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Squads ensure Christian burial for Kerala pandemic victims

As fear and confusion persist about burying Covid-19 victims in some parts of India, the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church has formed squads to give a dignified burial to people dying from the pandemic. As Covid-19 began to claim lives in the southern Indian state, several burials led to disputes as ill-informed villagers opposed burials, fearing the […]

Church officials wary about India’s new education policy

The Indian government has released an ambitious education policy aiming to transform the country’s learning system to match global standards, gene-rating mixed reactions from church officials. The federal cabinet approved the National Education Policy 2020 on July 29, replacing a 34-year policy. The policy was in the making for more than six years and the […]

Indian diocese holds cremations in Catholic cemeteries

A funeral pyre in a Catholic cemetery is usually unimaginable in India, where Christians prefer burial to dispose of the bodies of their community members. Contrary to this belief and centuries-old practice, a Catholic diocese in southern India has decided to cremate Covid-19 victims in parish cemeteries, indirectly adopting a Hindu way of disposing of […]

Anti-Christian violence on the rise in India

Two women were raped and killed among six Christians murdered for their faith in India in the first half of this year, according to a newly released report. Three others — two Christian women and a 10-year-old girl — were raped for their refusal to give up their new faith, said the half-yearly report released […]

Dismay at removal of religious figures from Karnataka syllabus

Church and political leaders in India’s southern State of Karnataka have expressed dismay over the state removing chapters on Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad from the school syllabus. The state run by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also removed chapters on prominent leaders like Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali who once ruled […]

Northern Indian bishops to launch migrant resource centres

Catholic dioceses in northern India plan to set up centres to help migrant labourers. This was decided on August 7 during a virtual meeting organized by the Commission for Migrants under the Regional Bishops’ Council of the North (RBCN) in collaboration with its counterpart under the Conference of Catholic Bishops’ of India (CCBI). The diocesan […]

Funeral regulations aim to split Chinese Catholics

The Diocese of Shanghai on July 27 issued a circular saying that Catholic priests who officiate funeral prayers at the city’s Longhua Funeral Parlour should produce their identity cards to prove they are state-recognized priests. Across the globe, a Catholic priest’s approval comes from the Church and its Sacrament of Holy Orders. But in China […]

Sino-Vatican deal two years later: Priest calls on Holy Father ‘not to renew the Agreement’

“I call on the Holy Father not to renew the Agreement with China, because this could thre-aten the survival of the Church in China, driving us onto the path of despair,” writes Benedict, an underground Catholic in northern China. He and Fr John, a priest in northern China, have added their voices to AsiaNews‘s investigation […]