Asia - Pacific News

Exposition of the official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad on April 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City, Philippines.

13-year-old Filipina who loved the Eucharist is officially on path to sainthood

Apr 11, 2024

By Valerie Joy Escalona

On April 7, the cause for canonization of 13-year-old Filipina Niña Ruíz-Abad was officially opened at St. William the Hermit... Read more

Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher (center) meets with Vietnamc’s Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (unseen) and other officials at the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on April 9, 2024.

Vatican official meets Vietnam’s prime minister during historic diplomatic trip

Apr 11, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about a... Read more

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Japanese company’s pivot to adult diapers underscores crashing fertility rates worldwide

Apr 10, 2024

By Daniel Payne

Oji Holdings’ pivot to adult diaper manufacturing underscores an ongoing crisis facing many developed nations around the world: cratering fertility... Read more

Students in morning assembly prayer in Catholic school at Seppa in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian bishops’ ‘guidelines’ for Catholic schools elicit mixed reaction

Apr 10, 2024

By Anto Akkara

The 13-page document issued to India’s 15,000 Catholic educational institutions includes a recommendation that schools display the preamble to the... Read more

The official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad was presented to the public during the opening session of the diocesan phase of her cause for beatification and canonization at the Cathedral Church of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City on Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Filipino Catholic Church presents official portrait of 13-year-old girl considered for sainthood

Apr 9, 2024

By Diego López Marina

The official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad was presented during the opening of the diocesan phase of her... Read more

The Apostolic Administration in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, made up of priests, religious, and laypeople, gather in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, during Easter Week, April 2-3, 2024, to pray and discuss the work of the small but growing  Catholic community spread throughout the Central Asian country. Father Anthony Corcoran (pictured in glasses holding a blue pen and paper) and Caritas representative Sher Abdugapirov (glasses and light blue hoodie) can be seen in this photo.

Church in Kyrgyzstan: a ‘blossoming bud’ growing in the peripheries of the world

Apr 8, 2024

By Kristina Millare

The Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan convened a two-day meeting April 2-3 in the capital of Bishkek to pray and discuss... Read more

A person walks past an area of a damaged building that is cordoned off following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake on April 3, 2024, in Hualien, Taiwan.

Pope Francis ‘deeply saddened,’ expresses closeness with victims of Taiwan earthquake

Apr 4, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The Holy Father “assures everyone affected by this disaster of his heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness,” a Vatican telegram said. Read more

St. Paul's Church, in Imphal, capital of Manipur state, after the church was set on fire in 2023.

Easter holiday is canceled then restored in heavily Christian Indian state

Mar 28, 2024

By Anto Akkara

The March 28 reversal by the Manipur government came within 24 hours after Manipur Gov. Anusuiya Uikey canceled the Easter... Read more

Catholic faithful offer prayers during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad in India on Feb. 14, 2024.

Incidents of violence and persecution against Christians shoot up in India

Mar 27, 2024

By Anto Akkara

Violence and persecution against minority Christians, who account for only 2.3% of India’s 1.41 billion people, have been on a... Read more

Asian elephant.

Despite Church warnings, tigers and elephants threaten lives in Kerala, India

Mar 27, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The Catholic Church in Kerala has been leading the charge in urging the government to take decisive action to protect... Read more

The Vatican on March 16, 2024, determined that nothing prevents the opening of the cause for canonization of Niña Ruiz-Abad, a 13-year-old girl who died in 1993 in the Philippines and whose grave has become a place of pilgrimage.

Vatican authorizes opening of cause for canonization for 13-year-old Filipina girl

Mar 18, 2024

By Walter Sánchez Silva

The grave of Niña Ruiz-Abad, a 13-year-old girl who died in 1993 in the Philippines, has become a place of... Read more

Catholic pilgrims from Hong Kong came to see the pope at the welcome ceremony in Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Sept. 2, 2023.

Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law won’t affect seal of confession, diocese says

Mar 15, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The Diocese of Hong Kong on Friday issued a statement that the seal of confession would not be violated under... Read more

Cardinal John Dew in 2016.

New Zealand Cardinal Dew denies allegations amid Vatican investigation into alleged abuse

Mar 7, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The inquiry was launched after a police investigation concluded without charges. Read more

Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão on Aug. 27, 2022, in Vatican City.

Indian Cardinal Ferrão to head Asian bishops’ conference amid Church’s continued growth

Feb 26, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

Despite a sharp decline in Church membership in Western Europe and North America, the Church in Asia has experienced continued... Read more

Our Lady Queen of Peace Cathedral in Broome, Australia.

Australian bishop Christopher Saunders arrested, charged with rape 

Feb 22, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The charges came after the Vatican turned over to civil authorities its findings on allegations that Christopher Saunders abused vulnerable... Read more

The second floor of St. Peter the Apostle Church in San José del Monte in the Philippines collapsed during Ash Wednesday Mass on Feb. 14, 2024.

Church floor in Philippines collapses on Ash Wednesday, killing 1 and injuring dozens

Feb 15, 2024

By Walter Sánchez Silva

Witnesses reportedly heard a loud noise and then screams from the people who fell from the balcony and from some... Read more

St. Matthew Catholic Church appears gutted by fire, allegedly set by government soldiers, in eastern Myanmar on June 15, 2022.

Aid group warns of violence against Christians, sees glimmer of hope in Myanmar

Feb 15, 2024

By AC Wimmer

A humanitarian aid group has warned of a rise in violence against the persecuted Christian minority amid the bloody civil... Read more

Indian Catholics bishops pray at the closing of the their Feb. 7, 2024, conference.

Indian Church to observe ‘day of prayer and fasting’ amid growing religious polarization

Feb 12, 2024

By Anto Akkara

The Catholic Church in India has called for observing March 22 as a “day of prayer and fasting for peace... Read more

Father Dominic Pinto, of the Diocese of Lucknow in India, (cathedral school of Lucknow pictured above) was arrested for violation of the state's anti-conversion law.

Amid arrests of Indian priests and nun, bishop calls for ‘storming of heaven’

Feb 9, 2024

By Anto Akkara

Eleven out of India’s 28 states have passed laws to criminalize forced conversions but, in practice, they have been used... Read more

Sixteen new priests were ordained Feb. 1–2, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea.

16 priests, 25 deacons ordained in Seoul, site of World Youth Day 2027

Feb 6, 2024

By Walter Sánchez Silva

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek of Seoul recently ordained 16 new priests and 25 new deacons for the archdiocese that will... Read more