The pontiff called on the faithful to pray for "our brothers and sisters in Ukraine,” suffering from the cold and bombings. He expressed gratitude to dioceses in Poland and elsewhere for their assistance to the population. On the soon-to-expire New START treaty between Moscow and Washington, the pontiff urged action to “Ensure its concrete and effective follow-up.” Today’s catechesis was centred on “the Word of God in human words”.
In some counties, local residents are organising campaigns to apply to host new nuclear reactors in an attempt to cope with economic and demographic decline. In return, municipalities receive subsidies and funds for infrastructure development. However, some associations fear that the concentration of power plants will increase the risk of accidents.
A well-known reporter from Chengdu has been deprived of his freedom along with one of his colleagues for reporting on Chinese social media about the abuse of power by a local Communist Party official that led to a professor's suicide. Meanwhile, in Beijing, the secretary of the Chinese Communist Party is touting the ‘fight against corruption’ to justify the purges.
Today's news: mixed Hindu-Muslim couple found murdered in Uttar Pradesh village. Erdogan in Cairo for a partnership that includes arms production. In Pakistan, running a business costs 34% more than in neighbouring countries. Korean missionary arrested in Russia. Twelve-year-old Chinese girl finds fossil of first amphibian footprint in Asia.
Among the 15 delegates of Russian democratic forces abroad with whom the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has begun working are representatives of peoples such as the Udege, Buryats, Izorians and Komi. They say: ‘For many Europeans, it is shocking to learn that not everyone in Russia speaks Russian as their native language.’
A delegation from UNIAPAC, which brings together 45,000 entrepreneurs from around the world in the name of the Church's social teaching, is meeting with Catholic colleagues from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam to establish new contacts. The goal is to develop businesses that put people, not profit, at the centre, in places where GDP growth too often fails to address inequality.
