null / Ivanko80/Shutterstock Washington D.C., Apr 25, 2023 / 15:20 pm (CNA). Japan is now one step closer to legalizing an abortion pill despite some pushback from a small but dedicated pro-life movement protesting the government’s efforts. A panel from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare voted to approve a pill that would allow mothers to kill their preborn children up to the ninth week of gestation. Currently, chemical abortions are not legally available in Japan. The pill now awaits final approval from the country’s health minister, who is expected to sign off on it.The pill, developed by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma, combines two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. The drug combination, which is the most common way to induce a chemical abortion, has been approved in much of the Western world. Mifepristone first became available in Europe more than 30 years ago.Although its use is also legal in the United States, with the exception of states that have explicitly banned or heavily restricted abortion, it is currently the subject of a lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the case have argued that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved the drug, ignoring their own safety protocols.In Japan, abortion is legal up to 21 weeks and six days of pregnancy, but only if a woman can cite a risk to her health or likely financial hardship if she were to give birth to her child. If a woman is married, she can only obtain an abortion if she has the consent of her husband. Out of concern that access to an abortion pill would increase the number of abortions in Japan, some pro-life activists protested in front of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, reported the Italian Catholic publication Servizio Informazione Religiosa. The leader of the protests, a 73-year-old man named Kazuo Sasaki, led daily rallies and went on a hunger strike to oppose the proposal.Ligaya Acosta, the regional director of Asia and Oceania at Human Life International, told CNA that many pro-life advocates in Japan “find it difficult” to get involved in the legislative process and noted that the government receives “pressure” from international organizations to expand access to abortion. “This [panel approval of the abortion pill] makes us very sad,” Acosta said. Acosta stated that pro-life advocates are “able to open the eyes of so many people” in the country and “hopefully, slowly but surely, we are bringing back the culture of life in Japan.” She said the government promoted abortion after World War II during a period of economic distress, but said Japan is now “a very rich country” and should “start rethinking about their positions” on abortion.Hundreds of pro-life activists attend the annual March for Life in Tokyo, according to Acosta. The march occurs every year around the third Monday of July during the national Marine Day holiday. The next march is on Sunday, July 16. Acosta said organizers hope to increase the number of attendees this year.Acosta added that family and life are “very important to the Japanese people” but that

Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong. / Credit: Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 18, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA). Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong arrived yesterday in Beijing, the capital of China, on a historic trip — the first of its kind in almost 30 years — and amid some tensions between the Asian giant and the Vatican. Chow was appointed bishop of Hong Kong by Pope Francis in May 2021 and received episcopal consecration in December of that year.The 63-year-old Jesuit prelate, who was invited by the local diocese and who will be in Beijing for five days, has previously pointed out the importance of the Church in Hong Kong being a bridge between China and the island.Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Its citizens have historically enjoyed freedom of worship, while in mainland China there is a long history of persecution against Christians who defy the communist government.With the passage of the new security law in 2020, the Chinese government gained more power to suppress pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which the regime viewed as a direct threat to its power.According to the Associated Press, the bishop of Hong Kong will meet the bishop of Beijing, Joseph Li Shan. He will also visit the National Seminary of the Catholic Church in China and will offer a Mass at the Xuanwumen Church.The bishop will visit the tomb of the Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), one of the first members of the Society of Jesus to live in China.Tensions with the VaticanChow’s trip comes two weeks after Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Haimen was appointed as the new bishop of Shanghai by the Chinese Bishops’ Council, a communist-controlled episcopal conference.The appointment has not been approved by the Vatican.The director of the Vatican Press Office, Matteo Bruni, noted on April 4 that “the Holy See had been informed a few days ago of the decision of the Chinese authorities” to transfer Bishop Shen Bin from Haimen to Shanghai “and learned of the installation from the media this morning.”Bruni said that he had nothing to add to the Holy See’s assessment of the bishop’s transfer, at least for the moment.This appointment would be a violation by China of the agreement signed with the Vatican to appoint bishops, approved in September 2018 and which has been renewed in 2020 and 2022. The details of the agreement have not been made public.In an interview with EWTN News in March, Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, said the deal with China was the result of “negotiations over a period of about 30 years. So it was a long process under three pontificates.”In that process, “the objective is to get the best deal possible, which certainly this agreement is not the best deal possible,” he said.The agreement has been criticized on several occasions by Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 91-year-old bishop emeritus of Hong Kong.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s

A house church in Beijing, China. / Credit: Huang Jinhui/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0 St. Louis, Mo., Mar 7, 2023 / 15:15 pm (CNA). A human rights group active in China is reporting that religious believers in a populous Chinese province are now required to register on a government app in order to attend worship services.ChinaAid, a U.S.-based Christian charity, reported March 6 that the religious department of the provincial government of Henan is rolling out a system whereby all believers must make online reservations before they can attend services in churches, mosques, or Buddhist temples.The reservations are to be made through an app called “Smart Religion” developed by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Henan Province. According to ChinaAid, applicants must fill in personal information, including their name, phone number, government ID number, permanent residence, occupation, and date of birth before they can make a reservation. Those who are allowed into a place of worship must also have their temperature taken — suggesting the app may be related in some way to COVID-19 restrictions — and show a reservation code.Henan, located in the east-central part of the country, has one of the largest Christian populations in China — as much as 6% — according to a 2012 government survey. The communist government of China is officially secular, and the same survey suggested that just 13% of the 98 million population of Henan belongs to an organized religion.The Chinese government technically recognizes Catholicism as one of five religions in the country, but there exists an underground Catholic Church, which is persecuted and loyal to Rome. Government-approved Catholic churches, on the other hand, have comparatively more freedom of worship but face other challenges, including pressure from the government to censor parts of Catholic teaching, while including Chinese nationalism and love for the party in preaching. Religious believers of all stripes are surveilled in China.ChinaAid reported that there are concerns that less tech-savvy elderly people might be isolated from signing up for religious services, but officials said staff would assist them in doing so.ChinaAid said the development and rollout of the app is part of the communist government’s efforts to “strictly manage religion in a comprehensive way,” in part by gathering data about religious believers. The group also expressed concern that the introduction of this additional barrier will turn people away from the practice of religion.“These management measures did not stem from the intention to protect the religious rights of religious people but rather are mediums to accomplish political purposes,” the group wrote.“China’s Henan Daily reported that on Feb. 24 this year, Zhang Leiming, member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and head of the United Front Work Department, went to the Provincial Ethnic and Religious Committee to investigate and pointed out that it is necessary to strictly manage religion in a comprehensive way, unite and guide the majority of religious believers to follow the Chinese Communist Party unswervingly.”Henan was the site of the razing of a Catholic Church

Cardinal George Pell’s funeral Mass drew thousands of mourners to Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral Feb. 2, 2023. / Credit: Giovanni Portelli/The Catholic Weekly Denver, Colo., Feb 2, 2023 / 16:45 pm (CNA). The late Cardinal George Pell’s funeral Mass drew thousands of mourners, filling Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral to capacity. Civic leaders, friends, and members of Pell’s family remembered the Australian cardinal’s dedication to the Church and the Gospel and his courage in the face of many obstacles, including more than a year in prison before his exoneration.“George Pell was my brother. He was a prince of the Church. A good and holy man, and a proud Australian,” David Pell said at the cardinal’s funeral Mass Thursday, according to The Catholic Weekly newspaper.“’Be not afraid’ was George’s motto. These words are mentioned in the Bible 365 times,” Pell’s brother continued. “They are powerful words and need to be remembered by us as we continue the daily struggle.”Addressing the cardinal, he added: “You have fought the good fight. Help us to accept the battle. Rest in peace.” The cardinal died Jan. 10 in Rome at the age of 81 from cardiac arrest following complications during hip surgery.Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney celebrated the Pontifical Mass of Christian Burial at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral. The four-hour liturgy included a specially composed offertory motet by Sir James MacMillan based on the cardinal’s motto “Be Not Afraid” and the text of Wisdom 3:1–4.Attending the funeral were 30 bishops, 220 priests, and dozens of seminarians. The congregation included women religious, theologians, Catholic school teachers, and families. Representatives of Catholic agencies and ethnic communities were at the Mass, as were the residents of David’s Place, a community for the homeless and marginalized in Sydney.Fisher in his homily described his predecessor Pell as a “lion of the Church” who proclaimed the Gospel “shamelessly, vehemently, courageously to the end.”“He had a big heart, too, strong enough to fight for the faith and endure persecution but soft enough to care for priests, youth, the homeless, prisoners, and imperfect Christians,” the archbishop said.David Pell described his brother as a “passionate” player of Australian Rules football. “He believed in the rule of law, a fair go to all, and in Aussie Rules parlance, he ‘played the ball, and not the man,’” he said. “He may have disagreed with your opinion, but he didn’t disagree with you as a person.”Pell was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in October 2003, while he was archbishop of Sydney. Ten years later, Pope Francis appointed Pell a member of his Council of Cardinals, and the year after, he put him in charge of Vatican finances. His work there won praise and admiration, especially his apparent discovery of $1.5 billion in assets in previously unreported Vatican accounts.In 2017, Pell left Rome for Australia to defend his innocence of charges that he had sexually abused two 13-year-old boys after Sunday Mass in Melbourne in 1996 and 1997.He was convicted in 2018. After 404 days in prison, the cardinal

Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Hong, attends the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Jan. 5, 2023, in St. Peter's Square. / Credit: Diane Montagna Rome Newsroom, Feb 1, 2023 / 09:02 am (CNA). Cardinal Joseph Zen has been hospitalized in Hong Kong after his health deteriorated upon returning from Benedict XVI’s funeral in Rome.The 91-year-old cardinal wrote on his blog on Jan. 31 that he is receiving treatment in the hospital after experiencing difficulty breathing.Zen said that the doctors have already conducted many examinations and ruled out that he does not have a bacterial infection in his lungs as he experienced in 2016 when he was hospitalized for three weeks.“You have not heard from me as I have been staying in the hospital. Please rest assured, Hong Kong’s most senior doctors are taking care of me,” he wrote.The former bishop of Hong Kong revealed that he had already been experiencing some health difficulties before he received permission from a Hong Kong court to travel to Rome for the Jan. 5 funeral of Benedict XVI.Despite having inflammation in his shoulders, an aching back, and numbness in his hands, Zen said that he felt that he “could not give up the opportunity” to be present at the funeral.“The funeral of Pope Benedict was very important to me; and like a miracle, God allowed me to go to Rome to attend: The court approved, the police let me get back my passport; the airline just had a flight so that I could catch the funeral in time, therefore, I felt that I couldn’t give up this opportunity and decided to go,” he said.“When I went to Rome, I felt that I represented the whole of Hong Kong and the whole of China, expressing our respect and love to Pope Benedict XVI.”After his four-day trip to Rome, the cardinal spent 10 days resting in Hong Kong, but his health unexpectedly continued to deteriorate, worsening on the first day of Lunar New Year, Jan. 22.Zen shared the update on his health in a blog post titled “Letter to Inmates.” The retired cardinal  has dedicated his time over the past 10 years to prison ministry in Hong Kong and has baptized several prisoners.“Do not forget that we will never be separated in prayer,” he wrote to the inmates. “I will continue to pray for you, and please remember me in your prayers.”

null / Unsplash. St. Louis, Mo., Jan 25, 2023 / 14:30 pm (CNA). Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently warned that Japan’s birthrate — one of the lowest in the world — is not sustainable and that the ongoing population decline in the country poses an urgent risk to Japanese society. “Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society,” Kishida said in Monday’s speech before the newly opened session of Parliament. Kishida, a conservative leader who took office in 2021, said he intends to launch a new government agency in April to support children and families. Kishida said he wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs.“Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed,” he said, as reported by The Guardian.Japan, a nation of 125 million people, has the world’s second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over, according to World Bank data. The only country with a higher proportion of elderly people is Monaco, a tiny city-state. Japan also has an extremely high life expectancy and has struggled as a nation to care for its growing elderly population. The prime minister noted that only 800,000 births were recorded in the country last year, a low figure that Japan was previously not projected to reach until 2030. It’s also the lowest figure recorded since Japan began compiling statistics on births in 1899.According to Asia News, a Catholic news site, Kishida has endorsed direct economic support to families with dependent children, the strengthening of child care services, and the reform of Japanese working habits to allow working parents a better work-life balance. Specific proposals to address the demographic crisis are being drawn up by a task force led by Masanobu Ogura, the government minister in charge of implementing them. The members plan to come up with measures by the end of March so they can be included in the economic and fiscal policy document that is published every year in June, Asia News reported. The archbishop of Tokyo, Isao Kikuchi, spoke with CNA in late 2019 about Japan’s “birth rate crisis.” He said the ongoing collapse in the national population has already negatively affected all sectors of Japanese society.“Population decline due to the low birth rate and the aging population is not just a problem for the Church but a problem for the entire Japanese society,” Kikuchi said. While couples in Japan are financially rewarded, to an extent, for creating larger families, Kikuchi said at the time that the government has been unable to give young Japanese a sufficient push to make them comfortable with the traditional idea of family-making.He also said Japan’s ruthless working culture, combined with a heavy expectation on children to be busy with extracurriculars, can impede the practice of faith in Japanese households. “In addition, such a collapse in the traditional Japanese family system has caused marriages to break down, with single mothers raising their children in poverty,” the archbishop said.Japan is not the only Asian

Cardinal George Pell. / Matthew Rarey/CNA CNA Newsroom, Jan 10, 2023 / 18:17 pm (CNA). The Catholic Church in Australia reacted with surprise and sadness at the news of the death of Cardinal George Pell, with one former prime minister saying the country had “lost a great son and the Church has lost a great leader.”Pell, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, died Tuesday in Rome at the age of 81 from cardiac arrest.“This news comes as a great shock to all of us,” Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney said in a first reaction on Facebook.“Please pray for the repose of the soul of Cardinal Pell, for comfort and consolation for his family and for all of those who loved him and are grieving him at this time.”Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne reacted “with great sadness” to the news, writing on Twitter: “May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ.” With great sadness, the news is out that Cardinal George Pell died a few hours ago, from heart complications following hip surgery. May eternal light now be his, who so steadfastly believed in the God of Jesus Christ.— Archbishop Peter A Comensoli (@BishopComensoli) January 10, 2023 “Larger than life, Cardinal Pell was a highly intelligent and well-read man who took a genuine interest in everyone around him,” Bishop Richard Umbers, an auxiliary bishop in Sydney, said on Twitter. “A pioneer for much good in Sydney, Australia, and the entire church. Please join me in praying for the repose of his soul. Requiescat in pace.”Larger than life, Cardinal Pell was a highly intelligent and well-read man who took a genuine interest in everyone around him. A pioneer for much good in Sydney, Australia, and the entire church. Please join me in praying for the repose of his soul. Requiescat in pace. pic.twitter.com/7mOVJELIi6— Bishop Down Umber (@BishopUmbers) January 11, 2023 Many faithful added personal messages on social media, with one mourner writing: “Rest In Peace, my dear Cardinal, in the arms of the Lord. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26.” Another commentator said: “I have no doubt that Cardinal George Pell will be watching over our church throughout the days to come.”Appointed in 2014 as the first prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, Pell served as archbishop of Sydney from 2001 to 2014. Before that, he was archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott wrote in a statement published on Twitter that Australia had “lost a great son and the Church has lost a great leader.” Abbott, who briefly trained as a Catholic seminarian, praised Pell as a “committed defender of Catholic orthodoxy and a staunch advocate for the virtues of Western Civilization.” Born in 1941 in the town of Ballarat, Pell was ordained a priest at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in 1966. He studied both at the Pontifical University Urbaniana and the University of Oxford. As

More than 100,000 faithful gathered Jan. 8, 2023, to venerate the “Black Nazarene” in the Philippines after a two-year suspension of the traditional procession due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. / Credit: Archdiocese of Manila CNA Newsroom, Jan 10, 2023 / 11:30 am (CNA). More than 100,000 faithful gathered to venerate the “Black Nazarene” in the Philippines after a two-year suspension of the traditional procession due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.The venerated image of the Black Nazarene was processed Jan. 8 from the Quirino Grandstand to St. John the Baptist church in Manila, also known as the “Church of Quiapo,” with an estimated 103,277 faithful participating.This year, the procession — also called the “Translation” or “Walk of Faith” — took place from 1:30 a.m to 4 a.m. local time.These two and a half hours contrasted with the 22 hours the event used to last before the pandemic, bringing together millions of Catholic faithful.This procession is one of the most important religious celebrations in the Philippines, the only country with a Catholic majority in Asia, accounting for approximately 82% of the entire population.The origin of the Black Nazarene dates back to 1607, when the wooden image representing Christ bent under the weight of the cross was transported on a ship from Mexico to Manila. According to tradition, during the voyage the ship caught fire but the image was miraculously spared and was only blackened.Two years after the procession was suspended due to the pandemic, Catholics feared that the restrictions would again be imposed in 2023.However, on Jan. 3, the Church of Quiapo received authorization from the civil authorities to resume the tradition under certain conditions.According to Asia News, Father Earl Allyson Valdez, the pastor of Quiapo, explained that this year instead of kissing the Black Nazarene the faithful could simply approach and touch the revered image to avoid contagion.This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Children warming their hands over a wood-fired oven in Nagorno-Karabakh / Supplied CNA Newsroom, Dec 30, 2022 / 07:00 am (CNA). A leading politician serving the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has strongly echoed the Pope Francis' concerns about the humanitarian situation in the fragile region.In an interview with CNA, Ruben Vardanyan, State Minister of Artsakh, said that the international community must act in order to prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe” resulting from the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which links the enclave of Nagarno-Karabakh with neighboring Armenia.Ruben Vardanyan (54) took office as State Minister in November 2022. SuppliedVardanyan told CNA Deutsch on Dec. 20: “If the Lachin corridor is not unblocked in the upcoming days, states and international organizations should start to organize flights to Artsakh using a humanitarian air corridor to get to Stepanakert. This will certainly prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh.”Approximately 120,00 Armenians, including 30,000 children, live in Nagarno-Karabakh, which they refer to as the Republic of Artsakh. It is reported that due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor, individuals cannot access basic necessities, such as food and medicines, and families have been separated from one another.The enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. Wikmedia (CC0)In an Angelus address before Christmas on Dec. 18, Pope Francis expressed his concern about the situation: “I am concerned about the precarious humanitarian conditions of the people, which are in further danger of deteriorating during the winter season.”In his interview with CNA, Vardanyan accused Azerbaijan of trying to create a humanitarian crisis in the unstable region. He said: “As you know, since Dec. 12, Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin corridor, which is the only road between Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and the outside world.“We made several suggestions to negotiate and try to find a solution without keeping as hostages 120,000 people, but unfortunately Azerbaijan aims to create humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh, which will be an additional tool to force Armenians to leave their homeland," he continued. "With the support of the entire international community, we need to put more pressure on Azerbaijan, because we can’t put in danger the lives of 120,000 people. We have 30,000 kids living in Artsakh, who have the right to have a normal, peaceful life.”Vardanyan also said that the Republic of Artsakh was significant for Christians everywhere. He told CNA: “Artsakh is not important only to the Armenian people. It’s a significant place for the entire Christian world. Artsakh carries a 1,700-Year Christian heritage. We are grateful to all those who called upon Azerbaijan to unblock the corridor, which is truly a road of life for 120,000 people.”He added that the road map to peace must begin with unblocking the pivotal corridor.“Azerbaijan should unblock the Lachin corridor,” he began. “Then, with an establishment of certain international mechanisms we are ready for a dialogue with Baku. We always prefer negotiations and discussions. The coercive measures taken by Azerbaijan to put psychological and physical pressure on people on an everyday basis and force them to leave Artsakh are going

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, speaks at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Nov. 18, 2014. / Bohumil Petrik/CNA. Rome Newsroom, Dec 14, 2022 / 07:47 am (CNA). Cardinal Joseph Zen has filed an appeal with Hong Kong’s High Court following his conviction last month for failing to register a fund that helped pay for the legal fees and medical treatments of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters.The Hong Kong Free Press reported on Dec. 14 that the 90-year-old cardinal and former bishop of Hong Kong filed an appeal of the verdict this week together with four other trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund who were fined about $500 (HK$4,000) each.Zen’s trial from September to November focused on whether it was necessary for the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund trustees to apply for local society registration between 2019 and 2021.Magistrate Ada Yim ruled on Nov. 25 that the fund was a “local society” and was subject to its rules. In her judgment, she said that the fund “had political objectives and thus it was not established solely for charitable purposes.”Following the ruling, Margaret Ng, a lawyer and fund trustee who was convicted with Zen, highlighted that this was the first time that anyone had been convicted under Hong Kong’s Societies Ordinance for failing to register a society and said that the case is important for “freedom of association in Hong Kong.”Along with Zen and Ng, singer-activist Denise Ho, cultural studies scholar Hui Po-Keung, and ex-legislator Cyd Ho have also appealed the conviction.Sze Ching-wee, the former secretary of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, has not filed for an appeal. Sze was arrested earlier in November under Hong Kong’s national security law. He has been released on bail and is required to report to the police in February.Days before Zen filed for an appeal, a Hong Kong court sentenced Jimmy Lai, a Catholic pro-democracy advocate and former publisher of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily to an additional five years and nine months in jail for breaching the lease on one of his newspaper’s offices, according to AFP.Lai, who has been jailed since December 2020 for his involvement in pro-democracy protests, also faces the possibility of being sentenced to life in prison under national security charges.On Dec. 13, a Hong Kong court delayed Lai’s national security trial, initially scheduled for this month, until September 2023.