Muslims in eastern Pakistan went on a rampage Wednesday over allegations that a Christian man had desecrated the Quran, demolishing the man’s house, burning churches and damaging several other homes.
Asia
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Vatican and Vietnam agree to open Holy See office in Hanoi as relations improve
Vietnam has formally agreed to let a Vatican representative live in the country and open an office. The Holy See announced the conclusion of an agreement during a visit to the Vatican by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who met with Pope Francis.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Hong Kong’s newly named cardinal wants reconciliation and hope for young people
Hong Kong’s newly named Roman Catholic cardinal said that he hopes for reconciliation and wants the city to give young people more hope following the economic downturn and a campaign to crush a pro-democracy movement.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Geetanjali Shree’s new novel is one woman’s surprising reincarnation story
Frank Wynne, chair of this year’s Booker judges, noted that translating ‘Tomb of Sand’ presented “huge challenges” because the novel is about words, language and storytelling, not just characters and plot. Another judge added that it is “safe to say this [novel] is like nothing else you have ever read.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and what God calls us to be
At its heart, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is a meditation on discovering—and pursuing—your vocation.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Christians and the Turkish Vote: Will challenges to Erdogan’s reelection improve religious minorities’ status?
Election results could indicate the populist Islamism promoted by President Erdogan may be losing its appeal.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Shusaku Endo, ‘Silence’ and the challenges of Christian life in Japan
Shusaku Endo may not have liked the title “greatest Japanese Catholic novelist,” but his works—including ‘Silence’—are powerful meditations on the nature of belief and the vitality and viability of Christianity.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Over a century after the Armenian genocide, a small Armenian Catholic community carries on in Istanbul
A tiny population of about 60,000 Armenian Christians remain in Turkey today. Most, uprooted from villages in eastern Anatolia, now live in neighborhoods in Istanbul.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
After Turkey’s devastating earthquakes, can a 2,000-year-old Christian community survive?
Long before the earthquakes in February, the viability of the Christian community in Samandag had been under cultural and economic threat. Many from the city’s minority Christian community had already departed, seeking economic or educational opportunities elsewhere.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
75 years after Gandhi’s assassination, Hindu nationalism troubles India
Seventy-five years after Gandhi’s death, when Hindu nationalism has risen to the highest echelons of the Indian government, his legacy in the nation he helped liberate is complex and, in some cases, denigrated.