants from Cana in Southern Mesopotamia that came to Kerala in the fourth century. The community practices endogamy to maintain “the purity of their lineage.”

Justin John became the first person from the Kottayam Knanaya archdiocese to break the endogamy practice. He is posing for a photo session with his would-be wife Vijimol Shaji during his engagement at St. Francis Xavier’s Church under the Archdiocese of Tellicherry on April 17. (Photo – supplied)

However, some Catholics opposed the practice calling it discriminatory. A civil court in Kerala struck it down on April 30, 2021, after a long legal battle.

The archdiocese appealed against the order, but the high court upheld the lower court order in March last year.


Police in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad stepped up security around a Christian church following a mob attack on Sunday. Around 40 armed men pelted bricks on the Voice of Jesus Church in Khokhar town. The attackers are suspected to have fired bullets during the evening prayer.

The outer wall of the church carried three bullet marks while the gates and windows were damaged. A case has been registered at the local police station under the anti-terrorism law. Pastor Younas Masih of the affected church claimed the attack followed the harassment of his daughter and son by a gang of hooligans.

Furniture strewn around at the Voice of Jesus Church in Khokhar town in Pakistan's national capital Islamabad after it was attacked by a mob of armed men during the evening prayer on April 16. (Photo supplied)

Police refused to accept the attack as a religious issue and termed it a “fight between kids.” The incident came four days after a militant group, Baloch Liberation Army, shot dead a Christian and termed him a police spy against them.

The 55-year-old Pervaiz Masih was killed in Turbat of Balochistan province last Wednesday. His family members dismissed the allegation and said it was a typical lie to cover up the crime.

Malaysians have paid tributes to British-born Catholic environmental conservationist Kenneth Robert Saxby Proud, who set up the first nature reserve in the Christian-majority Sarawak state and engaged in conservation works in Asia and Africa. The 75-year-old Proud died last Friday due to cancer-linked complications.

His body was cremated after funeral services at St. Joseph’s Cathedral church in Sarawak state capital Kuching on Monday. Family members said as per his final wish, Proud’s ashes will be scattered “amongst the nature in Sarawak.”

British-born Catholic environmental conservationist Kenneth Robert Saxby Proud set up the first nature reserve in the Christian-majority Sarawak state of Malaysia in 1975. (Photo: The Borneo Post)

Many posted on social media to pay tributes to him for his pioneering conservation work. A graduate in ecology, Proud came to Sarawak in the 1970s with a plan to implement a nature conservation project in the forested areas in Sarawak and monitor the key wildlife species. He helped set up the Semenggoh Wildlife Center in 1975. He also spent a considerable time documenting the various species of animals.

Proud was also engaged in various wildlife conservation works in the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Namibia, Tanzania, and Mauritius.


The Diocese of Jeonju in South Korea has excommunicated a Catholic exorcist, Raphaella Um Ok-soon, for allegedly violating the doctrine of the Catholic Church and receiving gifts including money from Catholics for the fulfillment of prayers. The excommunication comes following reports from victims and requests for investigation, says a decree signed by Bishop John Kim Son-tae of Jeonju.

Besides defrocking Um, the diocese has formed two bodies to investigate the allegations. Bishop Kim said following a preliminary probe, it was found Um Ok-soon held prayer meetings from 2003-2022 and accepted gifts such as money under the pretext of “healing the family” and “private prayer.”

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral of Jeonju, South Korea is seen in this file image. The diocese has excommunicated a Catholic exorcist for violating Catholic doctrine. (Photo: UCA News)

The victims of Um hail from six dioceses – Seoul, Daejeon, Incheon, Suwon, Cheongju, and Jeonju. The action from Jeonju Diocese comes as controversial Christian cult movements in South Korea came under intense scrutiny following the broadcast of a Netflix drama last month.

The series exposed the dark sides of four Christian cult leaders who are accused of illegal activities including fraud and sexual exploitation.


A lay Catholic religious teacher in Indonesia with an alleged habit of watching porn videos has been accused of sexually abusing seven elementary school students.

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The 26-year-old teacher was arrested by police in Ende Regency on Flores Island in Christian-majority East Nusa Tenggara province on Monday. He reportedly teaches at Jopu II Catholic Elementary School.

Yance Kadiaman, head of the Ende police's criminal investigation unit, and team members presents the Catholic lay teacher (orange shirt), who is accused of molesting seven elementary school students, to the media on April 17. (Photo: Ende Regency police)

A police official said all seven victims were minors aged 11 to 12. If convicted, the teacher could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine equivalent to three hundred fifty thousand US dollars. A series of sexual abuse of students by teachers have been reported in Indonesia recently, mostly by religion teachers. At least 10 cases were recorded this year involving 86 victims, according to the Federation of Indonesian Teachers' Union.

Earlier this month, the head of an Islamic boarding school in Batang Regency, Central Java province, was arrested for allegedly molesting 15 of his students.


The Federation of Free Farmers in the Philippines has called on the government to act against rice hoarding and profiteering by unscrupulous traders as climatologists warned about a prolonged dry season and the possibility of a reduced crop harvest.

The state-run Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that the El Nino, a weather condition that increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall as well as dry spells and droughts that hinder the production of crops, would continue until September.

Farmers work in a rice field near the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines in this file image. (Photo: AFP)

The federation leaders said they have received information from various provinces that businessmen are stocking rice for profiteering. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. assured people the price of rice would be kept under control and monitored as the government is ready to import rice to stabilize the stock to feed the country’s estimated 113 million people.

The US Department of Agriculture reported that rice production in the Philippines in 2022-2023 would remain the same at 12.5 million tons and rice imports would reach up to 2.8 million tons.


People in Myanmar stayed at home as they refused to participate in the traditional water festival to mark the Burmese New Year as an act of protest against deadly military airstrikes that killed 168 civilians in the conflict-torn country.

Streets remained deserted in the capital Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay last Thursday despite the junta-sponsored pavilions built to splash water on crowds of people during the Thingyan water festival.

A woman and her son cross an empty street during Myanmar's New Year water festival, locally known as Thingyan, in Yangon on April 13. (Photo: AFP)

Pro-democracy activists who viewed the official festivities as an attempt to show the world that the Southeast Asian nation is back to normalcy urged the public to keep away in solidarity with those oppressed by the military’s brutal crackdown. The public holiday for the festival runs from April 10 to 17.

Usually, the water festival is a joyous celebration in the Buddhist majority country when people from all religions participate together, but things have changed since the February 2021 military coup. Activist groups including Catholics called on people to mark the occasion as a “revolution” or “strike” by staying home.


Cambodian authorities have dismissed a BBC report into human trafficking by criminal syndicates in the southern port town of Sihanoukville.

The Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration said investigations were launched in response to a March 8 report by the UK broadcaster claiming that four Chinese nationals were confined, tortured, and forced to work online romance scams.

This photo taken on Sept. 26, 2022, shows a delivery worker standing in front of the Immigration Removal Center in Sihanoukville in Preah Sihanouk province. Authorities said investigations were launched in response to a March 8 report by BBC claiming that four Chinese nationals were confined, tortured and forced to work online romance scams. (Photo: AFP)

The administration said the video ‘Pig Butchering Romance Scam’ did not reflect the reality of the current situation and alleged that it made “wrongful conclusions and groundless allegations.”

Online scammers often describe their victims as “pigs.” “Fattening the pig” means to lay the groundwork for “butchering the pig,” which denotes the extraction of the victim’s money.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, and China, as well as various human rights groups, had warned of major trafficking rings luring their citizens to Cambodia where the overwhelming majority were transported to Sihanoukville.

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