The Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council has created history by appointing two laypeople to head its co-mmission for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes. Arch-bishop Peter Machado of Ban-galore, the council president, on April 7 announced the appointment of Isabella Selvaraj Xavier as the commi-ssion’s joint secretary, the first woman to hold the post. The council has also promoted the current joint secretary Alphonse G Kennedy as the commission secre-tary. Kennedy is the first layperson to serve as secretary of the commission. Fr. Yagappa, the outgoing secretary, hailed Kennedy’s promotion as a “a significant and well-de-served recognition” of his dedication and commit-ment. “We extend our warmest congratulations to him on this important role. We are confi-dent that his expertise and passion will greatly benefit the interests and welfare” of those under the commission.
Indian Salesian priest who championed Dalit rights dies
Father Arul Valan, a Salesian priest who led a movement for the rights of a Dalit or former untouchable community in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has died at 54. Valan, who co-founded the Thurumbar Liberation Movement along with Sister Alphonsa, died of a heart attack on April 8, Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) reported on April 9. Father Devasagayaraj M. Zackarias, former executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India’s office for scheduled castes and backward classes, called Valan “a powerful fighter” for the Thurumbar community. The Thurumbars, also known as Puthirai Vannars, are considered “unseeable” because of their lower caste status. The community traditionally washed the clothes of other Dalits and was placed in the lowest rungs of Tamil Nadu’s caste-based society. Valan created “a new dawn for the politically, economically, and socially marginalized community. We cannot summarize his contributions in just a few lines,” Zackarias said. He fondly remembered the “deep ideological discussions” with Valan and noted how the deceased priest would not hesitate to invite leftist groups to the protest alongside the washermen.
Church hails Indian court ruling on education institutions
Catholic officials have welcomed a ruling by the top court in Tamil Nadu state, in southern India, reaffirming the autonomy of higher education institutions run by religious minority groups.”We are very happy that the high court has rightly upheld the constitutional provisions for minority higher education institutions to select their staff, which is essential for their existence as minority institutions with core values,” said Maria Charles, a Catholic priest and secretary of the Indian bishops’ Office of Edu-cation and Culture. The respon-se came after the Madras High Court in the Tamil Nadu state capital, Chennai, ordered two state-run universities on March 27 to approve the appointment of 66 assistant professors and a principal at five Christian-run colleges, which had been pending since 2020. The court ruling followed a petition from the Women’s Christian College, the Madras Christian College, Loyola College, and the Stella Maris College, all four in Chennai. Meanwhile, Sacred Heart Arts & Science College in Tindivanam challenged Annamalai University’s refusal to allow it to appoint a princi-pal. The state pays staff sala-ries in such state-aided colle-ges, but only after the university under which they function approves the staff appointments.
The Madras University blocked the appointment of the 66 assistant professors selected by the four Chennai-based colleges. Christian colleges challenged Madras University’s decision, resulting in the current order.
Catholics mourn central India’s popular Indigenous archbishop
Thousands of people joined the funeral service of retired Jesuit Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal in central India on April 9, hailing the indigenous Church leader’s simplicity and love for his people. Archbishop Topno died of age-related ail-ments at a Church-run hospital on April 6. He was 94. Topno led the Bhopal archdiocese, based in the Madhya Pradesh state capital, for 13 years until his retirement in 2007. A state-ment from the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), a body of Latin rite bishops in India, said the pre-late was known for his “sim-plicity, wisdom, and deep spiri-tual insight.” “He was regarded as a living saint by both the people and the priests in the archdiocese,” said Fr. Maria Stephan, former public relations officer of the archdiocese. “He was extremely supportive, encouraging, and collaborative with his priests,” Stephan told on April 10. “He was so humble and traveled by train in the general compartments like ordinary people, avoiding the air-conditioned coaches,” the priest said. “He never carried money. Sometimes, while traveling long distances for pastoral visits, his driver had to pay for their tea or drinking water,” the priest said.
Catholic religious in Odisha urged to promote unity, cooperation
The Odisha unit of the Conference of Religious India (CRI) that met April 8 heard their national secretary stressing the importance of dialogue with lay collaborators, integrated prayer life, and formation programs that are relevant to today’s challenges. “If our preferential option for the poor remains only in our preaching and not in our practice, we risk creating a painful dichotomy between our words and our witness,” warned Presentation Sister Elsa Muttathu while addressing some 25 members of the unit at the Archbishop’s House in Bhubaneswar, the state capital. She told the gathering that the Conference of Religious India exists to promote unity and cooperation among religious congregations. “Our mission is to address shared challenges, strengthen our collective voice, and support the individual charisms of each institute.” Sister Muttathu reminded the gathering that religious life is not about institutional survival or personal security, but about responding to the needs of the present moment. “Let us not limit ourselves to routine physical tasks. Make time for reading, writing, and deep reflection,” she urged. “Our communities were not founded to build institutions or secure our comfort,” she stated. “We are called to live among the people, listen to them, and be part of their lives–just as the early religious did.” She challenged the participants to critically evaluate their ministries. “Do we visit families to truly know them and share in their lives, or simply to seek vocations for our congregations?” she asked. Under-scoring the need for authenticity, the national secretary stressed the importance of aligning action with values. Speaking on the role of women religious, Sister Muttathu encouraged them to prioritize intellectual and spiritual growth alongside daily responsibilities. She also advocated for greater involvement of women in decision-making spaces within the Church. The meeting helped the participants voice their expectations, struggles, and hopes in living out their vocation as the CRI members.
Assault on 2 Catholic priests in India sparks outrage
More than 1,000 Christians protested in front of the Jabalpur district police head-quarters in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on April 1, seeking action against assailants who attacked two Catholic priests and harassed some pilgrims earlier this week. The protesters also urged the administration and police to take action against those involved in a spate of other attacks on Christians in Madhya Pradesh, known as a hotspot of hostility toward Christians. They also submitted a petition containing their demands to the highest government official in Jabalpur district – the district collector. A Christian leader said the collector had promised action against the violators. In the latest incident, a Hindu mob assaulted and attacked the priests in front of police when they arrived at the station to assist some Indigenous pilgrims on March 31. The tribal Christians had been taken to the police station, detained and accused of religious conversion activities, said Jabalpur diocesan Father George Thomas, one of the victims. About 50 pilgrims, including women and children from tribal-dominated Mandla district, were on a pilgrimage to visit several churches in Jabalpur, some 100 kilometers from their homes, as part of Lenten activities. When the pilgrims’-chartered bus arrived at a church in Ranjhi, some Hindu activists took the bus keys and drove them to a police station, accusing them of violating the state’s stringent anti-conversion law. Thomas, the procurator of Jabalpur diocese, said that he and Father Davis George, the vicar general, went to Ranjhi police station “to assist the detained Catholics and explain the situation to the police.” At the police station, “the Hindu mob surrounded us and shouted slogans against us. Some from the crowd pushed us and slapped us,” Thomas told on April 1.
Video footage of the incident that went viral on social media showed women slapping a priest and another man shouting at the Christians. Manas Dwivedi, the officer in charge at the police station, refuted the allegation of religious conversion.
Indian nuns tackle mental health, sex abuse issues
Catholic nuns in India are conducting a series of training programs as part of enabling women religious to address cha-llenges posed by sexual abuse, poor mental health, and suicidal tendencies. The Conference of Religious Women India (CRWI) concluded its tenth training work-shop from April 1 to 5 in the western state of Goa. About 50 nuns from across India attended the program, which is conducted in collaboration with the Church-run Christ University in Banga-lore. “We have begun strengthe-ning the resilience of the religious sisters to face challenges at work and to foster community support for mental well-being,” said Sister Molly Mathew, who leads this training project. The organization represents about 103,000 nuns working in various parts of India. The CRWI assistant program coordinator, Sister Renjitha Ravi, said the workshop focused on understanding distress, assessing distress, identifying individuals in need, risk and protective fact-ors, and counseling and ethics. Matthew, a member of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, said they started the Training of Trainers program on Basic Counselling Skills for Mental Health and Wellness in November 2024. She added that about 350 nuns have benefited from it so far. The program was developed with the help of the Department of Psychology of Christ University. The nun noted that the department helps the conference assess the need to revise religious formation. Indian media reported several cases of rape, murder, and suicides of nuns in recent years, prompting Church to discuss the need to help nuns tackle sexual abuse and mental health issues.
Don Bosco development society celebrates 500th low-cost home for Kolkata slum dwellers
The Don Bosco Development Society (DBDOC), the social service arm of the Salesian Province of Calcutta, has reached a significant milestone, handing over the keys to its 500th low-cost house for slum dwellers in Kapali Bagan, Tengra, Kolkata. In a heart-warming ceremony held on April 5, Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta blessed and presented the keys to a deserving family, marking the culmination of six years of dedicated effort by DBDOC. The event saw the inauguration of 40 more newly constructed homes, bringing the total number of houses built by the organization to 500. Established in 1997, DBDOC is committed to uplifting underprivileged communities by tackling poverty, ignorance, and malnutrition. This low-cost housing initiative aims to provide a dignified living space for families residing in the challenging conditions of Kapali Bagan slum. Kapali Bagan, located in the Tangra area of Kolkata, is home to numerous families living precariously along a major drainage canal.
Residents often reside under makeshift shelters of plastic sheets and bamboo poles on the canal banks. The area is also characterized by its proximity to dumping grounds, where many locals earn their livelihood by scavenging for recyclable materials. The low-cost housing scheme was initiated by Fr. Mathew George, former Assistant Professor at Salesian College Sonada and Siliguri, during his tenure as Secretary of the Kolkata Provincial.
Recognizing the dire need for safe and stable housing, the Don Bosco Development Society embarked on this mission six years ago. The provision of these low-cost houses offers them a much-needed secure and decent dwelling, a significant step towards a better quality of life.
Indian nun-principal denies ‘conversion’ charge by student
A Catholic nun-principal of a nursing college in the central Indian Chhattisgarh state has denied as “false and baseless” the charges of trying to convert a female student. Police on April 6 registered a case of “attempted forced conversion” against Sister Bincy Joseph, principal of Holy Cross Nursing College at Kunkuri in the state’s Jashpur district. A police official at Kunkuri police station refused to disclose the case details. “All I can confirm is a case is registered against the nun, and the probe is on,” he told on April 8. The complainant student told the local media that she was barred from taking her final exam of the nursing course and denied entry to the campus for resisting attempts to convert her. In an April 7 statement, the nun said the “student’s allegations are a calculated attempt to defame the institution and cover up her own academic shortcomings.” Joseph, a Sisters of Mercy of Holy Cross member, said the complainant was a general nursing and midwifery student. She had completed a three-year course but skipped the practical sessions, which are mandatory to take the final exam as per the rules framed by the state’s nursing council. “The complainant’s attendance was only 32 percent in practical sessions,” while the guidelines require a student to have 80 percent attendance in theory and practical sessions.
Calicut Elevated as Archdiocese; Bishop Varghese Named First Archbishop
In a historic decision, Pope Francis has elevated the Diocese of Calicut to a Metropolitan Arch-diocese on 12 April 2025, also names Bishop Varghese Chakka-lakal (72) as the first Metropolitan Archbishop of Calicut. The dio-ceses of Kannur and Sultanpet will serve as their suffragans.
The diocese of Calicut in Malabar region has a deep-rooted legacy that dates back over 500 years. Evangelization began in 1498 with the arrival of Trinita-rian missionary Pedro Covilham and others. The first church, dedicated to St. Andrew, was built on the Malabar coast in 1500. In 1878, Pope Pius IX separated territories that now include Mangalore, Kannur, and Calicut from the Vicariate Apostolic of Malabar, handing it to the Jesuits of Venice in Italy. Calicut later emerged as a separate diocese in 1923 under Pope Pius XI, formed from parts of Mangalore, Mysore, and Coimbatore. The diocese played a key role in the Church’s mission in Kerala. In 1954, the Oriental faithful were placed under the new diocese of Telli-cherry. Later, in 1998, Pope John Paul II carved out the Diocese of Kannur from Calicut. Initially under Jesuit leadership, Calicut saw bishops such as Paul Perini, Leo Proserpio, Pancratius Zano-lin, and Aldo Maria Patroni. In 1980, diocesan clergy took over with Bishop Maxwell Noronha. He was followed by Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil in 2002, and then by Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal in 2012. Archbishop Chakkalakal brings decades of pastoral expe-rience. Born in Mala-Pallipuram in the Diocese of Kottapuram, he studied in Mala and Mangalore and was ordained a priest in 1981. He became the first bishop of Kannur in 1998.
and served there until his transfer to Calicut in 2012. Archbishop Chakkalakal served as Secretary General of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and currently leads the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Bishops’ Council (KRLCBC) and the CCBI Commission for Vocations, Seminaries, Clergy, and Religious.