The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on October 11 to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organiza-tion of survivors of the U.S. ato-mic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its “efforts to achi-eve a world free of nuclear wea-pons.”
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Commi-ttee, said the award was assigned to the grassroot organization as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pre-ssure.” He said the Committee “wishes to honour all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have cho-sen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace.” Efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons have been ho-noured in the past by the Nobel Committee.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the peace prize in 2017, and in 1995 Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs won for “their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms.” This year’s prize was awarded agai-nst a backdrop of devastating conflicts raging in the world, notably in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan. “It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm, the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Watne Frydnes said.
Patriarch Pizzaballa: ‘We will not surrender to hatred’
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has sent a letter to Pope Francis to convey the “most sincere gratitude” of Catholic leaders and all the Christian faithful in the Middle East for his closeness and compassion.
On the Day of prayer for world peace and fasting to mark the anniversary of Hamas’ ma-ssacre in Israel and the devasta-ting war that has ensued, the Pope also addressed a letter to the Catholics of the region expressing his closeness to the “small, de-fenceless flock” in the Holy Land “thirsting for peace.”
In his letter, published on Friday by the Vatican’s “L’Oss-ervatore Romano” newspaper, Cardinal Pizzaballa thanks the Pope for this “beautiful gesture of closeness and affection” and also for being “the only world leader” who acknowledges the human “suffering of all” remin-ding us of the need “not to lose our humanity”, even in these tragic circumstances.
Referring to the Day of prayer for peace joined by the Catholic communities in the Holy Land and across the world, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem noted that these “weapons of love” are the Church’s response “to the mis-trust that seems to be spreading more and more. “In this context of deeply rooted hatred,” he said, “there is a need for empathy, for gestures and words of love that, even if they don’t change the course of events, bring comfort and consolation.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa recalled that in the past twelve months of war priests, religious men, and women along with volunteers have remained steadfast in serving those in distress, to provide relief and comfort, even at the risk of their lives.
He reiterated the Church’s firm commitment to rebuilding broken relationships and trust between communities and to resist the “logic of evil” that seeks to divide.
“We will not surrender to events that seem to drive us apart, but we will always seek to be thirsty builders of peace and justice,” he said, recalling the example of men and women of all faiths who, even though personally affected by the violence, have had the inner strength to forgive and not to give in “to the logic of hatred.” He expressed his hope that this “small remnant” might provide the starting point for rebuilding relationships.
Synod debates on bishops, laypeople opened to public at theology forums
Synod on Synodality events open to the public gave a glimpse into the private debates happening among delegates and theological experts on the issues of a bishop’s authority and his relationship to the laity in light of synodality.
At the Oct. 9 forum on ”The Role and Authority of the Bishop in a Synodal Church,” hosted in a conference hall near the Vatican, four theologians and a canon lawyer gave presentations on finding and following the correct interpretation of the Se-cond Vatican Council’s teaching on episcopal authority, with frequent citations of the council’s dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium. Speakers claimed an important part of synodality is implementing the proper under-standing of a bishop’s authority in his diocese, which demands cooperation with laypeople.
Italian canonist Father Matteo Visioli pointed out that ”What power of governance can be en-trusted to laymen and women?” is one of the questions being asked by the synod that, he said, still needs further theological explo-ration. “The problem is, which offices require the sacred orders and which don’t?” he asked in response to a question about changes Pope Francis has made to permit laypeople to hold posi-tions formerly reserved to priests or bishops. The canonist noted that while Pope Francis has drawn practical lines in the sand in some instances, including in the newest constitution governing the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, ”if he entered into the theoretical line, he would have gotten stuck.”
In his remarks, Italian theo-logian Roberto Repole, arch-bishop of Turin and bishop of Susa, cited paragraphs 38-39 of the 2024 Instrumentum Laboris, which says that a bishop’s powers and ministry do ”not imply his separation from the portion of the people of God entrusted to him” and ”is not the justification for an episcopal ministry that is ‘monarchical…’”
In light of what is written in the Instrumentum Laboris, Repole, who will be made a cardinal in December, said there are different ways to interpret Lumen Gentium’s teaching that bishops have the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders. He argued that a ”synodal” interpretation of the bishop’s ministry — one in which he serves in full cooperation with priests and laypeople — could ”dissolve” some of the isolation and stress faced by bishops around the world and prevent a ”monarchical”-style rule.
A prominent theologian from Argentina, Father Carlos María Galli, argued in his lecture that the bishop is the servant of the Lord, not a ”lord” of the Church, and said a ”novelty” of Vatican II was viewing the people of God as equal in dignity to the Church’s hierarchy. The second chapter of Lumen Gentium, on the people of God, was a ”big revolution” in Church ecclesiology, he said. “These theological foundations should move us to a change of mentality, of mindset.”
In his contribution, Father Gilles Routhier, a French Canadian and theological consultant to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, described the bishop’s relationship to the laity using imagery from the Mass. Just as the celebration of the Mass includes the organic participation of all the parts (priest and laity), so, too, the bishop should view his communion and cooperation in running a diocese, he said. Routhier also criticized the Church’s use of the prepositions ”of,” “for,” or ”at” to describe a bishop instead of the words “in” and ”within.” As written in Lumen Gentium, the priest and bishops, he said, are part of and within the same assembly of the people of God. “We can’t speak of the autonomy of the pastor from the rest of the assembly,” the theologian and Vatican II expert claimed.
Sister Gloria Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN, addressed bishops directly in her contribution to the forum, exhorting them to be servant leaders and to combat abuse.
Pope to Cardinals-elect: Keep your eyes raised, your hands joined, your feet bare
Pope Francis has written a personal letter to the 21 men – bishops and priests from around the world – whom he will raise to the Cardinalate at a consistory set for December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Noting that their elevation to the College of Cardinals will associate them with the Roman Clergy, the Bishop of Rome reminds them that membership in the College “is an expression of the Church’s unity and of the bond that unites all the Churches with this Church of Rome.”
In his letter, the Pope Francis invites the Cardinals-elect “to embody the three attitudes with which an Argentinian poet (Francisco Luis Bernárdez) once characterized Saint John of the Cross, and which are also applicable to us: ‘eyes raised, hands joined, feet bare.’” Explaining these three attitudes, the Holy Father tells the soon-to-be Cardinals that their new service within the Church will require them to “lengthen your gaze and broaden your heart” to see further and love more fervently.
They must keep their hands joined in prayer to enable them “to shepherd well the flock of Christ,” the Pope said, adding that prayer is “the realm of discernment” that helps discern God’s will and follow it.
Finally, the Pope said, they must keep their feet bare “because they touch the harsh realities of all those parts of the world overwhelmed by pain and suffering,” which will demand from the new Cardinals “great compassion and mercy.”
Concluding his letter, Pope Francis thanked the Cardinals-elect for their generosity and assured them of his prayers “that the title of ‘servant’ (deacon) will increasingly eclipse that of ‘eminence.’”
Indian Franciscan nun gets clean chit in conversion case
India’s premier investigation agency has exonerated a Franciscan nun in a case that accused her of causing a 17-year student’s suicide by attempting to convert her in a southern state. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its report, ruled out religious conversion as the cause of the January 2022 suicide by the student of Sacred Heart Higher Secon-dary School in Michaelpatti under Kumbakonam Diocese in Tamil Nadu. The federal agency informed the Ma-durai bench of Madras High Court on Sept. 18 that it had interrogated 141 individuals and scanned through some 265 documents in connection with the case. It found no substantiating evi-dence to support the allegation of religious conversion and urged the court to dismiss the charge, it added. The CBI, however, said that the girl may have taken the extreme step as she was made to do domestic chores in the school hostel. The girl’s Hindu parents alleged she was forced to commit suicide after nuns harassed her for not converting to Christianity. Tamil Nadu police disputed this, saying the girl had not made any such revelation either to the police or the magistrate who took her dying statement.
Indian pastor, 4 others jailed for religious conversion
Five people, including a pastor, have been jailed for religious con-version in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Police said Pastor Gerald Massey Mathews of the Dasna Church, and the others were arrested for converting people under the pretext of curing their illnesses and offering their children a quality education. Uttar Pradesh is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which enacted a sweep-ing anti-conversion law in 2020.”
The police arrested Pastor Ma-thews and others on Sept. 23 and kept them in custody for more than 24 hours and on Sept. 25 sent them to jail in Dasna without giving any details,” Christian activist Minakshi Singh told on Sept. 25. “The police have kept us in the dark,” said Singh, general secretary of Unity in Compa-ssion, a charity based in Uttar Pradesh. The Christian lay leader said the sweeping anti-conversion law was enacted by the right-wing government without “proper study.” According to news reports, the complaint against the pastor and the others was filed by Naveen Singh, coordinator of the Dharam Jagaran Samanvay Samiti (Forum for Hindu Awakening).
Tribal Christians avoid travel fearing attack in India’s Manipur
A tribal body in India’s strife-torn Manipur has announced a four-day travel advisory for Christians, cautioning them against an impending attack by their rival Hindu group. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Sept. 24 urged Kuki-Zo tribal Christians in the hilly state in north-eastern India not to venture out of their areas as the Hindu Meitei commu-nity may launch an attack between Sept. 26 and 29. The ITLF has put all village volunteers on high alert, especially in its stronghold in Churachandpur district, where tribal students started a riot 16 months ago. The tribal body also announ-ced the closure of schools, other institu-tions and offices from Sept. 27-29 and a total shutdown on Sept. 28. In a statement on Sept. 24, ITLF said the Manipur gov-ernment recently accumulated highly advanced Medium Machine Gun (MMG) MK 2A1 weapons, and state security advi-sor Kuldiep Singh hinted at an impending “attack” on Sept. 28. “Previously, an assault on Kuki-Zo occurred shortly after the Manipur government issued a warning of an attack by 200 Kuki militants,” it noted. “This is their strategy to target us. They use the media to blame the Kuki-Zo for everything and Meitei militants attack us,” a Church leader who did not want to be named told on Sept. 25.
He said if the government has infor-mation about an impending attack by Kuki militants why not check them. “This announcement is a smokescreen to target us,” he added. We need to be cautious as the state government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party is backing the Meiteis. “Mani-pur Chief Minister N Biren Singh is a Meitei himself,” added the Church leader. Singh has accused Christians of a role in the narcotic trade because many among them have ethnic and family ties in neighbouring Myanmar.
Catholic psychologists meet at Kolkata
A convention of psychologists has stressed the need for mental health workers caring for themselves while attending to other people’s mental health. As many as 75 Catholic psychologists from 12 Indian states attended the 25th annual convention of the Conference of Catholic Psychologists of India (CCPI) in Kolkata. Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata presided over the opening of the September 20-22 convention at Seva Kendra that explored the theme, “Fostering Wellness – Innovative Approaches to Therapist Self-Care and Client Engagement.” Christian Brother Sunil Britto, the conference coordinator who introduced the theme: “Self-Compassion for Our Self-Care,” asked the participants to reflect on how they care for themselves while attending to the needs of their clients. Priya Puri, chief Clinical Psychologist and founder of “The Healing Space,” addressed the opening session on “The Therapist Dilemma.” She addressed the tension of being fully present for others while balancing one’s own needs. Shatabhisha Chatterjee, consultant Clinical Psychologist attached to Mental Health Foundation Kolkata who addressed trauma-informed care, introduced the therapists to Internal Family Systems theory, encouraging them to heal from vicarious trauma.
Five held for luring ‘rat-eating’ Indians to Christianity
Three Nepali nationals and two Indians have been arrested by police in the northern Indian border state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly luring a “rat-eat-ing,” socially backward and marginalized community to embrace Christianity.
Police raided a Sunday prayer service in Bhedihari, a village on the Indian-Nepalese border and arrested Bhim Ba-hadur Gurung, his wife, Vishnu Gaya Devi, and Meena Ksha-triya, all Nepali citizens, and local residents Mangal and Ja-garnath on Sept. 22. According to news reports, Christian orga-nizations involved in religious conversion are active in the Musahar settlement area in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and largest state. According to India’s national human rights commission, the Musahars, a declared schedu-led caste of Dalits (former untouchables) under the Indian constitution, are living in the northern Indian states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are reported to be the poorest among the Dalits. Musahar means “rat eater” in the Bhojpuri lang-uage, spoken in Bihar where they constitute 2.2 million of the state’s 104 million people. “We came to know about it through news reports and local sources. The matter is under investigation. Hence, it is too early to say anything,” said Pastor Jiya Lal, based in Sul-tanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. In February, the police arrested four Christians from the same locality, Lal added. “However, we have no updates in that case,” the pastor told.
on Sept. 23.
Religious conversion is banned in Uttar Pradesh, where Christians constitute a mere 0.18 percent of its 200 million people. Ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2017, the Hindu-majority state enacted the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act in 2020 introduced by monk-turned-politician Yogi Adithyanad’s government. His right-wing government amended the draconian law in July this year which was passed by the state assembly in August. Under the amended legislation anyone will be able to file a police complaint, unlike before when only conversion victims, their parents and other close blood relatives could do so. Penalties will also get tougher with life imprisonment now a possibility in cases of forced conversions. The law will come into force once the state governor Anandiben Patel gives her nod, which is just a formality. “Since the [original] anti-conversion bill was passed in 2020, violence against the Christians has increased,” Uttar Pradesh-based Pastor Dinesh Kumar told UCA News on Sept. 23. Often allegations of religious conversion against Christians have proved false, he said. The BJP and its parent paramilitary outfit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are against missionary activities of the Indian Church among India’s Dalits and indigenous people who are currently grouped under Hinduism. Dalits and indigenous people make up more than 25 percent of the South Asian nation’s mammoth 1.4 billion people. Uttar Pradesh ranks second among states with regard to anti-Christian violence, according to the United Christian Forum, an ecumenical group based in New Delhi
Indian court rejects child trafficking case against Christian leader
The top court of a central Indian state has quashed a cri-minal case of child trafficking against a Protestant leader, say-ing it was ill-intended and meant to damage his image. The Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court “quashed the false case on Sept. 23,” said Shashank Shekhar, a lawyer representing Ajay Lall, founder of the Central India Christian Mission. The high court noted that the case against “the petitioner is sugar-coated with ill-intention and made to belittle his image in the soci-ety,” Shekhar told. Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district charged Lall in August with committing various offen-ses under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Child-ren) Act. Lall was accused of not sharing details of two children who stayed at his orphanage 15 years ago, which led to the registration of a case of child trafficking. The bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi sla-mmed the police for registering the false case. He said the action was initiated against Lall without a complaint or obje-ction from any children or their parents. The high court also noted the arbitrary role played by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory federal body to protect the rights of children. “A well-orchestrated campaign and negative media coverage was carried out to malign the image of an insti-tution that extends a helping hand to poor children,” said Daniel John, a Catholic leader based in the state capital Bho-pal.