Latest Asia News
Pope urges church in Papua New Guinea to be close to women after hearing of sorcery 'superstitions'
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Pope Francis called Saturday for the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea to be particularly close to women who have been abused and marginalized, speaking out in a country where violence against women is reported to be more than twice the global average. ...
Pope and imam of Southeast Asia's largest mosque make joint call to fight violence, protect planet
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis and the grand imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque vowed Thursday to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment, issuing a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause at the heart of Francis’ visit to Indonesia. ...
The AP Interview: East Timor's president says the pope's visit isn't time to dwell on past sins
DILI, East Timor (AP) — The president of East Timor sees Pope Francis' upcoming visit as a prime opportunity to promote Asia's youngest country on the world stage, not a time to confront the legacy of abuse by influential members of the clergy in the deeply Catholic nation. During...
AP PHOTOS: Pope Francis' Asia trip marks 60 years of papal visits to the region
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Pope Francis' visit to Southeast Asia, the longest trip in his papacy, is the latest in decades of regular papal visits to the Asia-Pacific region. Papal travel is a thing of the modern era, starting with Pope Paul VI, who became the first pontiff to leave...
East Timor celebrates 25th anniversary of UN-backed vote for independence
DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor on Friday celebrated the 25th anniversary of a U.N.-backed referendum that secured its independence from its major neighbor Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Crowds cheered as their leaders and state guests, including...
Church sex abuse scandals in East Timor met by silence, but Pope Francis’ visit brings new attention
DILI, East Timor (AP) — When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s...
Takeaways from AP's report on clergy abuse scandal in East Timor ahead of Pope Francis' visit
DILI, East Timor (AP) — When Pope Francis makes his trip to Asia’s newest country, East Timor, it will make him the second pope to visit after John Paul in 1989, and the first since the country gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. It also comes only two years after the...
Pope will visit the Istiqlal mosque in Indonesia on the first stop of an interfaith Asian trip
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — When Pope Francis begins his Asia tour next week, one of his early stops will be at Indonesia's iconic Istiqlal mosque. The 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church will hold an interfaith meeting with representatives of the country's six officially...
Brazil will restrict entry to some Asian nationals, aiming to curb migration to the US and Canada
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil will begin imposing restrictions on the entry of some foreigners from Asia who use the country as a launching point to migrate to the United States and Canada, the justice ministry’s press office said Wednesday. The move, which starts on Monday, will...
Allyson Felix wins athlete election at Paris Olympics to join the IOC
PARIS (AP) — Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix won an election Thursday to represent athletes at the IOC for the next eight years. Three of the four newly elected athlete members are women, including Australian canoeist Jessica Fox, a double Olympic medalist in Paris,...
