This could be the first such incident when the Maghrib (evening) prayer was recited from a church and hundreds of Muslims offered Namaz in a church compound. It happened in Kothamangalam, in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on December 28.

It was a massive rally organized by the All India Professional Congress, against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The rally from Muvattupuzha to Kothamangalam also saw the participation of leaders from various political parties.

By the time the march reached Kothamangalam, it was time for the Maghrib prayers. And, without any hesitation, the authorities at the St Thomas Church, Kothamangalam (Mar Thoma Cheriapally) opened its campus and welcomed the Muslims to offer their prayers there.

The priest of Marthoma Cheriapally offered water to perform Wudhu (the ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer) to IUML leader Sayyid Munavvar Ali Thangal who was part of the march.

“It was such nice gesture to see the priests and Christian devotees welcome us there,” Munavvar Ali wrote on Facebook.

Sharing the video of Muslims offering prayers at the church Munavvar Ali further wrote: “This is a reflection of the desire of lakhs of people who want to see our country remain how it is now.”

“Friends, let love be our weapon and unity our shield. We cannot let them destroy this country. We will overcome this,” he said in the Facebook post.

Spiritual leaders from six religions, including Cardinal George Alencherry, attended the 12th World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality in Kolkata. Karan Singh, noted scholar, philosopher and politician, delivered the key-note address on the opening day on December 28.

“We live in an age of turmoil,” Singh noted in his speech. According to him, despite technical advancement humanity is lost between a ‘vanishing past’ and an ‘indeterminate future.’

“Climate change and global warming have caused millions of ecological refugees; terrorism has become international, posing global challenges. We all must get our spiritual side together and introspect,” Singh added.

“Faith cannot tie down the illimitable splendor of the divine to one path. To relieve sufferings, gender equality, promoting positive values through education, cherishing our natural environment and nurturing earth and honoring mother nature and enhancing the quality of human consciousness and achieving some-thing higher, should be the goals the goals of the inter-faith movement. We can no longer be different on the basis of religion and the time has come for us to awake, arise and walk boldly towards a confluence or sangam of religion,” he said.

Jesus was born with questionable identities of citizen-ship, place of origin and even parenthood, points out Father George Pattery, the head of more than 4,000 Jesuits in In-dia, where a recent amendment to the citizenship law has provoked countrywide uproar.

“In fact (Jesus) was born in a makeshift manger while his ‘parents’ were struggling to get themselves registered according to the newly introduced and unquestioned Citizenship Amendment Act of Augustus Caesar,” notes Father George Pattery, provincial of South Asia Jesuits, in a Christmas message on December 20 as the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) entered the fifth day.

Reports of violence continue to trickle in from various parts of the country, despite a government advisory asking private satellite television channels to not air content likely to instigate violence or affect the national integrity. The protests erupted after a police crackdown on demonstrators in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15.

More than 500 Christians from various denominations took part in a vehicle convoy that stretch-ed ten kilometres in the Hindu heartland of Bhopal on Dec. 15 to share the Christmas message of peace and harmony. Abp Leo Cornelio of Bhopal, based in the capital of Madhya Pradesh state in central India, took part in the rally and urged people across the country to become a bridge between God and nature in a joint quest for harmonious coexistence.

The procession began on the grounds of the Jesuit-run Campion School and passed through significant locations in the city during the three-hour rally, which ended at the Church-run St Joseph School.

The convoy containing 58 vehicles decorated with balloons and stars created quite a stir among passers-by, shop owners, and apartment dwellers on the route.

Carol singing was among its major attractions- 20 vehicles carried tableaux depicting events related to Christmas, including the Annunciation, the Three Kings, Nativity, Santa Clause, and a Christmas tree.

The Archdiocese of Calcutta has honoured the Loreto congregation for planting nearly 140,000 trees and adopting solar power for all their educational institutions.

Sister Sabrina Edwards, provincial of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Loreto Sisters, on December 14 received the award for her congregation’s green efforts at the All Faith Climate Conference held at Seva Kendra, the archdiocese’s social service wing. The conference on “Caring for Our Family: An Inter-and Intra-Religion Task” was attended by representatives of all major religions in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state.

Abp Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta and Seva Kendra director Fr Franklin Menezes hosted the meet Sister Edwards recalled that the national meeting of her congregation’s Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation of Loreto schools decided in September 2016 to take up environmental issues in a serious way in India.

For this, the meet made two commitments “to spearhead climate change: one was to plant 100,000 trees by 2020 and second to make the Loreto network of schools across India carbon neutral,” Sister Edwards told Matters India on December 16.

Asian Bishops conference has appointed Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao Diocese, Arunachal Pradesh, to lead the Office of Evangelization in Asia for a period of three years starting from 1 January 2020.

The appointment of Bishop PK, as he is fondly called by the people around the North East Region, comes close on the heels of the appointment of Cardinal Tagle of Manila Philippines as Prefect of Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples by Pope Francis.

Calcutta, the oldest Salesian province in India, on December 15 announced the appointment of a Santal priest as its 17th provincial. The communique said, “The Rector Major, Fr Angel Fernandez Artime, has appointed Fr Joseph Pauria, the present Vice Provincial, as the 17th Provincial of the Province of Calcutta.” Father Pauria was born on January 14, 1965, at Azimganj in Murshidabad district of West Bengal to Thomas and Rita Pauria.

Jesuit Father Felix Raj, vice chancellor of St Xavier’s University, Kolkata, on December 16, was given the Hall of Fame award of Australia for his outstanding contribution and lifetime achievements in the field of education and management. The award was given at the International Conference on “Frontiers in Accounting” organized jointly by the Institute of Certified Management Account-ants, Australia, and the Indian Jesuit university.

“The ICMA Australia applauds the ground-breaking value creation and achievements of Father Felix Raj,” D’Souza said while presenting the award to the Jesuit priest. He said his institute was honoured to induct Father Raj to the global Management Accounting Hall of Fame for his services to the profession in India.