Asia Pacific

Indonesian government gets Catholic universities to help improve quality of higher education

Thursday, April 19th, 2018
quality of higher education

Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta and the Catholic University of Soegijapranata in Semarang, Central Java, are among 29 leading Indonesian educational institutions picked to help improve the quality of higher education. The government wants the 29 universities to transfer knowledge between them and the institutions they have been assigned to, not only on the academic Read more

Philippine authorities arrest 71-year-old Australian nun

Thursday, April 19th, 2018
australian nun

On Monday, Philippine authorities arrested and detained a 71-year-old Australian nun because she had allegedly violated the conditions of her visa by engaging in illegal political activities. There is a possibility that she will be deported as an “undesirable alien”. Sister Patricia Fox, Philippine superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, was arrested at Read more

Oceania Bishops listen to young people

Monday, April 16th, 2018
young pepople

Last Friday, at the 4-yearly assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO) in Port Moresby, Fr Ambrose Periera led a discussion with young people from various parts of the country. Periera is a Salesian priest and secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands Commission for young Read more

Individualism leads to ecological disaster Cardinal Parolin tells bishops

Monday, April 16th, 2018
individualism

The ideology of individualism has a great impact on our approach to questions of ecology and the environment the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, told the bishops attending the assembly of the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania  (FCBCO). “This ideology whose origins can be traced back to the Age of Enlightenment,” Read more

Samoa’s PM threatened new Sabbath law that would ban any work from Friday evening until Monday morning

Monday, April 16th, 2018

Samoa Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has revealed that he threatened the council of churches with a proposed new law which would close the country down completely every weekend to allow Christians to keep the Sabbath holy. Continue reading

St John’s College Cawaci hit by another tropical cyclone

Thursday, April 12th, 2018
cyclone

St John’s College in Cawaci, Ovalau, Fiji has been hit by another cyclone, this time by Tropical Cyclone Keni. Although the damage does not ap­pear as severe as tropical cyclone Winston in 2016, it has affected 315 students. The school’s principal, Alosio Saukuru, said they were in desperate need of funds to rebuild so that students could continue their Read more

Church ministers get pay out from land deal but who else?

Thursday, April 12th, 2018
land

Four church ministers were among those who received money during the ceremony last Saturday when $250,000 was distributed by the Sasina village council. They each received envelopes containing $4,000. Media representatives who attended the meeting also received envelopes containing $100. The money comes from the lease of land made by the Sasina village council to an investor from Read more

Tonga’s King attends National Prayer for Forgiveness

Monday, April 9th, 2018
prayer

His Majesty King Tupou, Her Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu and Lord Tuita were among those who attended an evening of  National Prayer that took place in Nuku’alofa on 25th of March. Thousands of people gathered, despite the poor weather, to pray for forgiveness and for the country in the face of the growing challenges it is experiencing. The Tonga National Forum of Read more

Archbishop Byrnes receives Visionary Voice Award

Monday, April 9th, 2018
byrnes

The Archbishop of Hagåtña (Guam), has received the territory’s Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence’s Visionary Voice Award. Since the legislation was enacted on Guam to abolish the statutes of limitation in September 2016, 140 victims have filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese. Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese Hagåtña in October 2016, Archbishop Byrnes faced Read more

Australia complicit in political prosecution in Nauru

Thursday, April 5th, 2018
complicit

A former president of Nauru says Australia is “complicit in a political prosecution.” Nauru has abolished a decades-old link to Australia’s legal system, removing the island nation’s highest court of appeal in a move critics have described as “shocking” and “concerning” for human rights. On 12 December last year, the Nauruan government quietly informed Australia it wished to unilaterally withdraw Read more