His release on 4 July follows talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, during which Jimmy Lai was also mentioned, although the latter’s situation remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the crackdown on house churches continues in China: eight other pastors remain in prison.
From Ukraine, Sister Ligy Payyappilly, a nun from Kerala, shares her account of a journey to the areas closest to the front line of the war with Russia. “We have been alongside people for whom the war is not just news but a daily struggle for survival. The challenge is to give children living here a chance.”
During a meeting with Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the mayor of the coastal town invited Pope Leo XIV to the Solmoe Shrine in the “cradle of Korean Catholicism”. St Andrew Kim Taegon and his companions are among the patron saints of the event. An agreement has been reached between the Seoul 2027 WYD Foundation and the South Korean public broadcaster KBS for the international broadcast of the event.
Today’s headlines: Russian attack on a residential complex in Kyiv; Turkey has arrested over 100 anti-NATO protesters in Ankara; In the Philippines, the impeachment proceedings against Sara Duterte have begun; India halts sugar exports to boost biofuel production.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil facilities are also having repercussions in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with rising prices, a shortage of aviation fuel and growing uncertainty over energy security. Meanwhile, Moscow is seeking supplies from Kazakhstan, which has restricted exports to protect its domestic market.
After the Angelus, Leo XIV spoke about Francis Xavier Tru'o'ng Bǚu Diệp (1897-1946), a priest beatified on 2 July in Vietnam, killed "in hatred of the faith”. “May his intercession” helps those in “situations of persecution today.” The pope reiterated his closeness to the people of Venezuela. “God’s way” is to reveal himself “to infants,” he said commenting today’s Gospel.
