Nepal’s most important festivals of the year, Dashain and Tihar, took place in October and November, highlighting the country’s deeply ingrained Hindu religious values such as brotherhood, strong family bonds, respect for all creatures, and the triumph of good over evil spirits. Families gathered to celebrate the two week-long festivals, a rare opportunity for bonding in a country where many migrant workers travel to far-flung locations to find work. Even liberal-minded Christians like to participate, signalling a positive note for social harmony, religious tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding. At the same time, there has been a backlash against Christians with over a dozen recorded cases of persecution against their communities this year. This trend worsened after the new criminal code took effect in August 2017. Even though it includes more provisions against discrimination, it’s anything but progressive in terms of respecting people’s freedom of religion.
Uttar Pradesh radicals’ gift for Advent, an assault on a church
On Sunday 2 December, the day the Church celebrated the first Sunday of Advent, in Uttar Pradesh about 150 Hindu fanatics attacked a church and interrupted the prayer with the complicity of the local police. Then they launched an ultimatum to the faithful: either they close the place of Christian worship, or “they will suffer severe consequences.”
Shibu Thomas, founder of Persecution Relief that defends discriminated Christians in India, denounces to AsiaNews: “The police, which should be ‘guardian of the law,’ does not perform its duties and takes a position influenced by pre-judices and bigotry against the Christian minority.”
The attached church is located in Naubasta, in the district of Kanpur. The activist says that the radicals arrived waving orange flags (the colour of Hindu nationalists), singing praises to the god Ram and shouting slogans against Christians. “They sowed fear and terror in the community,” he adds.
Some women in the church have requested police intervention, “believing that they could reason with the fanatics, since it was evident that they were acting out of ignorance.” But the agents imposed the interruption of prayer and asked Christians to leave. Then they also dispersed the troublemakers who, regardless of the presence of the police, threatened to return later.
Rev. Jeetender Singh, in charge of the New India Church of God, tells the Christian network that two days before the incident, the local police inspector had visited the church. On that occasion he informed Pastor A.B. Singh who had been charged with a complaint against him for alleged “forced conversions.” After the attack by the radicals, he reports, the inspector himself refused to collect the complaint of the Christians.
Church ‘glorifying’ Indian bishop accused of raping nun
India’s National Commission for Women has accused Catholic Church officials of failing to support and protect a nun who has accused a bishop of raping her.
Chairwoman Rekha Sharma told media in Kochi city on Dec. 1 that the official church was “glorifying” Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar while failing to protect the alleged victim.
“They [church officials] are glorifying the accused bishop,” Sharma said after meeting a delegation of Catholics who sought the commission’s intervention to provide security for the nun and her supporters in a convent.
Sharma alleged that church officials were not listening or acting to protect the nuns. The church has also failed by not having an internal system to report sex abuse, she said.
“There was nobody she [the nun] could go to and complain. We have also written to the church urging them to constitute internal complaint committees where women can complain,” she said.
The 48-year-old nun, former superior of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation, complained to Kerala police in July that Bishop Mulakkal raped her 13 times between 2014 and 2016.
Five other nuns, who be-long to the congregation that functions under the bishop’s patronage, held a public protest calling for the bishop’s arrest. He was arrested on Sept. 21 but a court bailed him on Oct. 15.
Arunachal’s biggest church opened in remote village
The biggest church in Arunachal Pradesh was blessed on December 5 in one of the last villages of the north-eastern India.
Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, blessed the Sacred Heart Church at Neotan, a small village in Changlang district.
The marked, the day, the Neotan villagers accepted Catholic faith 19 years ago. Neotan sits on India’s border with Myanmar.
Dialogue will be the priority of Msgr Gonsalves, the new archbishop of Nagpur
Msgr Elias Gonsalves, the new archbishop of Nagpur, will focus on dialogue as his priority.
Speaking to AsiaNews, he said he was “humbled” about his appointment because “the Archdiocese of Nagpur is an old diocese, with its own rich roots” and can be considered a “cultural, political and religious centre of India; hence, dialogue will be a priority in this multifaceted diocese.”
Religious intolerance growing among young people, Indian educationist warns
Intolerance towards religious minorities, especially Christians, is on the rise among young Indians, warns Michael Williams, dean of Mount Carmel Schools in India, during a meeting in the British House of Lords organised by a Christian group, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.
Citing government figures, the Indian educationist noted that attacks against religious communities have jumped by 30 percent in the past three years with around a thousand incidents in 2017, 111 people killed and more than 2,500 wounded.
According to Williams, India’s “fundamentalist” government is to blame for creating a climate of intolerance and violation of human rights in the country akin to the current radicalisation in Islamic countries and the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s.
In his view, the modus operandi of the incidents is very similar and include the ‘return home’ movement to convert people to Hinduism.
Catholic nun to be honoured for promoting constitutional values
Presentation Sister Dorothy Fernandes is among 70 people who will be honoured for promoting democratic and republic characte-ristics of the Indian Constitution.
The award titled “Neelkanth Samman” was presented on November 26, the Constitution Day, at Mavlankar Hall in New Delhi.
The day marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian Constitution, “a significant even in the political history of our nation,” says Sanjay Paswan, patron of Kabir ke Log and a former federal minister, in his invitation letter to Sister Fernandes.
The November 13 letter also says two NGOs — “Kabir ke Log” and “Centre for Dalit Studies, India Foundation”—decided to give the award to the Catholic nun for her “outstanding contribution towards democratic ethos and constitutional commit-ment.”
The awardees are scholars, activists and thought leaders, Paswan explains.
Sister Fernandes said she was surprised when she got a call on October 15 regarding the award. She was invited to New Delhi to receive the award.
The nun, a native of Goa, says she never thought that she would get an award although she has been advocating that Indians should be informed about their constitutional rights.
“I feel both humble and grateful to the Almighty who continues to journey with me,” she told Matters India on November 20. “It has strengthened my belief to continue to work with those who are on the margins — those who need a voice,” she added.
Card. Alencherry honours leading Syriac scholars
Dr. David G.K. Taylor, Associate Professor of Aramaic and Syriac and Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford University and Dr. Sebastian Brocke, Emiritus Professor in Oxford University and leading Syriac scholar were honoured by Cardinal George Alencherry, Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church at a conference in Birmingham, UK. The conference was organized by the Syro-Malabar Church at the Bethel Convention Centre, Birmingham, as part of the conclusion of the ‘Year of Children.’
Dibrugarh gets successor to its Bishop
Pope Francis has appointed Fr Albert Hemrom as Coadjutor Bishop of Dibrugarh on December 2 to succeed its present Bishop Joseph Aind. The 49-years old Bishop designate will be the youngest Bishop in the entire northeast. Currently, he is the Rector of St Joseph’s Seminary, Dibrugarh.
Jalandhar rape case: Women theologians write to Pope
The Indian Women Theologians Forum (IWTF) has written to Pope Francis expressing deep concerns over the way the Church in their country handles sexual abuse cases.
Around 800 Catholics from around the world have endorsed the letter sent to the Pope Francis with copies to ecclesiastical leaders in India, says a November 20 press release from the forum.
The letter highlights the context and facts regarding the case of sexual abuse involving the bishop of Jalandhar. It also comments on the lack of response and the inappropriate handling of the case by the Church authorities in India.
As remedial measures, the letter requests the setting up of an impartial enquiry committee with at least 50 % women to study the allegations and taking adequate steps to support a fair trial in keeping with the Church policy of “zero tolerance of sexual abuse.”
It wants immediate implementation of the CBCI Guidelines, 2017 of the Church in India for addressing sexual abuse, in keeping with the civil laws applicable to grievance redressal mechanisms of the country.
The November 9 letter was endorsed by Catholics from 24 countries, with the United States topping the list, followed by Australia and Brazil.
The Indian signatories came from 15 states, including nearly 500 from Kerala, where the complainant and the accused of the Jalandhar case belong. The signatories included 71 priests from India, more than 50 women religious and 16 advocates.
“In keeping with the need to be transparent in our efforts this letter is also mailed to 250 representatives of the Catholic Church, including all the cardinals and bishops within India,” the press release says.