With the opening of the Holy Year in all parishes on the 24th of last month, the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula marked the martyrdom of Saint Arethas and his other companions who are venerated today in all Catholic and Orthodox churches in the region.
The French priest, who recently visited Macau, was invited by the University of Saint Joseph to address some of the main challenges that Catholicism faces nowadays and the way they might jeopardize the credibility of the Church.
A priest, an artist and a bioethics expert with a degree in medicine. Born in Hong Kong, Father Joseph Tham balances faith, science and art in a personal journey that challenged him, in more than one perspective, to study and understand the fundamental questions that frame human existence.
Amidst the rampant violence that devastates the country of Mexico, the Catholic Church is trying its utmost to spread the message of peace through education and prayer while extending love and comfort to those who have been victimized and their families.
The International Youth Ministry Conference was held at the University of Manila, Philippines, from April 13-15. The event brought together over 700 participants from 30 countries to explore the relationship between the church and young people, the importance of pastoral care, and the ways the laity and the church hierarchy can best serve them. The conference emphasized the need for constant monitoring and attentive accompaniment of young people.
Kyrgyzstan is set to have its first Catholic cathedral in the center of its capital, Bishkek, which will be completed in three years. The project marks a significant milestone for the Catholic community in the predominantly Muslim country, who until now have had limited spaces for prayer and community activities.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia recently held their 57th Plenary Assembly, discussing various issues including the crises in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Syria, and Turkey, as well as the wounds inflicted on people and society due to separations, divorces, domestic violence, abortions, the misery of the hungry, the homeless, and the indigent. In response, the bishops urged the faithful to meditate on Pope Francis’ Letter for Lent 2023 and emphasized the importance of prayer, dialogue, and active love. They also called for continuous reflection on the pastoral and missionary conversion suggested by the Holy Father.
The Catholic communities in Laos and Cambodia are facing significant challenges in training local clergy and reaching out to young people. With only 0.5% of the population in Laos and 0.1% in Cambodia being members of the Roman Catholic Church, the bishops are focusing on creating “prospects of hope” among those who are left behind in society. The lack of local clergy and language barriers are just a few of the challenges they face.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on January 13, 2023, former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and four other senior officials were found negligent for failing to take necessary preventive measures to stop the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks that shook the nation. The court ordered them to pay compensation of 100 million rupees (US$273,000) to the families of the victims who filed the case. The verdict was well received by the Sri Lankan population, especially among the Catholic community who were the most targeted by the attacks. The country’s Catholic Church further says it suspects a larger conspiracy and demands that the names of the instigators and the unstated objectives of the sinister plan be revealed.
While the Catholic Church reinforces and integrates the particularities of Macau’s uniqueness as a multicultural space through religious practices, the Portuguese authorities in Lisbon need to pay attention to the Portuguese people who have already left Macau in recent years and others who say they will soon do so, claiming to some extent the “orphanhood” they feel in relation to the expected support from official institutions in Portugal.