Four religious people have chosen to live in a hermitage community in the southeast of the Philippines, to live in silence and solitude, and to awaken people’s interest in preserving nature and making it more productive. The Mary Mediatrix Hermitage in the landlocked province of North Cotabato sets an example on how to preserve nature,…
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Grasping the fresh, light green shoots in her hand, she separates them from the plants and tosses them into the cloth bag tied with a band around her forehead. A gesture that the women of Darjeeling will repeat thousands of times. A life made of sacrifices and suffering. But the Salesian schools try to give…
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Former Burma has become an open-air prison since the military junta took power three years ago. Little news manages to arrive from a country where communications are precarious. Kayah State is one of the worst affected. The testimony of the bishop of Loikaw and the story of the missionaries in the refugee camps on the…
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Non-Christians venerate Mary in Asia. Mary stands as an interreligious bridge that belongs to everyone. She is the most universal religious figure on the continent. Professor Michael Chamboni, coordinator of the Asian Catholic Studies Initiative, explains why. At Novena church, the most famous church in Singapore, it is not uncommon to see Muslim and Hindu…
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China is investing more and more in Central Asia, especially because of Russia’s weakened position, as the region’s historic economic partner. Beijing is realizing commercial projects in various strategic sectors, primarily in the energy sector with investments in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In recent years, China has increasingly deepened trade relations with Central Asia, carrying out…
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Central Asia plays a crucial role in the geopolitical agenda of many countries, including those of the European Union. The region is rich in mineral resources and fossil fuels, as well as being a crossroads for trade routes with the rest of Asia. Central Asia includes a group of five states, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan…
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In a historic step, the Hanoi government has invited Pope Francis to visit the country. We talk with Mons. Nguyen Anh Tuan, bishop of Ha Tinh “New climate, trusting us more.” The Catholic community in Vietnam makes up one of the most vibrant Churches in Asia today, with 7 million faithful in a country of…
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Under the Pol Pot regime, the Church lost everything: bishops, priests, men and women religious and catechists. Since the 90s it has emerged from the catacombs and is slowly growing in numbers as well as in social commitment. Monday, April 14, 1975, was an overcast afternoon. From his window, Father Joseph Chhmar Salas watched as…
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The onset of industrialization brought about the brutal decomposition of rural Cambodian families since poverty and indebtedness led to the emigration of an unskilled workforce from the countryside especially to the capital, Phnom Penh. The first clothing factories started up here and were followed by many others. They are run by Chinese, South Korean, Bangladeshi…
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Still traumatised by the bloody Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia is struggling to recover its economic strength, which is leading to a real social “cultural revolution” for the seventeen million inhabitants of the Land of Smiles. Cambodia is one of the oldest empires in the world. Throughout its history, it has been marked externally by wars…
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Pol Pot’s regime caused one million seven hundred thousand deaths, devastating families and the entire country. Being a French protectorate brought no significant changes in Cambodian life or economy except for introduction of more formal rules for civil registration and education. Thus, the pagoda monks retained responsibility for primary schools but were required to obtain…
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The development of smart cities in ASEAN countries is of fundamental importance to respond to the challenges posed by the dizzying urbanization of South-East Asia. The need to develop more resilient, efficient and sustainable urban centres. The challenges posed by urbanization increasingly require the help of technology and artificial intelligence for the administration of public…
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Activists Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu have stopped destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off South Africa’s Eastern Cape, in an area known as…
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Kaya was the most beautiful girl in the village. All the boys courted her, each bringing her small gifts. There were so many invitations from her…
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While the country is in the grip of a serious economic crisis, in the oasis city of Tozeur, the OxyJeunes youth Centre focuses on schooling and…
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