India  joined more than 50 other countries in praying for priests on June 8. It is the ninth year of the initiative, in which people gather at over 150 Marian shrines around the world to pray the rosary in thanksgiving for the ministry of priests, and to ask Our Lady for their protection. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount – in the Bandra neighbourhood of Mumbai – hosted the faithful in praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, bringing together nearly 200 religious and over 250 lay faithful. “With the coming of midnight on June 8, 2018, the entire world, by then, will have been encircled in prayer for our priests on this The Annual Rosary Relay Day,” said Bishop John Rodrigues, the rector of the basilica.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Cyriac Joseph has flayed the delay in hearing the appeal of seven Christians of Kandhamal convicted to life imprisonment for the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati that triggered the bloodshed and mayhem in Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2008. “This (delay) is a failure of the judicial system. In the judicial process, appeal could be delayed for many reasons. But in this case there are no (technical) reasons to keep it pending. It seems to be deliberately delayed, perhaps so that it is brought before a suitable judge,” remarked Justice Joseph.

In the wake of the Nipah outbreak, the Thamarassery Syro-Malabar diocese in Kerala has asked its parish priests to serve the Communion only on the hand during the Mass.

The custom of serving the Communion on the tongue by priests will be discouraged as part of the efforts to support the Health Department’s drive against the viral disease, an advisory from the diocese on June 1st said.

Priests in nearly 120 parishes under the diocese will heed the bishop’s advisory. The diocese has until now encouraged receiving the Communion only tongue. The decision comes as chances are high of the virus spreading from infected persons. Father Abraham Kavilpurayidathil, chancellor of Thamarassery said the diocese had voluntarily taken the decision to extend support to the preventive measures taken by the Health Department. “The custom of serving communion in the hands was there earlier for hygiene reasons. It was brought back mainly to avoid the chances of misuse,” he told The Hindu.

Police in Mangaluru have arrested two persons for allegedly circulating “old and misleading videos” about church attacks.

The arrested are Sunil Veigas, 34, and P P Sachith, 23, residents of Chikkamagaluru, some 150 km northeast of Mangaluru in Karnataka State.

Police on June 1st said that they have booked a suo motu (on its own) case considering how fake news could create law and order problem in the region. The two were arrested on May 30 and produced before a court.

They are accused of circulating a series of old and mis-leading videos and images claiming that some churches in Mangaluru region were attacked by right-wingers hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party won seven out of eight constituencies in Dakshina Kannada and all the five in Udupi.

However, what they circulated were videos of church attacks in Mangaluru that had taken place in September 2008. The video was circulated on WhatsApp after Karnataka assembly election results.