– Tej Francis
ASIA
The unprecedented scale of anti-Christian persecution in Asia
An elderly Christian woman in a village in India’s Tamil Nadu state was beaten by extremists. The incident is part of a surge in attacks against Christians in India. The number of reported incidents rose from 440 in 2017 to 477 in 2018, and more than 1,000 attacks on Christians were reported in the 15 months to March 2019. Investigating the reasons for this outbreak of anti-Christian hatred shines a light not just on the problem in India but also elsewhere in the region, where the complex range of threats has shifted dramatically to pose a unique challenge to the faithful. The result is that South Asia and East Asia have become the new hotspots of persecution of Christians, and the indications are that the situation will only get worse.
That the phenomenon of anti-Christian persecution in Asia is little known in the West compounds the problem. The necessary spotlight on genocidal violence against Christians in the Middle East has run the risk of eclipsing worsening persecution elsewhere. This new crisis for Christianity in Asia emerges as a principal finding in Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2017-19, a global study released this week by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. Of the 12 countries around the world examined in depth for the report, five – Burma, China, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka – indicate that the situation for Christians has worsened markedly over the past two years.
IRAQ
United Arab Emirates pledges to help rebuild Catholic churches in Mosul
The United Arab Emirates is partnering with UNESCO to rebuild two Catholic churches in Mosul that were destroyed in 2014 by the Islamic State. The initiative will help rebuild Al-Tahera Church and Al-Saa’a Church. “Today’s signing is a pioneering partnership that sends a message of light, in seemingly darker times,” Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister for Culture and Knowledge Development, said October 10. “By rebuilding a fraction of the past, Iraq can shape its future as an inclusive, tolerant and open society which has always found a tangible manifestation in Mosul’s rich historical sites.” The parties signed the partnership to ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’ at UNESCO headquarters in Paris Oct. 10.
The agreement is part of the UAE’s “Year of Tolerance” initiative, which began with a $50.4 million agreement signed in April 2018 to help rebuild historical landmarks in Mosul. Students in the departments of archaeology, architecture and engineering of the University of Mosul will take part in the process of restoration of the landmark buildings, UNESCO said.
Naogaon
Half of the villagers receive baptism in Kointail
(AsiaNews) The residents of Kointail chose to be baptized in Christ in a solemn ceremony held on Sunday, World Mission Day, marking the peak of the Extraordinary Missionary Month organized by the local Church. In total 67 people, including six infants, have become Christian, the adults making a conscious choice, in Kointail, a village in Bhutahara parish, Naogaon, a district that falls under Diocese of Rajshahi. The parish is led by Fr Emilio Spinelli, a missionary with the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), together with Fr Swapan Martin Purification, assistant priest.
“We have been preparing the village for 17 years,” said Fr. Swapan speaking to Asia News. “In the beginning there was only one baptized family. Later we priests, nuns and catechists came to deliver the Christian message. Gradually we won the hearts of people, until last Sunday when 12 families, half of the village, welcomed Jesus Christ as their Lord.” PIME missionaries have done fundamental work to evangelize the area, he explained. Today Bhutahara parish covers 40 villages and has some 4,000 members. The chapel, made of tin and earth, is in Kointail some 22 kilometers away. The priest reports that “another 20 families have told us that they would like to be baptized in the future”.
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