Pork prices rise by 110.2 per cent, pushing up Chinese inflation

"How often do we complain, do we lament and think that our sins, our limits cannot be forgiven. And there, the voice of the Lord comes and says: "I console you, I am near you", and takes us with tenderness. The powerful God who created the heavens and the earth, the God-hero, to put it this way, our brother, who let himself be led to the cross to die for us, is able to caress us and say: "Don't cry".

The four "neighborhoods" of diocesan priests.  "Being close to God in prayer", "being close to the bishop, always close to the bishop: without the bishop the Church does not move forward, without the bishop the priest can be a leader but he will not be a priest.  Third closeness: to be near fellow priests, near to eachother”.  "And the fourth closeness: closeness to the people of God".

In the prayer composed for the Immaculate, Francis said that "it is not the same to be a sinner and to be corrupt: it is very different. It is one thing to fall, but then, repent, confess and get up again with the help of God's mercy. Another thing is the hypocritical connivance with evil, the corruption of the heart, which is impeccable outside, but inside it is full of bad intentions and petty selfishness”.

Francis reflects on the spirit of service expressed in Mary’s response to the Angel who asked her to become the mother of Jesus. This afternoon he will pay homage to the Immaculate. At the Angelus Francis invites prayers for tomorrow’s will in Paris to find solutions to the conflict in Ukraine.

Francis meets  non-governmental organizations of Catholic inspiration, which have gathered in the last two days in Rome.  "We need more imagination, new ways of encountering culture".

Tomorrow another great human rights march is scheduled in Victoria Park.  The demonstration is organized by the Civil Front for Human Rights and the Territory Police have already declared themselves ready to intervene in case of scuffles.  Beijing Public Security Minister: "We will always be a strong backup force for the Hong Kong police".

In the speech prepared for "Aggiornamenti Sociali" a Italian Jesuits magazine, Francis states that the preferential option "before rushing to their aid, this option requires that we be on their side, even when we look at the dynamics of society."

The organization, which includes 48 pro-democracy groups, is among the most active in popular protests. The new chief police officer flies to Beijing to meet with Chinese security leaders. Agents "ready to intervene in the event of disorder".

The Associated Press has managed to get the original reports of the complaints. Officials under anonymity denounce pressure from the Pakistani government to block investigations that would ruin the "profitable" link with Beijing. Intermediaries earn up to 58 thousand euros for each bride sold, but families are given only about 1,160.

The proposal is in a message signed by Francis and Al-Tayeb delivered yesterday to the UN General Secretary who expressed his appreciation and support for the initiative.

"We cannot build our lives on passing things, on appearances, on pretending that all is well. Let's go to the rock, where there is our salvation. And we will all be happy there. All".

China’s Communist Party instructs participants that “Being a lawyer in China means that your livelihood depends on the Party, so you must obey the Party. The basic conditions for being a lawyer are to love the Party and socialism.” Some 600 lawyers, government officials and representatives from financial circles have been invited.

The new US legislation is aimed at safeguarding Hong Kong’s autonomy, but many believe the Trump administration will not put the territory’s special trade status at risk. Hong Kong is the eighth largest market for US exports according to the International Monetary Fund, and 1,344 US companies operate in the autonomous territory. Nonetheless, the Act is a blow to Xi Jinping and the CCP, according to a former top Pentagon official.

Francis writes to the UN Climate Conference in Madrid. 4 years on from the signing of the Paris agreement the awareness of climate change " is still rather weak, unable to respond adequately to that strong sense of urgency for rapid action called for by the scientific data at our disposal." And current studies "show how far words are from concrete actions".