When Pope Paul VI stepped onto Asian soil in 1970, he was doing more than making a pastoral visit. He was signaling a shift in how the Catholic Church viewed its global mission.
Pope Leo XIV extended his warm wishes to millions across Asia ahead of the Lunar New Year, expressing hope that the celebration will strengthen family bonds, deepen friendships, and foster peace and prosperity.
In a rapidly secularizing world, few ecclesial movements have generated as much missionary zeal—and occasionally, internal friction—as the Neocatechumenal Way.
The second day (Nov 28) of the Great Pilgrimage of Hope was highlighted by a powerful address from His Beatitude Archbishop Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and Metropolitan Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India. He spoke on the theme: “A Call for a Renewed Personal Encounter with Christ.”
The Synod of Bishops’ 2024 Final Document itself urges the local churches to promote “both a consciousness of service and a particular style of service towards all, especially the poorest" (no. 73).
The Council of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) elected Christine Nathan from India as the new president. She is the first ICMC president from Asia.
Pope Francis’ fascination for the periphery continues to be reflected in the choice of the new cardinals. Six at one go is a first for Asia and a major boost as the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) celebrates the golden jubilee of its foundation in October this year.
Children in six Asian countries are among those most at risk of the impacts of the climate crisis, says a report by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund or UNICEF.
Asian lawmakers are among the more than 600 elected officials from 30 countries who have called on China’s communist rulers to immediately halt the “systematic and brutal campaign to ‘eradicate’ the spiritual discipline of Falun Gong.”
