As Pope Francis concludes his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, theologian and anthropologist Michel Chambon, based in Singapore, analysed the significance of this trip for the future of Sino-Vatican relations. How has China followed Pope Francis’ Asian tour, and what interests has it seen in it? Michel Chambon: Beijing has closely observed the entirety of Read more
On 13 September Pope Francis concluded his longest and most challenging trip after covering over 32,000 kilometres across four countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The 87-year-old pontiff’s journey spanned 11 days, marking one of the longest papal trips in modern history. Click to see the trip’s best images. The Pope visited Indonesia, the world’s largest Read more
In this predominantly Catholic Southeast Asian country, cases of paedophilia are still shrouded in deep secrecy. However, the issue is expected to receive considerable attention in the coming days, as Pope Francis arrived this Monday, September 9, in East Timor, the third stage of his major Asian tour. The 87-year-old pope will visit Dili, the Read more
In East Timor, a country that is 98% Catholic and where priests are referred to as Amu – meaning ‘lord’, Pope Francis delivered a strong message of service, urging bishops and priests not to seek power or social prestige in their roles. Francis sounded warnings against the dangers of arrogance and power in religious leadership. Read more
“Papua has been living a nightmare of unimaginable violence for over half a century. “No one cares about the tragic fate of the Papuan minority, who suffer from the injustices of the ruling powers and the Indonesian military, who accuse them of being separatists,” said Father Alexandro Rangga. Speaking by phone from Jakarta, the 37-year-old Read more
Pope Francis told gatherings of clergy, religious sisters, and catechists in Indonesia and PNG that proclaiming the Gospel does not mean “imposing one’s own faith or opposing it to others, proselytising”. He said proclaiming the Gospel should “always be done with great respect and fraternal affection for all”. Fraternal living means “accepting one another and Read more
Taken as a whole, the online Catholic world can look more like an abstract pointillist painting than a coherent landscape. To borrow the imagery of Isaiah Berlin, the internet environment encourages us to think like foxes rather than hedgehogs. Virtual discussions roam over many small things (e.g., the kerfuffle last spring over Harrison Butker’s graduation Read more
In early September Pope Francis has scheduled two busy weeks of travel. He will visit Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. No doubt some Australians will grumble that he passed so close without dropping in to visit us. For the 87 year-old Pope such travel will be arduous. His determination to continue visiting Read more
In a sharp rebuke to Pope Francis, former UK Conservative politician Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has suggested that the Vatican should accommodate migrants if the pontiff is so concerned about their plight. Speaking on GB News on August 28, Rees-Mogg delivered what has been described as a “withering put down” of the Pope’s recent comments on Read more
Teaching Catholic missionaries at a Catholic university where they can be educated in mission theology and pastoral outreach is important, says Pope Francis. Francis says it is essential that the Pontifical Urban University keeps its centuries-old focus on preparing missionaries who come from and go out to the world and its varied cultures. The university’s Read more