The Voice of the suffering in Asia

"The truth is that there are some genuine faithful among those North Koreans who come to Mass in Changchung Cathedral. Though attendees are mobilized by the North Korean regime, I believe that some of them are real Catholic faithful."

The cathedral will be a significant symbol in a region where many run great risks and some even lose their lives for practicing their faith.

"The Church will always stand up for peace and mercy. Revenge is not in keeping with our message. Our first tool for social change is prayer. Only God can soften hardened hearts. Our second tool is to keep preaching Christ. We teach and never get tired to repeat the same message. The third response is dialogue. We dialogue with those who hate us or with all those who do not share our belief. We seek the common ground."

"Indonesia will certainly become more Islamic; but hopefully still within the country’s existing constitutional and democratic framework. For us Christians, the task is clear: we have to build up trusting, positive relations with mainstream Indonesian Islam."

SURABAYA is the capital city of East Java Province, Indonesia. Like many cities in Indonesia, 80 percent of Surabaya’s population is Muslim. Most Indonesian Muslims here are members of the moderate Nahdatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia. The events of Sunday (May 13, 2018, however, were evidence of the growing threat from Islamist

“Our faithful are afraid, but we, their pastors, constantly call on them to remain calm. The terrorists are trying to scare us, but we must remain at peace and pray that God may convert their hearts.”