Daily Archives: October 27, 2018

From The States

CONVENT SCHOOLS PRODUCE PARROTS, SAYS KARNATAKA MINISTER

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The association of private schools in Karnataka has demanded the resignation of the southern Indian state’s primary education minister for his “irresponsible statements.” Nanjaiah Mahesh, the minister, on September 29 compared private school teachers to nuns and said students from such schools are like parrots who just

repeat what is taught in class. “Private school teachers are like Christian nuns, who look serious and stand straight,” the 62-year-old minister said, pointing out how there is “absolute silence in private schools with discipline instilled by such nuns.”

From The States

Nun’s rape: Indian bishops agonize over media attacks

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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India has expressed anguish over “constant” media attacks on the Church imply-ing that it was trying to cover up a sexual abuse case against a prelate.

“This accusation does not correspond to the truth. Church authorities have studied and continue to examine this serious and complex matter,” says a September 30 press statement from conference president Cardinal Oswald Gracias. The cardinal issued the note two days after the conference’s Stand-ing Committee met at Bengaluru to address recent happenings in the Indian Church.

From The States

Court acquits pastor, 11 others accused of violence

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A district court in Madhya Pradesh October 10 acquitted a Christian pastor and 11 others three years after they were booked on charges of attacking a group of Hindus. The Mande-lshwar District and Sessions Court of Madhya Pradesh having heard the witnesses found that it was Pastor Damar Singh and others who had been beaten up. Judge Sangeeta Dawar Maurya acquitted all 12 of all charges.

A mob of suspected hard-line Hindu activists attacked the pastor’s prayer service on Good Friday of 2015.

Later, the Pastor and 11 others were booked, reportedly under pressure from the mob, for stone pelting, abusing, beating up and for making life threatening calls.

Allied lawyers of ADF India, a human rights organization, approached the court to secure freedom of religion and belief guaranteed under the constitution.

The acquittal “strengthens our faith in the Judiciary even though it has taken over 3 years for the pastor to get justice,” said Tehmina Arora, Supreme Court lawyer and director of ADF-India (the Alliance Defending Freedom).

“Imagine the plight of these 12 who went through this ordeal for no fault of theirs,” she commented.

 

From The States

Goa Church rubbishes media report about their involvement in electoral politics

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The Goa Church has taken State’s Oldest English Newspaper Herald head-on for their news accusing Archbishop of playing role in selection of candidates for Legislative Assembly elections by terming the report as “blatantly false allegations.” Herald Review had carried the article “GOA’S BJP: the hand rocked their cradle ruined their world’ in which they had claimed that Archbishop had hand in deciding electoral politics in the State.

“Such a wild and baseless accusation could come only from elements whose main interest seems to be to mislead, induce suspicion and vitiate the communal harmony existing in the State,” Fr Olavo Caiado, the Church spokesman said.

“We would sincerely welcome any factual evidence about any such consultations having ever taken place in post-Liberation Goa to decide on Catholic candidates for any political party at the time of elections,” he said.

“At such time, it has been a long standing practice in this Archdiocese to issue an Advisory to the Catholic faithful, urging them, first and foremost, not to refrain from exercising their franchise and to do it with responsibility and according to one’s own conscience, but never even naming any political party or candidate,” he said.

 

National

Women theologians rally behind “nun who dared to complain”

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  The Indian Women Theologians Forum (IWTF) has expressed solidarity with a nun who dared to complain against a bishop who allegedly had abused sexually for over a period of two years.

“We are pained that her appeals for justice in the Church were met with silence,” the forum said in a press release on October 1. It justified the nun’s move to complain to the police, saying she was “left with no option but to go to the civil authorities to seek justice.”

The forum said it was “appalled” at the way many within the Church heaped condemnation and contempt on her.

“Church leadership has failed to understand the impact sexual abuse has on a victim – the trauma that a victim had to undergo to process the abuse from someone who is a spiritual leader who takes the place of God in her life,” explains the press release signed by forum secretary Virginia Saldanha and members Kochurani Abraham and Sister Manju Kulapuram. The women theologians say they stand by the nun because the two years of sexual abuse have affected her mentally and spiritually.

Asian

Vietnam deal points way for China-Vatican progress

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In 2002 Pope St John Paul made the appointment that would underpin the Catholic Church’s efforts to begin repairing relations with Asia’s two main communist states, China and Vietnam, when he named Msgr. Pietro Parolin as undersecretary of state for relations with states in the Secretariat of State.

Improving relations with officially atheist communist states had been a key focus for the Polish Pope who continued the Vatican’s long-held policy of Ostpolitik towards these countries.

That policy was basically keeping dialogue open between the Vatican and communist-ruled countries despite their general repression of all religions. The idea was to win small gains and work towards eventually normalizing relations. Vietnam and especially China posed new problems for the Vatican, which was keen to normalize its relations with former French colonies Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos as well as China, which ended just nine years of diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1951, two years after the communists won power. The Vatican, had, of course, been keen to recognize bishops of the newly independent countries of Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam.

 

International

Russian Orthodox Church confirms readiness for dialogue with Constantinople

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A Russian Orthodox Church representative has confirmed its readiness for dialogue with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the relations with which have soured over its plans to grant an autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church.

Despite all the decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the door to dialogue remains open, and the Moscow Patriarchate hopes that at some point the situation would be turned around, Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for Church, Society and Media Relations, told State Duma members on October 9

The Russian Orthodox Church is watching the Constantinople synod and hopes Christian conscience will prevail there, he said.

“The Synod in Constantinople is beginning work today. We don’t know what will happen, we hope that we will finally see the triumph of common sense and Christian conscience there. We are hoping for that, and we shall see how events evolve,” Legoyda said.

International

North Korea’s Kim invites Pope Francis to visit Pyongyang, Seoul says

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited Pope Francis to visit Pyongyang, a spokesman for South Korea’s presidential Blue House said on October 9.  “Chairman Kim said he will ‘ardently welcome the Pope if he visits Pyongyang,’” spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said according to a readout of the news briefing. The spokesman was announcing details about South Korean President Moon Jaein’s planned visit to Europe, which includes a stop at the Vatican on Oct. 17 and 18. Moon was expected to deliver the message from the North Korean leader when he meets with the Pope. At their meeting, Moon will seek Francis’ support for the on-going push for peace on the Korean Peninsula and discuss future ways to cooperate with the Vatican, the Blue House spokesman added. Francis has in recent months expressed his backing for continued inter-Korean engagement, even meeting with representatives from both Koreas in June.