Jammu-Kashmir Christians attacked over forced conversion

Hindus have burned down a church and shops belonging to Christians in India’s Jammu and Kashmir State after a Hindu family alleged that their dau-ghter was killed by her husband after she had been forced to convert to Christianity.

The violence is unusual in the Muslim-dominated state, where Christians have not faced any hostility from Hindus.

Tension is high in the Raj-ouri district bordering Pakistan following the Jan. 16 incident, with police on alert to prevent further violence.

Police said a 25-year-old Hindu woman, Seema Devi, married a local Hindu man, Rinku Kumar, two years ago. The man took his wife to the northern Punjab State, where he was working in a private firm.

However, Devi died recen-tly in Punjab and her body was taken by her husband to his home village in Kashmir for burial with Christian rituals.

It is the first incident of Hindu violence against Christians in the state, although there has been some tension after Muslims accused Christ-ians of converting their people.

Pope Francis is top world leader, who in India the Christian leader?

In the latest survey of world leaders done by Gallop international, which is usually about politicians in the secular world, the wonder of wonder is this: The highest placed person on the list isn’t a political leader, but a religious person: Pope Francis who has a 58% rating.

Then comes German Chancellor Angela Merkel with 49%, as the top politician in the secular domain, followed by French president Emmanuel Macron with 45% approval. The US President Trump with 31% support could get only the third place in the secular domain. What is significant is, India’s PM Modi comes immediately after Trump as in the fourth secular leader with 30% support. Only then comes Chinese and Russian presidents and British PM followed by many others.

What is significant to note are two things: 1. Even in a secularized world people at large give top priority to religion and moral values. 2. Both among religious and secular leaders of the world Pope Francis, as the head of the Catholic Church, though he is the head also of Vatican, the smallest State in the world, is looked up to as the towering, shining personality, both among religious and political leaders. Among Christians and multiplicity of Churches in India is there any one spiritual person looked up to by the entire country? Since Pope Francis happens to be the head of the Catholic world, acceptable to all irrespective of differing religions persuasions, what about the Catholic Churches in India made up of Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Rites?

Knanaya diocese declines Vatican directive to end endogamy

In a possible confrontation with the Catholic Church, the Knanaya Church has refused to put an end to the practice of endogamy, where members of the same ethnic background marry one another.

Those who don’t follow the custom are excommunicated.

Dismissing the demand of the Oriental Congregation in Rome to get rid of the practice, the Kottayam archdiocese has declined to allow those who were excommunicated back into the Church. The archdiocese is planning to approach the Pope and also legally challenge the direction. In a recent order sent to the bishop of the diocese of Chicago, Jacob Angadiath, the congrega-tion had asked him to take back those who were excommunicated.

Calling the demand of the congregation as unacceptable, Stephen George, president of the Knanaya Catholic Congress said, “We will challenge the direction both legally and at the hierarchy of the Church.”

The congregation had issued the direction on the basis of a report by Canadian Bishop Michael Mulhal of Pembroke diocese, who was entrusted by Rome to study the issue and present a report in 2015.

The bishop filed the report after visiting the State of Chicago and had recommended that the practice be ended.