S i g n i s I n d i a

The Catholic Church in Indonesia is introducing training programs to help prepare people to respond quickly in emergency situations.

The Order of the Holy Cross' house in Agats, Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, burned down on Aug. 13 morning, possibly due to a short circuit. No casualties were reported. "The fire started in a priest's room about 7 a.m. while all residents were having breakfast in the dining room," Franciscan Bishop Aloysius Murwito of Agats [...]

Religious violence in Indonesia is on the rise, a moderate Islamic think-tank said on Dec. 10, criticizing the government for not taking a tougher line on radical groups. The Wahid Institute, founded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, cited 227 separate violations of religious freedom including torture, attacks on places of worship and restrictions on freedom [...]

While struggling to master computer programming morning to night, a Korean priest started to question his priestly identity, so he began posting daily reflections on the Internet.

Catechists in a largely Hindu parish in the capital have organized coaching for students preparing to take secondary school exams in Hinduism as well as Christianity.

Secular Sydney saw Australia's largest ever sea of humanity when 400,000 people rallied to Randwick Racecourse for a papal Mass during the July 20 finale of World Youth Day.

A federal minister has declared that "the best film of India" is one a Salesian priest made about displaced tribal people.

The Church school is the visible sign of Christianity for most people in India, says a nun who heads a national association of these schools.

Some young filmmakers in India say a Jesuit media center's annual film festival offers them unique opportunities to grow.

Archbishop Gregory Yong Sooi Nghean of Singapore, who headed the Catholic Church here from 1977-2000, died on June 28 of heart failure. He was 83. His funeral Mass will be held at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd on July 2. (UCA News)