A member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults has urged the Catholic bishops in India to make child protection policy mandatory in all institutions under their care.

Sister Arina Gonsalves of the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary also wants the prelates to set up a system to make all diocesan priests and the religious in the country comply with the policy.

“The importance of human formation for the seminarians and candidates for the religious life in the formation houses must be given to prevent pornography in presbytery, seminary and religious houses,” said the Indian nun who joined the Vatican commission two years ago.

Sister Gonsalves, who addressed the 34th plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on February 17, narrated some case studies that would bear the long-term effects on sexual abuse victims. She listed them as emotional and behavioural problems, abnormal sexual behaviour, psychiatric disorders, suicide tendency, drug abuse and traumatic stress disorder.

Card. Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, on February 17 reelected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India for a second term. The election took place on the fifth day of the conferences’ 34 plenary assembly at St John’s Medical College in Bengaluru, capital of Karnataka. The 75-year-old cardinal is among the six advisers of Pope Francis. The Pope had extended Cardinal Gracias’ term as the Bombay archbishop last December. The Indian prelate had submitted his resignation in November as he was about to cross 75, the mandatory year of retirement.

Actor Sonam Kapoor jumped headlong into a controversial debate by calling Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on divorce “regressive” in a tweet on Feb. 17. “Which sane man speaks like this? Regressive foolish statements,” Sonam Kapoor tweeted, responding sharply to the news report on the RSS chief’s comments.

The Catholic Church in India has mourned the death of Msgr Hilary Rodrigues, a pioneer of Interreligious dialogue in India and close friend of Saint Teresa of Kolkata. He was 93. The monsignor died on Feb. 20 from old age ailments at the Clergy Home, Bandra, Mumbai suburb, where he resting after a surgery a year ago.

Retired Bishop Valerian D’Souza of Poona, who was known as the singing prelate of India, died on Feb 25. He was 86. The funeral was held at 11:30 am on February 27 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Pune. Bishop D’Souza was born in Pune on October 3, 1933. He completed his Bachelor of Science course in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics before commencing his studies for priesthood.