The Voice of the suffering in Asia

As a result of the violent conflict that broke out in Manipur, India this May, tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and more than 150 have died.  Additionally, a source close to the Archdiocese of Imphal told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that Meitei militants have destroyed 290 villages and 603 churches in the last three months. The church buildings that were destroyed include St. Paul’s Church and Pastoral Training Center in Sangaiprou, Imphal, and as the aggression unfolded, the police were “nowhere to be found,” according to the source. He added, “All SOS calls ...

The Philippines is an archipelago in Southeast Asia that consists of 7,641 islands, 2,000 of which are inhabited. The two largest islands, Luzon and Mindanao, account for two-thirds of the country’s total population and surface area. Luzon includes Manila, the capital; Mindanao is home to most Muslims in the Philippines and requires military protection as a result of terrorist violence. Veronique Vogel, the head of Aid to the Church in Need’s office in the Philippines, recently returned from a project trip to the country and sat down to discuss its current state and the challenges facing the Church. What ...

The farmers use the income to pay their debts and buy seeds for the coming season. Theoretically, the farmers and their families can earn a modest living this way. But in practice, the majority are caught in a debt trap that turns them into serfs of the rich landowners. If a harvest fails, the families not only lose their own share, but they must also compensate the landowner for the expected profit. If they are unable to pay, they must stay and perform forced labor. This medieval servitude decides the fate of many of the province’s Christian and Hindu ...

“The Christian community has been terrorized and frightened by a small group of miscreants, who are intent on making them believe that Christians are second-class citizens of Pakistan. We ask the government to take strong measures to protect minorities and to implement policies that can help us become a more peaceful nation and create a better society.”

Many of the families spent the night in sugar cane fields – up to 1,000 people.” They had been running away, trying to find somewhere where they could rest. “Some of them went back to their homes desperate for something to eat but when they got home, they found everything destroyed – nothing to sit on, nothing to drink out of, not even a lightbulb.”

Christians from the Punjab town of Jaranwala, near Faisalabad, fled en masse as fanatics began throwing rocks and setting fire to buildings. The incident follows an accusation of blasphemy against a Christian cleaner accused of desecrating the Qur’an and insulting the Prophet of Islam.