Bangladesh – Police in the country are investigating a Muslim school of Koranic learning following an explosion thought to have taken place as militants prepared a bomb there. One person died in the explosion. The madrassa, in Chittagong is now suspected of being a site regularly used by militants as a cover for its activities.…

Syria – For the second time in as many weeks, there has been a claim that missing Jesuit Fr Paolo Dall’Oglio is alive. Khalaf Ali Khalaf, described as a reporter and opposition activist has insisted that the priest is alive and well, though he also reported that the Jesuit is in the hands of kidnappers.…

Turkey – As the flow of refugees from Syria continues, the Knights of Malta have opened a camp to cater for displaced people in Kilis, just across the border from the conflict-ravaged nation. By way of illustrating the continuing need for aid for Syrian civilians, the Knights revealed that on the first day of the…

Japan – The president of the country’s Catholic bishops’ conference has spoken out to oppose moves by the government towards increasing the army’s role on the world stage. Following news that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to rework Japan’s 1947 constitution, under which the Japanese people renounced war and the post-World War II army…

Pope Francis has consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. During Marian Day celebrations at St Peterís on October 13, which marks the anniversary of the final vision in Fatima in 1917, the Pope announced the consecration and called on the faithful to seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. "As we continue…

The head of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE), Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has called on member countries of the European Union to act together in solving the dangerous realities for migrants taking great risks to reach Europe. During an October 10 meeting with the European Commission’s President José Manuel Barroso…

Pope Francis has been lauded for his efforts on behalf of migrants by the head of the world’s leading inter-governmental organisation working on their behalf. During an audience with the Pontiff this week, William Lacy Swing, director general of the International Organisation for Migration paid tribute to “the first Pope to visit Lampedusa” and hailed…