The pontiff read a letter from a young Ukrainian university student at the general audience. In it, the young man laments “too many deaths”, noting that “only love, faith, and hope give real meaning to our wounds.” The Vatican will host the World Meeting on Children's Rights on 3 February 2025. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati will be proclaimed saints in next year’s jubilee. The pontiff met with an Iranian delegation for interreligious dialogue. He said that the Church in the Mideastern country is “a small flock”, stressing that religious freedom is the “cornerstone of the entire edifice of human rights.”
In 2010, Mary Jane Veloso was stopped at Yogyakarta airport because a suitcase she was given to carry contained heroin. Then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III obtained a reprieve 11 hours before the execution was set to take place. Since then, the two countries have been working to bring the 39-year-old woman home.
Coinciding with the UN's Day of Prayer and Action for Children, 20 November is also the Day of Prayer and Action for Children, an initiative born in Japan to harness the potential of religious communities to protect the welfare of the youngest children. In its sixth year, religious leaders, intergovernmental representatives and NGOs gathered in the United Arab Emirates to call for concrete action against violations of the rights enshrined in the UN Convention.
In the separatist region of Georgia that has been under Moscow's control for 15 years, thousands of people rose up against the government's agreements with Russian oligarchs. Bžanija announced the step back ‘to preserve stability and constitutional order’. These are not unprecedented events for Sukhumi, which is nevertheless destined to remain firmly in the hands of the Kremlin.
Today's news: Pope Francis' letter on Ukraine for the thousand days since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Dozens of parliamentarians from around the world call for the immediate release of Jimmi Lai, whose trial resumes today in Hong Kong. Thailand's ‘stimulus’ programme for the economy brought 2.8% growth in 2024. Inditex, owner of Zara, increased flights from India to Spain to avoid shipping delays.
The population survey, a crucial appointment to establish relations between the different communities, is scheduled for today and tomorrow. It had not been held since 1997 because of the wars. In launching the appeal, the cardinal recalls the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis ‘who live in neighbouring countries’ and that ‘diversity is a strength’. Fears among the Kurds of a ‘politicisation’ of the process.
