China

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Pope Francis at his general audience in St Peter’s Square on May 31, 2023.

Pope Francis praises Matteo Ricci for proclaiming the Gospel in China

May 31, 2023

By Courtney Mares

The pope dedicated his entire catechesis to sharing the life of Venerable Matteo Ricci, a 16th-century Jesuit missionary in China. Read more

Pope Francis at his general audience on May 17, 2023 (left) and a painting of St. Francis Xavier in the Church of the Gesù in Rome (right).

Pope Francis: Share the Gospel with zeal like St. Francis Xavier

May 17, 2023

By Courtney Mares

The pope dedicated his entire general audience to sharing the story of the daring 16th-century saint who risked his life... Read more

Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong.

Historic trip of bishop of Hong Kong to Beijing is the first in three decades

Apr 18, 2023

By Walter Sanchez Silva

Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong arrived yesterday in Beijing, the capital of China, amid some tensions between the Asian... Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 22, 2023.

Pope Francis says he will travel to Mongolia

Apr 15, 2023

By Courtney Mares

A trip to Mongolia would make Pope Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile... Read more

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U.S. House passes bill to combat forced organ harvesting

Mar 28, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

The bill, authored by Catholic Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, had nearly unanimous support, passing in a 412-2 vote. It... Read more

A house church in Beijing, China.

China’s new ‘Smart Religion’ app requires faithful to register to attend worship services

Mar 7, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

A human rights group said the app is part of the communist government’s efforts to “strictly manage religion in a... Read more

Enes Freedom

Former Celtic who risked NBA career to speak out against China receives human rights award  

Dec 9, 2022

By Kelsey Wicks

Former Celtic Enes Kanter Freedom received the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice’s top honor on Dec. 7 at... Read more

A 17th-century Japanese depiction of St. Francis Xavier, from the Kobe City Museum collection.

The unlikely hero of India: St. Francis Xavier 

Dec 3, 2022

By Peter Pinedo

Today’s feast celebrates the life of St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries and missions, who led an unlikely... Read more

A worshiper waves the flag of China as Pope Francis leaves following the weekly general audience on June 12, 2019, at St. Peter's square in the Vatican.

Vatican says China violated terms of agreement with bishop installation

Nov 26, 2022

By Courtney Mares

The Holy See “noted with surprise and regret” that Bishop John Peng Weizhao had been installed as an “auxiliary bishop... Read more

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A handful of Catholic leaders and others voice support for Cardinal Zen as his trial begins

Sep 26, 2022

By Zelda Caldwell, Courtney Mares

These are Catholic leaders, scholars, and human rights activists who have publicly shown their support for Zen as his trial... Read more

Former Celtics player Enes Kanter Freedom will be the keynote speaker at the March for the Martyrs,

This Muslim NBA vet is marching for persecuted Christians on Saturday

Sep 23, 2022

By Joe Bukuras

Enes Kanter Freedom, a practicing Muslim from Turkey, will be speaking at the Sept. 24 March for the Martyrs in... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen speaks during a Mass at the Holy Cross Church on May 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China. The cardinal was set to stand trial on Sept. 19, 2022, in connection to his role as a trustee of a pro-democracy legal fund, which he and other trustees are accused of failing to register civilly. The trial was delayed.

Cardinal Zen’s trial has been delayed due to COVID

Sep 19, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

The criminal trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong has been delayed after the judge tested positive for... Read more

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The geopolitics of Pope Francis’ trip to Kazakhstan

Sep 12, 2022

By Courtney Mares

This week Pope Francis is traveling to Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority country sandwiched between Russia and China. Read more

Uyghur women work in a cloth factory in Hotan county, Xinjiang province, China.

UN: China’s mistreatment of the Uyghurs amounts to modern-day slavery

Aug 17, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

In recent years, China has detained Uyghurs in hundreds of “reeducation camps” and reportedly subjected them to torture and political... Read more

The front of the Chinese embassy in Paris, France

Chinese embassy shares anti-Catholic cartoon amid Pelosi visit to Taiwan

Aug 5, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

The image, created by a Chinese artist and propagandist, shows a gaunt, hooded and witchlike woman — crowned with a... Read more

Congolese civil rights attorney Hervé Diakiese Kyungu testifying on July 14, 2022, at a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C. on the use of child labor in China-backed cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Testimony: China-backed cobalt mines in Congo exploit 40,000 child workers

Jul 16, 2022

By Zelda Caldwell

The mines “are often no more than narrow shafts dug into the ground, which is why children are recruited —... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen.

Without mentioning Zen's arrest, Pope Francis says he is praying for the Church in China

May 22, 2022

By CNA Staff

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Regina Caeli prayer on May 22, Pope Francis did not... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen.

Cardinal Zen may be in Hong Kong court next week

May 17, 2022

By CNA Staff

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is scheduled to appear in court May 24, according to a report by the British daily... Read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, pictured on July 2, 2015.

Cardinal Parolin hopes Zen arrest will not complicate Vatican-China dialogue

May 13, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Cardinal Parolin said: ‘I would like to express my closeness to the cardinal who was freed and treated well.’ Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen.

5 things to know about Cardinal Zen

May 11, 2022

By Hannah Brockhaus

The 90-year-old cardinal was arrested and released on bail on May 11. Read more