Pope Leo, through the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has officially declared Saint Lazarus Devasahayam as the Patron of the Laity in India.
Forty years later, the parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, not only remember the gruesome “Escalante Massacre” but also seek “to reclaim the sacrifices of the victims,” whom they call martyrs to the cause of freedom and justice.
“If you don’t love each other, at least don’t hate each other,” said Brigadier S. Prashanth of the 27 Sector Assam Rifles during the celebration of Panchsutra Recitation and National Women’s Friendship Day on September 17.
In recent months, the phrase “ghost projects” has dominated public discourse in the Philippines. Following a series of government exposés, numerous flood control projects have come under scrutiny. Despite billions of pesos in allocated funding, many of these infrastructures were either left unfinished or never built at all.
The Gerakan Nurani Bangsa (National Conscience Movement, GNB), a coalition of Jesuit philosophers, Islamic scholars, human rights defenders, and civil society leaders, met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on September 11 to raise urgent concerns about growing unrest in the country.
The Catholic University of Indonesia Saint Paul Ruteng has officially opened an international conference on the theme “Questioning Tourism: The Role of Catholicism in Asian Tourism.”
The Archdiocese of Guwahati in northeast India successfully held its 24th Pastoral Conference on September 16 at the Jubilee Memorial Hall of the Northeast Social Forum.
The North Eastern Regional Youth Commission–India Catholic Youth Movement NorthEast (NERYC–ICYM-NE), in collaboration with the Manipur Catholic Youth Organisation (MCYO), will hold a three-day Catholic youth meet in the riot-affected Churachandpur District of the northeastern state of Manipur, India, from September 20 to 22, 2025.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, held from September 17 to 19, opened with a day marked by prayer, reflection, and academic exchange.
At the Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV continued his catechesis series on “Jesus Christ, our Hope” as part of the Jubilee 2025, reflecting on the mystery of Holy Saturday and the meaning of Christian hope that is born in silence.
Caritas Chattogram Region commemorated the Season of Creation with a meaningful and prayerful gathering at its regional conference hall, underscoring the urgent need to protect the environment and foster peace with nature on September 14.
A local government in Indonesia has named a street in Semarang, the capital of Central Java Province, “Yusuf Bilyarta (YB) Mangunwijaya Street” after a Catholic priest, in recognition of his work among the poor and marginalized.
On September 16, 2025, Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, Archbishop of Dili, East Timor, met the delegation of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Dili.
In Gaza, a wounded priest continues to celebrate Mass among rubble and displacement. In Rome, hundreds of priests are preparing to march under the banner “Christ Died in Gaza.”
The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, has formally invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Armenia during their first meeting at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.
The Catholic community in Pakistan is mourning the tragic death of Afzal Masih, a 42-year-old father of four, who was killed while on his way to participate in the annual Marian pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mariamabad, Archdiocese of Lahore.
On Sept 16, the Supreme Court of India has sought clarification from a petitioner pressing for a nationwide ban on so-called “deceitful” religious conversions, asking who has the authority to determine whether an interfaith marriage amounts to fraud.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Churachandpur on September 13, 2025, marking his first visit in 28 months since ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur.
Life in Nepal is slowly returning to normal after a wave of violent protests earlier this month. Schools, including Catholic institutions, have reopened, and the streets are calm as the country adjusts to the leadership of new Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who is expected to head a transitional government for six months before elections next ye
Two parish priests in Singapore, who are brothers, are now recuperating after an operation in which the younger donated his kidney to his older sibling.
Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula expressed hope that DZRV-Radio Veritas Philippines will continue to expand its mission of spreading the Good News, not only within the country but also to audiences worldwide.
