Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:
Scotland bishops on assisted suicide legislation: ‘Safeguards do not work’
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland is urging Catholics to express opposition to the latest assisted suicide legislation proposed in the country to their representatives in Parliament.
“One of the most serious concerns about assisted suicide legislation is this: Safeguards do not work,” the bishops wrote in a March 6 statement.
“We only have to look at countries that have already introduced these laws. In places such as Holland, Belgium, and Canada, what began with strict limits has steadily expanded. Boundaries shift. Protections weaken. And the most vulnerable are placed at risk.”
The bishops’ latest statement comes ahead of a final vote on March 17 for the bill that would give terminally ill adults access to assisted suicide.
Italian Church calls for day of prayer and fasting for peace
Italy’s bishops designated Friday, March 13, as a national day of prayer and fasting for peace, responding to growing alarm over widening conflict in the Middle East and the risk of broader international destabilization.
The initiative, backed by the presidency of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, aligns with Pope Leo’s repeated warnings against allowing violence to spiral beyond control, ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, reported Thursday.
The bishops said war cannot become a solution and insisted that diplomacy, dialogue, and the pursuit of the common good remain the only serious path forward.
Parishes and Catholic communities across the country were invited to mark the day through special liturgical intentions, the Stations of the Cross offered for the Middle East, and acts of fasting in solidarity with those enduring war, displacement, and deprivation.
The Church in Italy is also urging prayers for world leaders, refugees, the wounded, and grieving families, while calling the faithful to recover charity as the true foundation of peace.
Diocese of Hong Kong anticipates thousands of baptisms this Easter
The Diocese of Hong Kong is preparing for 2,500 baptisms at Easter, according to a report from Fides News Agency.
The new members of the Church in China include 1,600 adults and 900 infants, according to a recent diocesan bulletin cited in the report, which said this year’s numbers were comparable to those in 2025.
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan celebrated the rite of scrutiny with catechumens in the diocese at Christ the King Church on March 8 and instructed the future members of the Church to “be bearers of hope.”
Syria feeling fallout of Iranian war despite lack of involvement
Syria is once again absorbing the shockwaves of regional war, as Iranian missiles and drones headed toward Israel pass through its airspace, with projectiles frequently falling inside southern Syria and areas with a Christian presence, ACI MENA reported March 9.
Along the Syrian-Lebanese border, the city of Damascus has increased its military deployment, describing the move as defensive and aimed at border control, anti-smuggling efforts, and preventing infiltration as fighting intensifies inside Lebanon.
The war has also deepened Syria’s humanitarian and economic strain: Thousands of Syrians have returned from Lebanon to escape Israeli strikes, fuel stations have seen panic buying, cooking gas has become harder to obtain, and electricity shortages have worsened amid reduced natural gas flows.
Ethiopian bishops call for investigations into Christian killings
Catholic bishops in Ethiopia have expressed “profound sorrow and unequivocal condemnation” of the recent killings of innocent civilians across the country, including the brutal attacks in the Arsi Zone, a major administrative division within the Oromia Region, located in the southeastern highlands.
“The deliberate taking of innocent human life is a grave sin before God and a violation of the sacred dignity bestowed upon every person created in the image of God,” the bishops said in a statement to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on March 10.
“Such violence against defenseless civilians can never be justified by religion, ethnicity, or political interest. We call upon the responsible authorities to undertake investigations and to ensure that those responsible for these crimes are brought to justice.”
Tanzanian bishop condemns police use of tear gas at cathedral
Bishop Michael George Msongazila of Tanzania’s Diocese of Musoma has condemned what he described as “the excessive use of force” by the Tanzania Police Force after officers reportedly hurled tear gas canisters at Holy Mother of God Cathedral.
“I condemn this act of police using force at the headquarters of the Catholic Diocese of Musoma,” Msongazila said in a statement on March 10, ACI Africa reported.
In his statement, Msongazila recounted that a group of women reportedly affiliated with an opposition political party joined other faithful for Mass on March 8 at the cathedral and that, as they were leaving, police officers threw tear gas canisters into the cathedral compound.
The bishop further described the police action as “an act of oppression and cruelty,” insisting that such conduct undermines public trust and calls for urgent reform within the country’s law enforcement structures.
Catholic Church in Philippines to establish mission on island disputed with China
Apostolic Vicar Socrates Calamba Mesiona of Puerto Princesa in the Philippines is establishing a Catholic presence on Pag-asa Island, part of the Philippines-occupied Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
The islands are a strategic and contested archipelago in the South China Sea and a source of tension between China and the Philippines due to its natural resources, according to Asia News.
Mesiona met with government officials to discuss building a church on the island. The bishop said he expected to complete initial preparations for the mission by the end of March. A groundbreaking ceremony is also expected to take place by the end of the month. A parish name and patron saint have yet to be announced, the report said.
