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New Syriac Catholic bishop hopes Christianity will thrive again in Iraq

Syriac Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Nizar Semaan begins his new mission in Iraq with hope “that Christianity will flourish again” in his homeland. Semaan chose the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, his birthplace, as the site of his episcopal ordination on June 7. Still scarred from the Islamic State group and not yet […]

Toronto Raptors’ player took a shot at priesthood training

When Pascal Siakam was in his young teens attending a minor seminary in Cameroon – and mostly playing soccer in his free time – he likely never imagined he’d be playing in the NBA Finals. Studying for the priest-hood, it turned out, was more of his father’s idea, and not a personal calling. Now-25-year-old forward […]

Indian minister compares religious conversion to ‘sex for favours’

Christian Leaders in India have deplored a newly appointed federal minister’s description of religious conversion as “the exchange of sex for favours.” Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Pratap Chandra Sarangi made the comment in an interview with English news portal The Print on June 3. “Suppose somebody helped a girl in a medical or […]

Indian prelate reflects on Pope’s Romania visit

Pope Francis arrived in Romania on May 31 for a three-day, cross-country pilgrimage. The visit took place 20 years after St John Paul II made the first-ever papal visit to a majority Orthodox country, which is on the Catholic and European periphery. On this occasion, Arch-bishop Felix Machado of Vasai recalls his visit to Romania […]

Bomb threat to retired priests’ home in Manipur

In what could be termed as yet another threat to the Catholic Church in Manipur, a hand grenade was found placed at the gate of retired Priests’ Home in Imphal, Manipur, on June 6 morning. According to sources, when the driver went to open the gate on June 6 morning at around 6:20, a hand […]

Andhra Church welcomes Reddy’s promise of clean government

The Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches has welcomed a clean government promised by the southern Indian state’s new chief minister. “We are well pleased of your promise that your government would be revolutionary and would stand as an example and model to the country within a year,” the federation said in a letter addressed to […]

Modi’s reelection: A turning point in India’s political history

India’s 2019 general elections could have redirected the country’s politics from the trajectory it had been hurtling on for the past five years. There had been some wishful thinking that if the electorate replaced the ruling pro-Hindu party, the country’s strength — its plurality — would have been protected. But the election’s outcome was different. […]

Religion blamed for India’s poor gender equality grade

A global study of gender equality has placed India nearly at the bottom, with some research and rights groups accusing religion of playing a major role in Indians discriminating against women. The Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index ranked India 95th out of 129 countries. The index measures how well nations are progressing toward achieving gender […]