Asia/Pacific

By Christopher R. Altieri with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos VATICAN CITY/LAHORE (BosNewsLife)-- Pope Francis on Sunday, March 15, appealed for peace and solidarity with Pakistan's "persecuted" Christian minority after bombings at two churches in Lahore left at least 14 people dead and scores of others wounded. He also accused the world of trying to hide the persecution of Christians.

(ADDS MORE DETAILS AND ROBBERY OF CHURCH) By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Bombings rocked two churches in a Christian area of Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, killing 10 people and injuring dozens, several reports and officials said. Islamic militants linked to Pakistan's Taliban group claimed responsibility for Sunday's blasts in the Youhanabad neighbourhood.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist MELBOURNE/NAYPYIDAW (BosNewsLife Columns)-- On my blog some weeks ago I reprinted portions of a speech given in the Australian Parliament by a politician who had secretly travelled into a rebel-held region of Myanmar, also known as Burma.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- A frail elderly Korean-American aid worker is awaiting trial in China on what supporters believe are trumped up charges linked to his Christian activities on the border with North Korea.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife VIENTIANE, LAOS (BosNewsLife)-- Five Christian leaders remained behind bars in southern Laos on Sunday, March 1, after they were sentenced to nine months imprisonment for praying for a sick believer who later died, a rights official told BosNewsLife.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- My wife is Korean, and I have long been fascinated by the growth in Christianity in South Korea. From just modest numbers in the early 20th century it has evolved to represent, 100 years late later, around 30 per cent of the population. Now we see something similar starting to happen in China...

By BosNewsLife Asia Service YANGON, BURMA (BosNewsLife)-- Two young women have been raped and killed in Burma because of their Christian work in a Buddhist village, Christian activists said in comments monitored by BosNewsLife Saturday, February 21.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of Christians faced severe persecution and at least five believers were murdered in India last year, a Catholic body said in a report monitored by BosNewsLife Tuesday, February 10. The report released by the India-based Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) documented 120 attacks on Christians and their institutions, including churches, across India in 2014 alone.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Indian police have detained hundreds of Christians demonstrating against attacks on churches in New Delhi and nearby areas amid concerns over a wider crackdown on Christianity in this predominantly Hindu nation.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist MELBOURNE/ISLAMABAD (BosNewsLife Columns)-- I have just received a surprising gift from some returning missionaries. It's a small 2015 calendar, with each month’s page depicting a color photograph of a church. An accompanying card tells me that these are all vibrant churches, full of joyful worshippers who love to sing the praises of Jesus.