The warning issued by the Bishops' Conference on the occasion of the ‘Season of Creation 2025’ scheduled from 1 September to 4 October. Cardinal David: becoming ‘responsible stewards of the earth’ on a ‘path of justice, peace and love’. Corruption and malfeasance are denounced as ‘the real disaster’ that is ‘sinking the Philippines’.
Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of Merdeka, Independence Day, a time to assert a patriotic spirit that contrasts with a reality marked by discontent. Protests against the prime minister are mounting over the rising cost of living, declining opportunities, and lack of reform. Without quick results, people will “keep going to the streets,” expert tells AsiaNews.
The 2025 Ramon Magsaysay laureates have been announced. Dubbed the Nobel Prize of Asia, the award was established to honour the memory of the late Philippine president. Fr Villanueva has been recognised for his work with the poor. One of the staunchest critics of Duterte's brutal policies, which have caused thousands of deaths in the country, he exemplifies the real possibility of changing lives, an example of “faith that acts in love”, according to Cardinal David. Also honoured by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation are Shaahina Ali, a Maldivian activist, and Indian NGO Educate Girls.
Triggered by an allowance increase for parliamentarians, the protests were exacerbated by a harsh police crackdown, during which an armoured vehicle ran over a motorcycle taxi driver. In South Sulawesi, the regional parliament is set on fire. The backdrop to the discontent was Prabowo honouring certain prominent individuals. A retired general blames foreign forces. The Catholic NGO slams violence against protesters, calling for action “to restore democracy to its rightful course”.
A study published by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) finds a significant increase in the importance of religion compared to similar surveys in 2013 and 2018, but it is taking on "individualised and digital" connotations. Places of worship are losing their central role, while the use of online platforms to reach the faithful is growing.
A demolition order was also served to 19 Buddhist sites in the city's "cultural zone," set to be razed to unearth ancient Ketumati. AsiaNews reports local Catholics are dismayed by the threat looming over the church dedicated to the Sacred Heart, built in the late 19th century by PIME missionaries. This is just the latest blow by the military to destroy places of worship. As many as 300 have been affected in Myanmar since the coup on 1 February 2021.
