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Indian Church decries anti-national tag on tribal Christians

An official of the Indian bishops’ conference has questioned a Hindu leader’s claim that former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee supported converting tribal Christians to Hinduism to save them from becoming anti-nationals. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called the claim “fabricated” on Jan. 17, two days after the media published the statements of Mohan Bhagwat, […]

Growing violence ‘threatens’ Christian existence in India

Indian Christians face an existential threat if the government fails to act immediately to stop the spiralling incidents of hate crimes, says an ecumenical Christian group. Incidents of anti-Christian violence rose steeply from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024, revealed the latest report released by the United Christian Forum (UCF) on Jan. 24. “If […]

Cardinal Koovakad is now head of Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue

The Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church has lauded the Vatican for appointing Cardi-nal George J. Koovakad as the new prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The Jan. 24 appointment of Koovakad is “a matter of great pride for his mother Church and the Indian Church,” said Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil. Koovakad becomes […]

Papal advisor cardinal Oswald Gracias retires as Bombay archbishop

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Oswald Gracias as the Archbishop of Bombay on Jan 25 and elevated Coadjutor Bishop John Rodrigues as his successor in India’s largest diocese. Although retired from the archbishop’s office, Gracias continues serving on the Council of Cardinal Advisers. Gracias joined the Council of Cardinal Advisers in 2013 when […]

Philippine bishops approve three new national shrines

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has designated three churches as national shrines, says a report. The Mary Queen of Peace Shrine, popularly known as the EDSA Shrine, the Our Lady of Loreto Shrine, both in the Manila Archdio-cese, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Aranzazu, from the Diocese of Antipolo, were […]

New Chinese bishop ordained under Vatican-China agreement

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis has erected a new diocese in China and appointed Father Anthony Ji Weizhong as its first bishop. The pope decided last October to suppress the Diocese of Fenyang in mainland China, which was originally erected in 1946 by Pope Pius XII, and at the same time erect the new […]

Patriarch Pizzaballa urges Christians to make pilgrimages to Holy Land

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, invites Christians to return to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, saying their presence makes residents feel part of the universal Church. “This ceasefire is a turning point that has been marked in the life of the Holy Land.” Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa offered that assessment in a video […]

Indonesian archbishop rejects government energy plans in majority Catholic island of Flores

Indonesian Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, has spoken out against government-backed geothermal projects in Flores, the country’s most Catholic island located in East Nusa Tenggara. According to UCA News, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry designated Flores a “geothermal spot” in 2017, identifying 16 project sites on the island in spite of strong opposition from […]