Voices from Asia with a Catholic perspective

The Gospel of John has an abundance of graphic images that abundantly declare what the message of Jesus is and how he works in us. Today, John utilizes an image from the Old Testament that has the Serpent held up and attracting people to it for the cleansing and purification of all who receive God and declare their faith in the Son of God.

On Easter we celebrate on behalf of all the world God's love that embraces all the world. We celebrate for that boy, for all the dead and for ourselves, the living who are promised a share in the life of Christ who rose.

Catholics in many Asian countries have renewed their devotion to Saint Joseph for the Vatican-designated Year of St. Joseph. Human rights violations and abuses against minorities, as well as a resurgence of Covid-19, also made headlines across the region.

As  Christians we were hurt by the vehemence of their reaction to the mention of Christianity, even if that mention was a tasteless or even stupid one. But as a Christian, we also knew that the hatred the other kids were showing was not unearned. Father William Grimm, who lives in Japan,  shares some thoughts on this.

With 132 million people aged between 15-33, Pakistan is the fifth largest young country in the world. The Muslim-majority nation also has the second-largest youth population in South Asia after India. However, young people from religious minorities, such as Christians and Hindus, face social discrimination. They have fewer opportunities for education, jobs, and to develop their talents. Organizations like Youth Development Foundation or YDF attempt to bridge this gap through collaborative programs. Shahid Rehmat, YDF, Executive Director in conversation with Kamran Chaudhary.