Retired Supreme Court Justice Cyriac Joseph has flayed the delay in hearing the appeal of seven Christians of Kandhamal convicted to life imprisonment for the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati that triggered the bloodshed and mayhem in Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2008. “This (delay) is a failure of the judicial system. In the judicial process, appeal could be delayed for many reasons. But in this case there are no (technical) reasons to keep it pending. It seems to be deliberately delayed, perhaps so that it is brought before a suitable judge,” remarked Justice Joseph.
Syro Malabar Church joins anti-Nipah campaign
In the wake of the Nipah outbreak, the Thamarassery Syro-Malabar diocese in Kerala has asked its parish priests to serve the Communion only on the hand during the Mass.
The custom of serving the Communion on the tongue by priests will be discouraged as part of the efforts to support the Health Department’s drive against the viral disease, an advisory from the diocese on June 1st said.
Priests in nearly 120 parishes under the diocese will heed the bishop’s advisory. The diocese has until now encouraged receiving the Communion only tongue. The decision comes as chances are high of the virus spreading from infected persons. Father Abraham Kavilpurayidathil, chancellor of Thamarassery said the diocese had voluntarily taken the decision to extend support to the preventive measures taken by the Health Department. “The custom of serving communion in the hands was there earlier for hygiene reasons. It was brought back mainly to avoid the chances of misuse,” he told The Hindu.
Two arrested for circulating ‘misleading videos’ of church attacks
Police in Mangaluru have arrested two persons for allegedly circulating “old and misleading videos” about church attacks.
The arrested are Sunil Veigas, 34, and P P Sachith, 23, residents of Chikkamagaluru, some 150 km northeast of Mangaluru in Karnataka State.
Police on June 1st said that they have booked a suo motu (on its own) case considering how fake news could create law and order problem in the region. The two were arrested on May 30 and produced before a court.
They are accused of circulating a series of old and mis-leading videos and images claiming that some churches in Mangaluru region were attacked by right-wingers hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party won seven out of eight constituencies in Dakshina Kannada and all the five in Udupi.
However, what they circulated were videos of church attacks in Mangaluru that had taken place in September 2008. The video was circulated on WhatsApp after Karnataka assembly election results.
Philippine church groups condemn ‘tyrannical’ Duterte
Priests, nuns, and seminarians staged a candle-lit prayer rally on May 17 to protest against what they called the “tyrannical tendencies” of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The protest came days after Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila released a letter to parishes warning that the Philippines is “facing a crisis of truth.”
The Manila prelate noted that even Philippine legal experts have “given us conflicting interpretations on basic questions of law.” Cardinal Tagle issued the letter to priests and religious in his archdiocese days after the Philippine Supreme Court ousted the country’s chief justice.
The court decision has been widely criticized by various groups, including civil society organizations and Catholic Church leaders.
Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said the removal of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno could be the start of “another dark period in the country’s history.”
“A real dictatorship of a strong man is emerging,” said the prelate, adding that “more controversial issues are surely coming.” He said the court decision “is the most shameful act in the history of the Philippine judiciary.”
Cardinal Tagle said the “crisis of truth” has already resulted in “suspicion, mistrust, and fragmentation.”
“Partisan politics has turned into political tribalization. The common good is one of the first casualties,” the Manila prelate said.
Indonesian Catholics want mercy for terrorist kingpin
Leading Catholics in terrorism-plagued Indonesia have criticized prosecutors who demanded the death sentence for the alleged mastermind behind a deadly spate of suicide bombings and attacks against police that have left many dead.
From a moral perspective and the view of the church, the death penalty is wrong no matter what the crime is, said Father Antonius Benny Susetyo, an adviser to a presidential unit that promotes communal tolerance and understanding. “The death penalty does not provide an effective deterrent against perpetrators of these sort of crimes,” he said.
He was responding to calls on May 18 from prosecutors demanding that judges impose the death sentence on Aman Abdurahman, alleged leader of an Islamic State-linked terror group, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), who is standing trial on terrorism charges in a Jakarta court. Abdurahman, 46, is standing trial for allegedly masterminding a series of attacks that included a February 2016 bombing in Jakarta that killed eight people and an attack in November 2017 against the Batak Society Christian Church of Oikumene in Samarinda, East Kalimantan that killed four people.
Surabaya Christians uncowed by church bombings
Despite tight security and fears of further deadly attacks, defiant Christians in Surabaya flocked to services and Masses on May 20 – Pentecost Sunday – according to church officials.
Christians at the Santa Maria Catholic Church and Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church held services in their church buildings which were attacked by suicide bombers on May 13. Meanwhile, members of the Surabaya Pentecostal Church, which suffered the most damage, held services in a large tent. Twelve Christians were killed during the attacks, committed by members of the same Muslim family.
Church officials told on May 20 that Christians prayed as usual, while fully-armed police and military personnel stood guard outside.
Those entering the churches were thoroughly searched and had to pass through a metal detector.
Father Alexius Kurdo Irianto, parish priest at the Santa Maria Church, said he did not see any decline in church attendance during Mass.
In Punjab, Christians who tried to retake their homes grabbed by Muslims suffer gunshot wounds
Two Christians have survived after they were fired upon by armed men who wanted to prevent them from regaining possession of their land.
The incident occurred on May 17 in the village of Sankhatra (Punjab province), where the Christian community blocked the streets to protest against the ille-gal occupation of their properties. For months they have been unable to go back into their homes because of a land dispute with a politician from the ruling party. The wounded are Shahbaz Masih Gill, 36, and Samina Tasneem, 28. Both suffered gunshot wounds to the legs and are currently in hospital.
The police took their statement and filed a case under the Pakistan Penal Code, sections 324 (Attempt to commit qatl-i-amd, i.e. murder), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object).
“I was coming home after fixing an electric motor when armed men on a motorcycle stopped and attacked me with wooden sticks and punches,” Gill told.
“With my forehead bleeding, I joined the protest against the attack. We had gathered at 6:50 pm when they returned and shot five fires.” Despite this, “We did not panic and retaliated by throwing bricks at the attackers causing them to flee. That’s when I realised blood was dripping from my right leg.”
Archbishop of Jakarta decries jihad families as new form of violence
“Planning and implementing a suicide attack by taking their children with them is a new” form “of violence. It is a family tragedy,” decries Msgr. Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Arch-bishop of Jakarta and President of the Indonesian Bishops’ Con-ference (Kwi).
He was commenting on the dynamics of the attacks that have hit three churches in Surabaya, capital of the province of East Java two days ago. Meanwhile, following the death of Nathanael, an eight-year-old Catholic child, the number of victims of the co-ordinated attack has risen to 12.
The terrorists belonged to a single terrorist family. The father, Dita Oeprianto, is the Pentecostal Church bomber (Gpps), while the two teenage sons carried out the attack on the Catholic Church of Saint Mary Immaculate (Smtb), aboard a motorcycle. The mother and her two small daughters, aged nine and 12, carried out the suicide attack at the Christian Church of Indonesia (Gki).
“I am convinced – says Msgr. Suharyo – that the two young daughters had no idea what would happen. This is incomprehensible and I think this kind of thing should never happen again, clouding our humanity.”
Christians in Nepal concerned over sudden attacks on churches
Christians in Nepal are alarmed after this month’s sudden series of arson and bomb attacks on four church buildings, and church leaders suspect authorities are lax in investigating.
At the same time, six Christians were arrested for evangelizing while suspected Hindu extremists launched attacks on three church buildings and bombed another. The attacks caused extensive property damage but no casualties. The Hebron Church building in the eastern hilly region was set on fire on May 9, Emmanuel Church’s building in western Nepal’s Doti District was burned on May 10, and the Kanchanpur Emmanuel Church building in the Midwest hilly region was set ablaze on May 11. Before midnight on May 12, the Mahima Church building in Dhangadhi, in western Nepal, was bombed. Neither government officials nor police have issued a formal statement on suspects, though police have attributed the attacks to the Nepal Communist Party, known as the Biplab Group. But Christian leaders in Nepal suspect a coordinated campaign by Hindu extremists.
Nationalists complain against Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu that let nuns visit the site
Leading members of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other nationalist groups have filed a complaint against the administration of a Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu for allowing a group of Catholic nuns to visit the site, this according to The Hindu, one of India’s foremost daily newspapers. According to the plaintiffs, the presence of nuns in their religious attire in a Hindu place of worship hurt the religious feelings of Hindu believers and was meant to mock the temple’s sanctity.
The complaint was filed by Sethu Aravind, a member of the BJP state executive committee, and representatives of militant Hindu fundamentalist movements: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Hindu Alaya Meetpu Iyakkam and Anaithu Hindu Iyakkam.
The incident occurred on 8 May at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, an island in the city of Tiruchirappalli. The nuns were part of a group of tourists from Kerala. The visit sparked the fury of the radicals when their social media began spreading the rumour that the nuns had taken rosaries out of their pockets and started to pray inside the Hindu temple.
Pictures of the nuns were posted on online messaging platforms showing them walking near the Thousand Pillar Mandapam, a theatre like structure made from granite.
Following the publication of the images, some devotees criticised the temple administration and filed a complaint with the Srirangam police. “The temple of Srirangam in Tiruchirappalli is one of the temples which does not permit Christians to enter,” said Fr Sebastian Michael, adviser to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
“Even today, in a globalised world, it is their right not to permit people from other religions. We cannot go against their belief,” he added.
“Despite this, we continue to believe in dialogue. There is a lot of good will and cooperation between religions. Many Hindu religious leaders invite us to their religious meetings and we do the same,” he noted.