Church groups in India on December 20 expressed joy after a court granted bail to a priest and three Catholics in judicial custody for nearly three months for allegedly violating an anti-conversion law.
The Allahabad High Court, the top court of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, granted bail to Father Babu Francis, the director of social work in Allahabad diocese and others on December 18.
“With God’s grace and your prayers Fr. Babu Francis has been granted bail. We received the bail order at 5:10 pm today. He will come out very soon along with others. Let’s thank God for His great gift for Christmas 2023,” said a message from Bishop Louis Mascarenhas of Allahabad addressed to his people.
The prelate urged the priests, nuns and Brothers in the diocese to offer a thanksgiving Mass on December 21.
While thanking his people for their “constant prayers and support during this difficult time,” the bishop pointed out that “their innocent suffering will not go in vain, it will strengthen the Church and faith to work for the Lord.”
Daily Archives: December 28, 2023
Pray for Manipur, conflict regions: Catholic bishops’ Christmas message
The head of the Catholic Church in India on Christmas eve called for prayers for war-torn regions of the world, including Manipur in the country.
“In the spirit of Christmas, I earnestly request your prayers for those in violence-affected and war-torn regions of our world, including the state of Manipur in our beloved country, and the conflict zones of Israel-Palestine war, and Ukraine,” says the Christmas message from Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.
Ethnic violence has raged in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur since May 3, rendering thousands homeless.
The prelate wants the “collective prayers” to become a beacon of hope and healing for those enduring the harsh realities of conflict.
“As we celebrate the joyous occasion of Christmas and welcome the dawn of the New Year, I, along with all the Catholic bishops in India, extend heartfelt greetings to each one of you. May this season be filled with the love, peace, and joy that the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ brings into our lives.”
Archbishop Thazhath prays for the coming year to “witness a transformation, where peace triumphs over discord, and compassion reigns over cruelty, fostering understanding and harmony in the troubled areas of Manipur and bringing solace to the people of Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine.”
The Indian Church leader wants those celebrating the festival to pause to reflect on Christmas’ true essence. “It is not merely about Santa Claus and Christmas trees adorned with glittering ornaments. Christmas is, above all, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, whose life embodies the principles of love, justice, and compassion.”
Manipur, Archbishop of Imphal: ‘At Christmas God unites us beyond any tribe, language or culture’
“We are approaching Christmas” and “traditionally we look forward to this great celebration”, but “this year several parishes in our archdiocese will not be able to carry out Christmas liturgies or gather families and loved ones as happened in the past due to ethnic violence.” For this reason the Church invites us to “refrain from grandiose festive celebrations”.
With these words the archbishop of Imphal, Msgr. Linus Neli, addresses the Christians of the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur in his Christmas letter. The clashes broke out in May and involved the main tribal groups in the region, the Kuki and the Meitei. Despite a decline in violence, the situation continues to remain tense.
“God adds joy to our hearts by gathering the human family around his Son regardless of race, tribe, language, culture, status, gender or community. We are all one in humanity”, underlined the archbishop.
But around the world there are different situations in which Christmas celebrations are interrupted due to violence: “The same difficulty prevails in many parts of the world due to wars and conflicts. Many suffer from stress and anxiety while staying in shelters for an extended period of time.”
India Christians welcome state election win by main Modi rival party
A senior Indian cardinal has welcomed a new state administration led by a party which represents the main rival to the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party, and which came to power in part on the basis on promises to respect minority rights.
Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad congratulated A. Revanth Reddy of the Congress Party, who led his coalition to victory in Telangana state in the south-central region of India on Nov. 30 and who recently took office as the state’s Chief Minister.
“Revanth Reddy’s ascension to this significant responsibility reflects the trust and confidence vested in his leadership capabilities by the people of our vibrant state,” said Poola, who also leads the Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council (TCBC).
“Revanth Reddy embarks on a new journey. We are optimistic that under his leadership, Telangana will continue to prosper and flourish, reaching new heights of development and inclusivity,” said Poola, the first cardinal from India’s traditionally marginalized Dalit community.
“The Archdiocese of Hyderabad and the TCBC are eager to collaborate and support Revanth Reddy’s vision for a harmonious, progressive and equitable Telangana state,” he said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to contributing to the welfare and upliftment of our communities, working hand in hand with the new government for the greater good of all citizens.”
Nation acknowledges Christians’ contribution: Prime Minister
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the nation “proudly acknowledges the contribution of the Christian Community.”
The prime minister said this while interacting with leaders of Christian community on the occasion of Christmas on December 25 at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi, the official residence of the Prime Minister of India.
The prime minister praised Christian contributions to the freedom movement and highlighted the various intellectual thinkers and leaders. He underlined that Gandhiji himself had said that the Non-Cooperation Movement was conceived under the patronage of Sushil Kumar Rudra, principal of St. Stephen’s College.
Modi, who is completing 10 years as the Indian prime minister, highlighted the crucial role played by the Christian community in giving direction to society and mentioned active participation in social service towards the poor and the deprived.
He also noted their contributions in important areas of education and healthcare.
Wishing everyone, especially people of the Christian community a Merry Christmas, the prime minister thanked everyone present for joining him on this very special and sacred occasion. He expressed delight in accepting the Indian Minority Foundation’s proposal to celebrate Christmas together and thanked them for the initiative, says a press release from the Press Information Bureau of the government of India.
Throwing light on his relations with the Christian community for a long time, the prime minister recalled holding frequent meetings with the Christian community and their leaders when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. He also recalled his interaction with Pope Francis Pope on October 30, 2021, as a memorable moment.
He said the two leaders discussed issues such as social harmony, global brotherhood, climate change and inclusive development to make earth a better place.
Noting that Christmas is not just the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but also to remember his life, message and values, the 73-year-old Indian leader underlined the values of compassion and service that Jesus lived by.
He said Jesus worked to create an inclusive society where justice prevails for all and it is these values that are illuminating the way like a guiding light in the development journey of India.
Iran: Jailed Christians denied Christmas
In Iran, Christmas for some Christians is a dark cell, in one of the country’s most notorious prisons, held without charges, aware that they were locked away only for their faith with no prospect for indictment that would enable them to defend themselves, deprived of rights even more than their liberty.
This is the case of an Armenian man, one of a hundred Christians arrested last summer and held in Evin prison, north of Tehran, who, after four months, is still unaware of his fate, with the only certainty of spending the holiday away from his family.
The story of 35-year-old Hakop Gochumyan is relayed by Article18, an advocacy group seeking to protect and promote religious freedom in Iran and on behalf of its persecuted Christians.
The Armenian national was visiting Iran with his wife Elissa, who has dual Armenian-Iranian citizenship, and their two children. On 15 August, the two adults were arrested in Pardis, on the outskirts of Tehran.
According to some witnesses, the couple, with their children aged seven and 10, were at a friend’s house for lunch when a dozen plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Intelligence burst in and took them away.
Christmas of fear in Nepal due to growing anti-Christian hatred
Christians in Nepal have been advised to be on high alert during the Christmas period following a number of incidents of anti-Christian violence that have occurred in the country in recent months at the hands of Hindu extremist groups.
“There is a sense of fear and insecurity rippling through the Christian community amid Christmas celebrations. We feel exposed to hostility for being Christian,” said Father Lalit Tudu, parish priest at Assumption Cathedral in the capital Kathmandu, the country’s largest church. “The right to practise our faith peacefully is threatened to some extent,” he lamented.
The 12 parishes that come under the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal have been asked to take additional security measures over Christmas. “Local administrations and security agencies are supportive of providing extra security” for Christmas services, the clergyman explained.
According to the 2023 national census, Christians number 513,000 or less than 2 % of the country’s population.
It’s ‘Bong Natal’ in Malaysia’s tiny Portuguese settlement
Come Christmas a tiny settlement on the Malacca coast turns into a wonderland. Thousands of visitors arrive in the evenings to look at the brightly lit streets and decorated homes in a Portuguese settlement, a 15-minute drive from the capital city of the coastal state in south-western Malaysia.
Curtains of colourful, fairy lights flow along the rooftops and the walls of houses and stream down to driveways and lawns. The trees are decked with baubles, candy canes, and other ornaments.
Almost every house has a large nativity set adorned with glittering lights placed on the front porch for all to see, appreciate, and reflect.
Children in Santa suits run around happily and old folks sit and chat, while the womenfolk get busy in the kitchen making jam tarts, sugee cake, cookies, and other festive delicacies. The carollers go from house to house in the seven narrow streets of the settlement.
Rebels take another city, Church alive ‘even in suffering’, says Loikaw bishop
Last week the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) captured Namhsan, a city in the northern Shan State.
The TNLA is one of three ethnic militias that form the Three Brotherhood Alliance that launched an offensive against Myanmar’s military junta at the end of October.
According to the militias, at least 650 regular soldiers surrendered, potentially changing the direction of Myanmar’s civil war, which began with the military coup of 1 February 2021.
TNLA fighters are “walking the revolutionary path,” said the group’s spokesman, Tar Aik Kyaw. “The main objective is to take down the military dictatorship, which is what Myanmar people [have] always want[ed],” he added.
The offensive, called Operation 1027 from the date of its start, October 27, is still ongoing despite strikes by the junta’s air force.
Sources told AsiaNews that the fighting has now reached all segments of the population, affecting places of worship as well, Christian and non-Christian alike.
At least 660,000 people have been displaced since the operation began, this according to United Nations data.
Jaranwala, a Christmas fair to restore hope for victims
Only 4 months ago in Jaranwala in Pakistan more than 900 Christian families were forced to flee and hide in the fields with women, elderly people and children to save their lives from the fury and burning of Islamic fundamentalists.
The toll was hundreds of Christian homes burned and 21 churches attacked, of which 3 belonging to the Catholic community. The rebirth of this wounded Christian community comes from Advent: it is in this period that the Cecil&Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF) organized a Christmas Fair to restore dignity, hope and trust to the Christians of Jaranwala, victims of the events that occurred on 16 August. This is also why the event kicked off on December 16th. The Christian community has rallied around this ordeal and has risen with the aim of celebrating the birth of Jesus together.
The inauguration of the fair was attended by several representatives of the local administration, social and religious leaders, including Father Khalid Mukhtar, Catholic priest of the diocese of Faisalabad in Punjab, the Rev. Aleem Anwer bishop of the Anglican Church of the Diocese of Faisalabad, Major Arshad Nizam, division commander of the Salvation Army Church and Mrs. Michelle Chaudhry, president of the CICF.