The Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church in India has conditionally allowed Catholic couples to have civil marriage before solemnizing it in the Church.
“This is not for everyone. It is meant for those who live abroad or who want to move abroad with their prospective life partner,” said Father Abraham Kavilpurayidathil, the Church’s chancellor told on Oct. 20.
Catholics, “who for serious reasons such as obtaining a family visa to foreign countries find it necessary to register their marriages under relevant civil law” before sacramental marriage can apply seeking permission for such registration, said a decree issued by Cardinal Geroge Alencherry, the major archbishop and head of the Church.
Indian laws allow a couple to move abroad as husband and wife only if their marriage is registered with the civil authorities. Couples who get married in the Church later register with civil authorities to start the process of moving abroad.
Daily Archives: October 26, 2023
Telangana Christians demand legislative seats, scholarships from political parties
Separate parliamentary and legislative seats, land for cemeteries and scholarships are among 20 demands Christian groups in Telangana have put forward to political parties in the southern Indian state.
The Telangana State Federation of Churches, Telangana Council of Churches and Synod of Telangana, representing the entire Christian community in the state, had met in the state capital of Hyderabad early October and decided to ask the parties to include their demands in their manifestos as the state gets ready for the November 30 assembly elections.
The demands are important enough to be added in the manifestos of political parties, said Montfort Brother Varghese Theckanath, who was in a delegation that met Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal in New Delhi on October 12 to hand over the Telangana Christians declarations for political parties.
“We are presenting this to all political leaders,” the brother told Matters India October 14.
Father Raju Alex, deputy secretary of Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council, told the Deccan Chronicle daily that the Christian community has always lacked the government’s encouragement and support. “The Christian community has a good chunk of voters in Telangana. We will support the parties which stand for us,” he added.
Christians in Telangana want parties to promise to pass legislation for the sub plan for their minority community. The plan should not be allocated in proportion to the population, but cover education, healthcare, employment, skill development, welfare schemes and burial.
The demands include allotting 5 percent of the weaker section’s housing to eligible Christians, and providing them 600,000 rupees as housing subsidies for those who own plots.
Blessed Rani Maria: Movie on nun martyr
Blessed Rani Maria stands out for many other reasons as well. She is on the road to sainthood today, which makes her life all the more endearing, memorable, and inspiring. She was born on January 29, 1954, nine months after I was born. She was given the baptismal name Mariam, after Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus.
She chose to be a nun of her own volition. Her family would have been happier if she had studied, managed to get a job, got married, and had children and grandchildren. She wanted to be a nun and follow in the footsteps of Saint Teresa of Kolkata, who wanted every nun to ‘be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.’
Blessed Maria wanted to work in His vineyard, and that is how she reached Uttar Pradesh, where she earned a name as a passionate missionary who would run when she was asked to walk. Her real life started when she reached the diocese of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, and she got involved in the people’s lives. She knew that there is no greater service than giving oneself to His cause.
The world was virtually taken by surprise when in 1985, Pope John Paul II visited the prison to meet Mehmet Ali Agca, who had tried to assassinate him two years earlier. He was not as close to his victim as Godse in Delhi was. He could only injure and not kill the Pope.
It was the first time in the history of the church that a Pope went to the prison, shook hands with his would-be assassin, pardoned him, and prayed for him.
Vatican approves beatification process for 35 Kandhamal martyrs
The Vatican has given a go-ahead to start the beatification process for 35 people who were martyred for their faith during the 2008 anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal in eastern India.
A message from Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli to Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar says the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has granted “no objection” to initiate the process of beatification for the Servant of God Kanteeswar Digal and companions, “martyrs of Kandhamal.”
The letter shared with the media on October 15 was dated October 18.
It says the nuncio is pleased to forward to the archbishop an October 2 letter from the dicastery.
The dicastery was responding to Archbishop Barwa’s May 31 letter requesting the Vatican to consider beatification for the 35.
Archbishop Barwa’s proposal was approved and recommended to the Vatican by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India during its plenary assembly held January 24-30 at Bengaluru.
Rajendra Digal, son of the Servant of God, thanked the Vatican for the permission to start the process of sainthood of his father and others. “It is a proud moment for me that my father died for the faith in Christ. He is the true witness to the whole world of firm faith in God,” he told Matters India. The 35 martyrs are 24 men and 11 women. They are:
Christian group files complaint against Indian godman
A Christian organization in a northern Indian state has filed a police complaint against a Hindu godman, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments by making baseless statements on religious conversion. Jatinder Gaurav of the Global Christian Action Committee said they complained against Dhirendra Krishna Shastri to the police in Amritsar, the holy city for Sikh people in Punjab state, on Oct. 23.
Gaurav alleged Shastri targeted the Christian community and used a derogatory word for them. He demanded that the police register a case and take legal action against the godman.Bottom of Form
Shastri, the head priest of Bageshwar Dham, a pilgrimage site in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, is considered a rabble-rouser.
On a three-day visit to Punjab, he said Hindus were being lured to convert but the “evil forces” would not be allowed to do it.
Christian groups took offense to a particular word he used for them and sought an apology.
Shastri refused and said: “I have come to know that some people have a problem with my visit. They are objecting to why I used the word… I used it… If you have any problem, stop offending innocent Hindus. We will not offend you.”
The godman then appealed to the Punjab government to make an anti-conversion law in the state “because innocent people are being exploited.”
“Foreign powers should not be allowed to enter Hindu temples and Sikh gurudwaras. They should not be allowed to sway people away from any religion,” he added.
Gaurav said the godman is trying to disrupt the peace in Punjab by targeting the Christian community wherever he goes.
“The police assured us that appropriate legal action would be taken on our complaint. We will intensify our protest if no action is taken,” he added.
Father Mathew Kokkandam, the vicar general of Jalandhar diocese, said there is no truth in Shastri’s claims on religious conversions.
Screening in Rome of documentary about Jimmy Lai, jailed for more than a thousand days
“If you’re a bird, you’d rather die singing than living a silent life,” is a Chinese saying and starts off The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s extraordinary struggle for freedom, a documentary produced in 2022 by the Acton Institute whose premiere in Italy was held yesterday afternoon at the Institut Français Centre Saint-Louis in Rome.
The film tells the story of the 75-year-old Hong Kong businessman and activist, jailed for more than a thousand days because of the pro-democracy ideas he spread through the Apple Daily, the widely read independent newspaper he founded, forced to shut down by the authorities in 2021, following the promulgation of the mainland’s national security law.
Under the influence of his wife Teresa, he converted to Catholicism in 1997 and was baptised by Card Joseph Zen. During his life, he has put the fight for freedom ahead of everything else.
Danial, the Pakistani tailor who went from being destitute to becoming a ‘Good Samaritan’
Danial Masih, 46, is a tailor in the city of Faisalabad, Punjab. The father of three daughters and two sons, he has nine relatives who depend on him.
Danial had a dream, making school uniforms for local Christian and public schools. However, for a long time, this project was out of his reach because he did not have the necessary financial means.
In the meantime, orders came in from more than a dozen schools in his area, a testament to his tailoring skills and the quality of his work.
Schools relied on him to make uniforms that were not only beautiful but also durable and comfortable for students. But without money to buy the material, he could fulfil all these orders.
That’s when Danial heard about the Good Samaritan Resource Center (GSRC), an organisation committed to helping people who don’t have the means to start their own business. After hearing his story, true to its mission to help people achieve their aspirations, the GSRC decided to help Danial make his dream come true by providing him with the materials and fabric he needed to meet his orders.
A GSRC representative, Rehan Farooq, helped Danial develop his business, from selecting the right materials to buying the fabric needed to make the uniforms.
Isaac Bazal, Nayyer Sarfraz and Kiran Eric, Pakistanis who emigrated to the United States, have supported more than 60 families in Pakistan through their centre.
“I truly believe that the staff of the organisation is working for the poor by the will of Jesus,” Danial told AsiaNews. ”As far as I know, they have never refused support to people in need and have supported them just like the Good Samaritan in the Gospel.
Rare bail is granted to Pakistani Christian blasphemy duo
A rights group has hailed a Pakistani court’s granting of bail to a Christian couple accused of blasphemy for allegedly defiling the Quran and called for changes to the Muslim-majority nation’s blasphemy laws.
In a press statement on Oct. 19, Nasir Saeed, director of the UK-based Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) called the judgment a break from the usual “norm” of Pakistan’s judicial system.
“This landmark judgment breaks from the norm, where trial courts often refuse bail, burdening accused individuals with lengthy legal battles that can extend all the way to the Supreme Court,”
He also praised the “courageous decision” of Additional Sessions Court judge, Mian Shahid Javed, for deciding the case “based on merit.”
Judge Javed granted bail to Kiran Bibi and Shaukat on Oct. 18 citing a lack of evidence of “willful damage or defilement of the original text of the Holy Quran” under Section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Violations of Section 295-B can result in severe penalties, including life imprisonment, for those found guilty of deliberately defiling, damaging, desecrating, or using a copy of the Holy Quran or its extracts in a derogatory manner or for unlawful purposes.
“The court observed several gaps in the detailed report”
The couple was accused of “defiling… [the] a copy of the Holy Quran,” as per the case filed by Muhammad Tamoor who claimed to have witnessed pages flying off the couple’s house on Sept. 8.
Gaza, Mother Teresa’s nuns under bombardment: ‘Where will these people go?
“In our convent we also felt the effects of the explosion at the al Ahli hospital, we are close to the affected area. The people we host are afraid that it could happen to us too,” recount the Missionaries of Charity, the nuns of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, present in Gaza for 50 years. They share their plight with AsiaNews through our contact with Fr. Francis Xavier, Franciscan, Indian Commissioner of the Holy Land.
“I celebrate the morning Mass at the Holy Sepulchre and the nuns of Mother Teresa also participate,” he says. ”In their convent in Jerusalem, there are two Indian nuns, one European and one local. Yesterday, after this celebration, in the Old City, I came to me and asked for help, telling us how extremely serious the situation in Gaza is.”
“We are not worried about ourselves – they told Fr. Francis Xavier – but for disabled children and elderly people bedridden with bedsores. And also for the 600 people who took refuge in our convent after losing their homes in recent days due to the bombings. Where will they go now?”
“Even if my body is in Jerusalem – concludes the Indian Commissioner of the Holy Land – my heart and my mind are in Gaza. May the Prince of Peace give peace to this Earth.”
Mother Teresa’s nuns have been present in Gaza since February 1973. A presence marked from the beginning by sharing the suffering of this tormented land.
Pakistani Senate body seeks end of ‘unjust’ blasphemy cases
A parliamentary body in Pakistan has sought clarifications on cases under the country’s blasphemy laws in its attempts to end ‘unjust’ detentions and to develop standard procedures to address the suffering of religious minorities.
A total of 179 Pakistani citizens are currently in detention, awaiting trial for blasphemy, according to the Standing Committee on Human Rights of the Pakistani Senate, the upper house of the parliament, Vatican’s Fides news agency reported Oct. 19.
The committee also noted that 17 people have been convicted of blasphemy and are awaiting a second trial.
It referred to recent data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which described the statistics as “heart-breaking.”
The NHRC data were released following anti-Christian mob violence in Jaranwala of Punjab province which left 22 churches and some 91 houses of Christians destroyed in August over alleged desecration of the Quran by two Christians.
Senator Walid Iqbal, chairman of the senate standing committee, sought clarification on blasphemy cases and called for the formation of a national coordination committee within the human rights ministry to develop standard operating procedures to address issues that cause suffering and unjust “collective punishment” to minority communities, the report said.
Iqbal said he was concerned about “the misuse of blasphemy laws as a means to resolve personal issues.”