Asia

Indian bishop criticises Rome
AN INDIAN cardinal's call for greater power for bishops' conferences and a de-centralisation of papal authority drew support from the country's church leaders.
Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of Ernalculum-Angarnaly said that the Indian church has been forced "to depend on the Roman Curia for too many matters". He added that the greatest weakness of the Catholic Church is the way papal authority is exercised without the participation of those concerned, which he said was in contrast to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
Archbishop Cyril Malancharuvil of Trivandnim, preSident of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said he agreed that bishops' conferences should be given more power to strengthen the local church
Bishop rushed to hospital
A CHINESE Catholic bishop, who has not been heard from or seen since his arrest in
1997. has reportedly undergone medical treatment in a hospital.
In a statement, the USbased Cardinal Kung Foundation said it received information that Bishop Su Zhimin of Banding was taken to the officers' ward of Baoding Central Hospital for an eye operation and for heart problems.
Bishop Su, 71, is a prominent leader of the underground Catholic community in China and probably the only underground bishop who has met a US congressman, it said. The bishop met US Republican Christopher H Smith, RNJ, in January 1994 during Smith's official visit to China. Immediately after Smith's departure from China, Bishop Su was arrested and detained for nine days.
Church grows in Far East
THE CATHOLIC bishops of Laos and Cambodia have discussed new ways of cooperation.
The annual meeting held in mid-November in Sihanoukville, 175 miles, south of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, studied "joint projects that must be carried out in the vocational sector".
Among its priorities, CELAC analysed "the building of new communities, catechesis and seminaries", according to the apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, Bishop Emile Destombes. The churches in Cambodia and Laos "live in diverse social political contexts", but "they share challenges and hopes for missionary activity".
After suffering years of persecution, the bishops' conference, established in 1963, was able to resume its regular annual meetings in 1995. In February 1999 the bishops of Laos and Cambodia made their first "ad amine" visit to Rome.
Education plan for girls
THE CATHOLIC diocese of Vanimo accepted the invitation to head a new educational plan for young women in Papua New Guinea.
The regional government • of Vanimo requested the Catholic diocese to take charge of a new senior technical boarding high-school for girls. This school, the first of its kind in the area. will prepare young women for the university level. Traditionally, girls learn only domestic work and have little opportunity to study.
According to the school project, teaching and administration staff will he paid by the State, but the government has asked the local Church to contribute towards the construction of the building. Bishop Bonivento accepted willingly "with total confidence in Divine Providence". The compound, which will accommodate 320 girls, will have six two-storey buildings housing classrooms, laboratories, dormitories, kitchens, a refectory. and recreational facilities. The project includes about 15 homes for teachers. The total estimated cost is about £1.4 million.