The Hindu Jagran Manch is a far-right nationalist group linked to chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Young Catholics are reluctant to sing Christmas carols outdoors after the attack on seminarians and priests in Madhya Pradesh.
The PIME regional superior runs the St Vincent Hospital in Dinajpur. The hospital "has a family touch that has become rooted over time.” During the year, the superior general visited the mission. The PIME missionary met with Pope Francis in Dhaka.
The young have set up the lights and the nativity scene. St Nick has brought gifts for the children. The latter will be take part in a nativity play. Some families will celebrate Christmas ecumenically a second time in accordance with the Orthodox calendar, on 6 and 7 January.
One year after reunification, the city is safer, there is a climate of greater hope and optimism. Migration and unemployment remain a problem, especially among young people. The Church's help essential for the survival of over 10 thousand families. Attention to children and commitment to their schooling.
The two stressed the importance of the continued presence of Christians in the Middle East and of "the positive contributions [. . .] they bring to the societies of the region, of which they are an integral part”.
The 17 witnesses of the faith were killed between 1954 and 1970 by Pathet Lao Communist guerrillas. A vigil of prayer and adoration preceded a thanksgiving Mass in Vientiane’s Church of the Sacred Heart. Laos has about 45,000 Catholics or 0.7 per cent of the population.
