Duterte’s words don’t translate to policy

MANILA (SE): Since his ascent to power, Rodrigo Duterte has overseen a remarkable shift in his country’s foreign policy, particularly towards China.

During his high-profile state visit to China last year, he snubbed both Washington and Tokyo in favour of Beijing.

Knife attack during Mass
KUWAIT (SE): A man armed with a long kitchen knife disrupted Mass at the cathedral in Kuwait City on March 19, local media reported.

He entered the sanctuary, asked to see the pope and attempted to grab a microphone. Police were present and ushers escorted the man from the church.

Indian priest stabbed in Melbourne

MELBOURNE (SE): Father Tomy Kalathoor Mathew, who hails from Kerala in India, was stabbed in the foyer of the church prior to a Mass in Italian at his parish in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner by a man of Italian ethnic origin on March 19.

Fair weather friends 

BEIJING (SE): In an effort to offer fair weather and blue skies to friends gathering for the National People’s Congress which opened on March 3, dirty factories in 18 cities around Beijing were closed down, Radio Free Asia reported.

Pyongyang twins with diocese in Bosnia

PYONGYANG (UCAN): Pyongyang diocese in North Korea has twinned with Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

President of Palestine meets pope

VATICAN (SE): The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, met with Pope Francis on January 14 when in Rome for the opening of a new Palestinian embassy to the Holy See.

Abbas also met with Pietro Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the secretary for relations with states.

The Vatican does the numbers
VATICAN (SE): More than 3.9 million people visited  the Vatican or attended papal events, liturgies or prayer services during the Holy Year of Mercy in 2016.

Christmas explosion in Midsayap

MANILA (SE): An explosion outside the Shrine of Sto. Niño in the township of Midsayap in North Cotabato at 9.20pm on Christmas Eve left 12 people wounded, including one police officer, CBCP News reported.

Loved bishop of Sao Paulo mourned

SAO PAULO (SE): Pope Francis has sent a message of condolence to Odilo Pedro Cardinal Scherer, the archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil, following the death on December 14 of its former archbishop, Paulo Cardinal Arns, at the age of 95.

Catholic Church bombed in Cairo

CAIRO (AsiaNews): A bomb exploded in a Catholic Church of Egypt on December 11 prompting strong condemnation from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the organisation of Arab parliaments and Egyptian political parties, as well as Arab and foreign embassies in Cairo.