Tag: Roman Catholic Church

When It Comes to China, Pope Francis Keeps Criticism in Check

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The small group of Chinese Catholics who crossed the border to see Pope Francis covered their faces for fear of reprisal. Church officials blamed the Communist government for preventing mainland China’s bishops from coming to see the pope. And diplomats said that China had watched the pope’s activities closely, and warily. Yet as Pope Francis returned to Rome on Monday from a four-day trip to Mongolia, he had nothing but positive things to say about China. “The relations with China are very respectful — I personally have great admiration for…

Pope Visits Mongolia, With an Eye on Russia and China

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Pope Francis has long expressed a desire to visit Russia and China in hopes of healing the church’s historical rifts and ensuring the faith’s future in the populous East. On Friday, he came very close, landing in Mongolia, a country sandwiched between the two geopolitical giants, with a minuscule Catholic population that no pope has visited before. “The inhabitants are few,” Francis acknowledged in brief remarks on the plane to Mongolia, but he said the country that at times seemed so vast as not to end was also a place…

Your Tuesday Briefing: A Major Ukrainian Strike

Chin@Strategy

Ukraine kills dozens of Russians Ukraine launched a major attack against a building housing Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region on New Year’s Day. A full picture of the casualties is still emerging. Ukraine claimed that “about 400” had died, while Russia said yesterday that 63 service members had been killed. But even with the lower figure, the attack was one of the deadliest strikes against Russian forces in Ukraine since the war began. Mistakes by Russian forces may have contributed to the toll. One Russian military blogger said that…