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Rome gifts a basilica to Syro-Malabar faithful

The faithful of the Syro-Malabar rite now have a basilica for worship. The community coordinator, Fr Biju Muttathu-nnel, comments: “We are all celebrating, it is a great gift from the diocese and the Vatican.” An estimated 7 thousand faithful belonging to this rite live in the Italian capital and surrounding province: originating in Kerala (Southern […]

Indian Protestant bishop breaks away, declares free church

A bishop of the Protestant Church of North India (CNI) has broken away and declared his diocese autonomous following differences with the church’s national administrative body. Bishop Basil B. Baskey of Chotanagpur Diocese in Jharkhand State was asked to go on leave soon after he announced the rebellious move. The CNI synod, its top decision-making body, constituted a probe into […]

Church joins to oppose coal mine auction in Jharkhand

Church leaders and activists have joined political leaders in opposing the federal government’s decision to auction coal blocks for commercial mining in the eastern Indian State of Jharkhand, which they say will disturb biodiversity and cause displacement. Hearing the case on July 15, the Supreme Court asked the federal government’s opinion on Jharkhand State government […]

Telangana Christians want church inside state secretariat

A body representing prominent churches in the southern Indian State of Telangana has urged the state government to build a church along with a temple and a mosque in the new secretariat. The Federation of Telugu Churches, a body of churches in the state, also reminded their Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao about a regular […]

Vatican-China agreement: Catholics keep the faith in historic deal despite slow progress

This is the last in a three-part series examining the role of the Roman Catholic Church in China and how the difficult and complex relationship between the Vatican and Beijing has shifted and evolved since the Communist Party broke diplomatic ties in 1951. This instalment looks at how Catholics continue to be persecuted despite a […]

Lankan birth certificates to omit parents’ race, religion

Sri Lankan authorities on July 22 announced that birth certificates for new born children in future will not mention their parents’ race, religion or the marital status. Registrar General of the Registrar General’s Department, N.C. Vithanage told local media that all details pertaining to marriage, ethnic group and religion will be removed from the application […]

Low birth rate in South Korea could destroy the economy in 80 years

If current trends are not reversed, the South Korean popu-lation will be halved in 80 years. At the same time, the “Asian tiger” will see its GDP drop to 20th place, this according to a study by the prestigious medical journal Lancet. The birth rate is hot issue in the Asian country, beset by wage discrimination […]

China Orders Christians To Destroy Crosses, Jesus Images

In continuation with its religious repression, Chinese authorities have reportedly ordered Christians to renounce their faith and replace the crosses, images of Jesus in churches with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping or risk losing welfare benefits. According to a report published in Daily Mail, a concerted attempt is being made by the […]