National

Founder of Protestant movement returns to Catholic Church

The founder of a prominent non-denominational movement in India has returned to the Catholic faith of his baptism, after more than a decade as a Pentecostal pastor and traveling preacher. Sajith Joseph, 36, was confirmed Dec. 21, 2019 at St Mary’s Cathedral in Punalur in the southern Indian State of Kerala. His family and nearly […]

Church hospitals agree to implement Mizoram government project

The Non-Governmental Hospital Association of Mizoram (NGHAM), an umbrella body of all private and church-run hospitals in the northeastern Indian state, has expressed their willingness to implement a healthcare scheme. Officials of the state health department said the association after its meeting on January 24 informed Health Minister R. Lalthangliana of its willingness to implement […]

India dropping Republic Day hymn upsets Christian leaders

The Indian government’s decision to stop its army band playing a traditional Christian hymn during a Republic Day celebration has dismayed Christian leaders. The Christian hymn Abide With Me has been part of the closing ceremony called Beating the Retreat, since India began celebrating Republic Day in 1950. However, from this year onward, the tune […]

Top court’s education order upsets Indian Church officials

India’s Supreme Court has allowed the government to control the appointment of teachers in educational institutions run by religious minorities, a ruling Church leaders say violates their right to manage such institutions. The country’s top court on Jan. 6 upheld a West Bengal State law that allowed a government commission to screen candidates to be appointed […]

Hindu group opposes Christian president of Marathi literature festival

Veteran poet N.D. Mahanor on January 9 opened All India Marathi Literature Festival amid tight security in view of threats from right-wing Hindu organizations. The groups had warned Mahanor, a Padma Shri and Sahitya Academy awardee—not to inaugurate the festival as a Christian priest, Father Francis D’Britto, presided over the festival. The priest is a […]

CAA: India’s Church leaders warn against dividing country

India’s leading cardinal has called the country’s controversial Citizen Amendment Act “a cause of great anxiety for all citizens.” Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), made his comments on Jan. 8 at a ceremony in Benaulim, Goa, inaugurating a new extension of the secretariat […]

Anti-citizenship law protests spread across India

Demonstrators clashed with police for a third day in Delhi on Dec. 17 as protests against a divisive citizenship law spread to universities across the country, raising fears of widespread unrest. Rights activists and Christian leaders say the protests began to spread after the federal government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attempted […]

China announces new crackdown on religious freedom

China will enforce new restrictions on religious groups, organizations, meetings, and other related events starting on February 1. The country’s state-controlled media announced the new policy on Dec. 30, after Chinese authorities moved to further suppress Catholics in the Archdiocese of Fuzhou who are refusing to join the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. According to […]

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Pope: Red Cross’ humanitarian work shows that fraternity is possible

New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity