Tribal communities in India’s eastern Odisha state, including many Christians, have expressed disappointment after President Droupadi Murmu did not respond to their appeal seeking protection of ancestral lands from industrial acquisition. Local tribal leaders said they felt particularly hurt as Murmu herself belongs to a tribal community from Odisha. Despite the lack of response, community representatives affirmed that their struggle to safeguard tribal land rights would continue until justice is achieved. The concerns centre on a proposed expansion of limestone quarry operations by Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd. near Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district. Tribal groups claim the company plans to acquire additional land affecting hundreds of families, adding to previously sanctioned areas. Protests against the project included a major highway blockade in January that halted work at the site for several hours. Community organizations allege that the acquisition process has moved forward without the informed consent of the Gram Sabha, or village assembly, which is legally required under India’s constitutional safeguards for designated tribal regions. The area falls under the Fifth Schedule, which provides special protections for tribal lands and mandates consultation with local councils before external development projects proceed. Church representatives supporting the tribal cause say such projects risk displacing vulnerable communities who depend on traditional farming for their livelihood. Residents also fear losing cultural identity tied to ancestral lands. Tribal leaders maintain that despite existing legal protections, industrial expansion continues to threaten their land rights and long-term economic security.
Delhi High Court Questions Delay in Appointments to National Commission for Minorities
The Delhi High Court has expressed concern over delays in appointing new members to the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), noting that the statutory body has remained largely non-functional since late 2024 due to prolonged vacancies.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia described a status report filed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs as “bald and vague,” stating that it lacked clarity on when the appointment process began and the stages completed so far. The court directed the government to submit a fresh affidavit outlining concrete steps taken and a clear timeline for filling the vacant posts.
The observations came during a hearing of a public interest litigation that alleged the government had failed to appoint a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and five members to the commission, effectively paralysing its functioning. Established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, the NCM serves as a quasi-judicial body tasked with safeguarding the rights and interests of minority communities.
Several positions became vacant after members completed their terms in November 2024, while the chairperson’s tenure ended in April 2025. The commission traditionally includes representatives from six notified minority communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, and Jains. The High Court had earlier raised concerns over the delays, highlighting the importance of maintaining functional institutional mechanisms for minority welfare and protection.
Salesians Conclude Centenary Celebrations in Kolkata with Focus on Youth Empowerment
The three-year-long centenary celebrations of the Salesian Province of Kolkata concluded with a grand finale highlighting renewed commitment to youth education and empowerment. More than 2,000 participants attended the event at Don Bosco Park Circus, including leaders from 12 Salesian provinces in India and Sri Lanka, along with major superiors of religious congregations collaborating in youth ministry.
Salesian Rector Major Father Fabio Attard, addressing the gathering, described the celebrations as a tribute to young people and the transformative role of education. He emphasised that poverty and unemployment are global challenges that can be addressed through the “arms of education and empowerment,” reaffirming the Salesian mission among vulnerable youth.
Reflecting on the congregation’s history, he recalled that Saint John Bosco had envisioned a mission extending to India as early as 1886. The Salesians arrived in India in 1906, and the Kolkata province, the first in the country, was established in 1926 after taking charge of the Catholic Orphan Press and Cathedral parish.
The centenary celebrations began on May 27, 2023, with a jubilee Mass at the Marian Shrine in Bandel presided over by Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta. Outgoing provincial Father Joseph Pauria noted that the rector major’s presence inspired renewed enthusiasm for youth ministry. New provincial Father Sunil Karketta highlighted the importance of technical education in empowering young people.
Kerala Archdiocese Donates School for Displaced Families in Manipur
A newly constructed school was inaugurated on February 7 at the Catholic resettlement centre for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at V. Munpi in Manipur, bringing renewed hope to families rebuilding their lives after recent ethnic violence.
The school was made possible through the contribution of the social service department of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamly. The building was blessed by Fr. Varghese Vellickakam, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Imphal. Fr. Joseph Koluthuvellil, executive director and secretary of Welfare Services Ernakulam attended the inauguration.
Though modest in structure, the facility represents a significant step forward for the displaced community. The resettlement centre includes 76 houses constructed with the support of the Archdiocese of Imphal and Catholic donors. Fr. Mung, parish priest of St. Thomas Parish, Singngat, religious sisters, and members of the resettled families were also present.
During a felicitation programme, Fr. Mung highlighted the challenges faced by families adjusting to a new environment, noting that many lack prior experience in farming or business. He emphasised education as essential for rebuilding lives with dignity and stability.
Fr. Varghese underscored the importance of gratitude and self-reliance, recalling the project’s beginnings and acknowledging divine providence. Fr. Joseph expressed joy at supporting the people of Manipur, describing the school as an investment in the children’s future and assuring continued assistance, including educational opportunities in Kerala. The new school stands as a symbol of solidarity, resilience and hope for the displaced community.
Vatican Radio celebrates 95 years with new jingle
Marking the 95th anniversary of its founding, on February 12, 2026, Vatican Radio – Vatican News is renewing and relaunching one of the most recognizable elements of its identity: its jingle, the audio logo that has always accompanied the listeners of the Popes’ Radio.
This project has been conceived to celebrate this historic milestone with a sign that merges tradition and contemporaneity.
The new jingle has been entrusted to Maestro Marcello Filotei of the Musical Programs editorial team, led by Maestro Pierluigi Morelli. It will accompany listeners throughout the entire day of February 12, before becoming a permanent feature of regular programming.
The new audio logos are the natural modern evolution of the historic orchestration of Christus Vincit created by Maestro Alberico Vitalini—based on a theme by Czech composer Jan Kunc—a distinctive and recognizable element of the Radio’s identity right from the beginning.
The original Christus Vincit theme has been reworked in a modern key, maintaining a direct link with tradition while at the same time offering a new sonic guise in line with contemporary culture and sensibilities.
The Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini, stated that, “Vatican Radio has always cultivated, even in its jingle, a special relationship with music that defines its identity.”
“Music,” he said, “speaks to us of that dynamic harmony, never identical to itself, which we all seek in our lives. It generates resonances that become dialogue, dialogue that becomes communion, and memory that becomes life. Celebrating today the 95 years of our radio by revisiting the network’s jingles has precisely this meaning for us: to condense, in the few seconds of an audio logo, a history in which identity and communion merge, grow together, and make us feel at home.”
Vatican approves beatification of Fulton Sheen, the American bishop who won an Emmy
After more than two decades marked by enthusiasm, setbacks and prolonged silence, the cause of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has reached a decisive threshold. The Holy See has formally notified Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, that the cause of the Venerable Servant of God may now proceed to beatification, clearing the way for the American prelate to be declared “Blessed” in the Catholic Church.
The announcement, welcomed by the Diocese of Peoria, places one of the most recognizable Catholic figures of the 20th century on the brink of official liturgical veneration. The next step, as Bishop Tylka explained, is the celebration of the beatification itself, the date and location of which are now being coordinated with the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
For Catholics less familiar with the Church’s canonization process, beatification represents a pivotal moment. It acknowledges that a deceased person lived a life of heroic virtue and that a miracle has occurred through his or her intercession, allowing for public veneration, usually at a local or regional level. Canonization, which would follow at a later stage, would extend that veneration to the universal Church and would require the recognition of a second miracle after beatification.
Few American churchmen have left a public footprint comparable to that of Fulton Sheen. Born Peter John Sheen on May 8, 1895, in El Paso, Illinois, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria in 1919. His episcopal career unfolded largely on the national stage: he was appointed auxiliary bishop of New York in 1951, serving there until 1966, and later became bishop of Rochester, a post he held until his retirement in 1969 at the age of 74.
Yet it was not diocesan administration that made Sheen a household name. His television program Life Is Worth Living, broadcast from 1952 to 1957, brought Catholic moral teaching into American living rooms at a time when religious programming rarely reached mainstream audiences. The show earned an Emmy Award and attracted millions of viewers, a fact Bishop Tylka has often cited in calling Sheen a pioneer who anticipated the Church’s later engagement with mass media. Long before the age of digital evangelization, Sheen demonstrated how theology, philosophy and pastoral concern could be communicated with clarity and cultural relevance. Sheen’s influence extended well beyond the United States. In his later years, he served as national director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, supporting missionary work across the globe. According to Bishop Tylka, this phase of Sheen’s life underscored a conviction that the Church exists for all people, especially those on the margins or in places where the Gospel is scarcely heard.
Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria officials condemn mass killings, demands action
Officials at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the administrative headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, have denounced what they have described as a “relentless wave of killings and abductions” across the West African nation, warning that continued violence and impunity are turning the country into “a field of grief” and eroding the foundations of governance.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Feb. 7, and shared with ACI Africa — the sister service of EWTN News in Africa — CSN Secretary-General Father Michael Banjo and National Director of Social Communications Father Michael Nsikak Umoh expressed “profound outrage and sorrow at the ongoing assault on human life and dignity.”
“After years of repeated complaints and unfulfilled promises, violence persists unchecked, leaving more communities devastated and citizens weary of empty condolences that do not guarantee their safety,” the CSN officials said.
They lamented that the renewed cycle of mass violence “has turned our country into a field of grief.” “Nigeria cannot afford to normalize bloodshed or treat mass killings as routine tragedies,” they emphasized in their one-page statement titled “The Cry of the Innocent: Stop This Slaughterhouse in Nigeria!”
Citing recent attacks between late January and early February, the Catholic officials questioned how such atrocities could be allowed to continue. “How can it be justified that, outside of war, over 160 innocent civilians were slaughtered in one coordinated attack in Woro, Kwara state?” they wrote.
They also referred to “the repeated killings and abductions in Agwara and Tungan Gero in Niger state, the wiping out of entire farming communities in Katsina and Kaduna, and the ongoing violence in Borno.”
“This is not ‘instability’ but a massacre allowed by silence and a betrayal of every Nigerian’s right to live in peace,” the Nigerian Catholic officials added.
They went on to remind politicians that “the constitution is not a lofty document of ideals but a binding covenant with the people” and warned that “when citizens are slaughtered with impunity and communities live in perpetual fear, the very foundation of governance is undermined.” They added that “a government that struggles unsuccessfully to safeguard its people risks diminishing its moral authority to lead.”
Australian bishops on economic crisis: Beyond statistics, stories of resilience
The first of two statements made by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) on social justice in the country has been released. The President of the ACBC, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, described the statement as an invitation “to reflect deeply on the challenges facing our nation and to respond with faith, hope and love.”
Throughout the nation, Archbishop Costelloe lamented, many people are struggling with the rising cost of living. “For some, this means skipping meals, delaying medical care or living without secure housing”, he noted.
But he warned against letting these people become simply numbers or statistics. Rather, we should see them as they are: “human stories of struggle and resilience.”
The Archbishop stressed that the Gospel calls each and every one of us to accompany those who suffer, and this statement is an invitation to that mission. The Australian bishops draw on Catholic social teaching and four of its seven principles: the dignity of every person, the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity and the preferential option for the poor. These, Archbishop Costelloe highlighted, “challenge us to share generously, to advocate for justice, and to build communities where no one is forgotten.”
Holy See proposes theological dialogue with Society of St. Pius X
A theological dialogue, on the condition that the episcopal ordinations scheduled for July 1 be suspended: that’s the proposal the Holy See made to the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) on 12 February. With the Pope’s approval, a meeting was held at the Palace of the Holy Office between Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Father Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the SSPX.
This process, described as having a “well-defined methodology,” would establish the minimum requirements for full communion with the Catholic Church and identify a canonical status for the Society.
In a statement released, the Dicastery described the meeting as “cordial and sincere.” After clarifying several points raised by the SSPX in letters sent between 2017 and 2019—particularly the question of God’s will regarding religious pluralism—Cardinal Fernández proposed a path of theological dialogue.
The discussions would address themes “that have not yet been sufficiently clarified,” including the distinction between “the act of faith” and “the obedience of faith”—that is, the religious submission of intellect and will—as well as the varying degrees of assent owed to different texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and their interpretation. The Argentine cardinal also suggested examining a series of topics listed by the Society in a letter dated January 17, 2019.
The Holy See nevertheless reiterated that the ordination of bishops without a mandate from the Roman Pontiff—who, according to Pastor Aeternus (1870), holds supreme, full, universal, immediate, and direct ordinary power—would entail “a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion,” namely “a schism,” with “grave consequences for the Society as a whole,” the Dicastery noted.
For this reason, it has proposed suspending the episcopal ordinations announced for July 1, 2026, which were declared without papal approval.
The Superior General of the SSPX will present the proposal to his Council and provide a response to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Should the response be positive, the next steps and procedures will be determined and established “by mutual agreement.” Cardinal Fernández has asked the entire Church to pray to the Holy Spirit to accompany this forthcoming journey.
South Sudan: Almost half a million children in danger of malnutrition
UNICEF has reported that more than 450,000 children are currently at risk of acute malnutrition due to the ongoing violence in South Sudan. The internal conflict has led to mass displacement and the interruption of critical health and nutrition services in the Jonglei State. According to reports, since the beginning of 2026, the escalating violence in the Jonglei State has displaced some 250,000 people, particularly in the northern and central parts of the state.
The UNICEF representative in the country, Noala Skinner, explained the organization’s deep concern for the women and children who are being directly impacted by the violence. “We know that these areas have the highest levels of malnutrition among children, and we know that malnourished children without treatment are 12 times more likely to die”, Skinner said. She made an urgent appeal to all the parties involved to end the conflict and work to establish “rapid, unimpeded, and safe access for humanitarian aid and workers to reach highly vulnerable displaced groups.”
Moreover, the conflict has severely limited access to emergency aid. Humanitarian agencies have been unable to reach vulnerable populations due to restrictions on travel by river, air, and road. In the Jonglei State, six counties have already run out of or are about to run out of food supplies, which is a vital need for the numerous severely malnourished children there. UNICEF has reported that about 17 health facilities have closed across the country, which has led to the suspension of associated nutrition services. Consequently, there have been 10 cases of looting of health and nutrition supplies—half of which took place in the Jonglei State.