Seeking ways to foster religious harmony in its Buddhist-majority nation has led Thailand’s government to officially recognise three Catholic churches. The three churches have been waiting 93 years for that recognition. They were among nine religious places of worship Thailand’s Ministry of Culture officially recognised last week. Six Buddhist temples also received Government approval. Itthiphol Read more
Pope Francis’ visit to Thailand ended on a missionary note. In a country where Catholics represent less than 1% of the population, Francis called on these modern missionaries in Thailand to give Christianity a fresh face. “As I prepared for this meeting, I read, with some pain, that for many people Christianity is a foreign Read more
As Pope Francis beging the thirty-second trip of his pontificate Nov. 19 to Thailand and Japan, he will once again be visiting nations where Catholics are a small minority. In both countries, there’s one Catholic for every 200 people, as opposed to roughly one for five in the United States. The Nov. 19-26 trip will Read more
As Pope Francis prepares to embark on his fourth trip to Asia in the seventh year of his pontificate, he is delivering in a big way on the promise he made shortly after his election that he would make Asia a key focus of his papacy. When he appointed Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle as head Read more
In many ways Pope Francis is following in the footsteps of his great travelling predecessor St. John Paul II in his apostolic visits to Thailand and Japan. The first Asia trip of St. John Paul II in 1981 included Japan, and in 1984 he visited Thailand. But the comparison appears to end right there — Read more
Pope Francis is expected to make an official trip to Thailand in November ahead of an already announced visit to Japan, becoming the first pontiff in nearly four decades to go to either country, Vatican sources say. The three sources said the trip would be announced soon. The late Pope John Paul visited Japan in Read more
Three years ago, worried that his earnings as a builder were barely enough to feed his family, Seuy San began to contemplate his prospects over the border in Thailand. Like the hundreds of thousands of his fellow Cambodians who migrate in search of work each year, he had a simple but powerful motivation: “I heard Read more
My name is Thu Thu Mon. I was born on the 10th of September 1995. I lived with my Aunty in Kawthaung, Myanmar since I was three years old and studied there. I studied primary and secondary school at Kawthaung. In summer holidays I used to visit my parents in Ranong, Thailand. In June 2007, my Read more
Rohingya migrants trafficked through deadly jungle camps have been sold to Thai fishing vessels as slaves to produce seafood sold across the world, the Guardian has established. So profitable is the trade in slaves that some local fishermen in Thailand have been converting their boats to carry Rohingya migrants instead of fish. A Guardian investigation Read more
Fr Frank is a Marist Priest in Ranong, Thailand, working at the Marist Mission, serving among the poor. He shares his story. I’ve never felt happier. Restless. Yes, that perhaps sums up in a word a spirit led journey. I turned 40 a year ago and realised each year I was becoming a bit more Read more