A call to protect Indian activists from state repression was made on the death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who died as an undertrial five years ago. Political leaders from the ruling alliance in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Swamy’s home state, endorsed the call by Jesuits and rights activists for legal measures to protect activists working for the socially and financially disadvantaged. Swamy, weakened by age and Parkinson’s disease, died in a Mumbai hospital on July 5, 2021, after being repeatedly denied bail on medical grounds despite suffering from multiple age-related ailments. At a memorial gathering on July 5 in Swamy’s native village of Viragalur in Tamil Nadu, activists and priests called for the enactment of a special law to protect human rights activists in the country. The demand for law was among seven resolutions adopted at the gathering of more than 5,000 people, including Catholic bishops, priests, nuns, and political leaders.
A Family Where Faith Inspired Six Sisters to Religious Life
In the mist-covered hills of Venappara in Kerala, the Kallidukkil family became a remarkable witness to faith and vocation. Thomas and Thresiamma Kallidukkil raised their
