Pope Francis on December 11 received in audience Jesuit Archbishop Cyril Vasil, the Pontifical Delegate to the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, on the eve of the latter’s departure for Kerala, southern India, the base of the Syro-Malabar Church.
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Jesus came to spread peace, unity: Goa chief minister
Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Pandurang Sawant joined government officials and civil service officers to celebrate Christmas at Pilar Pilgrim Centre in the western Indian state.
“Jesus came into the world to spread the message of peace, love and unity,” Sawant told the participants of the Festive Christmas High Tea on December 25 at the center, some 10 km southeast of Panaji, the state capital.
Sawant, an ayurveda medical practitioner serving as Goa’s eleventh chief minister since 2019 noted that “truth and service are two important messages in the Bible which tells us that service is the greatest form of love.”
The 50-year-old politician noted that harmony and unity has been Go’s identity. “In India, often there have been attempts to bring division among people on the basis of caste and religion, however, such attempts have been thwarted by the people of Goa. Since 1961, the rest of India sees Goa as the beacon of unity,” he added.
The host, Father Nazareth Fernandes, the superior general of the Society of Pilar, said that “Christmas is the celebration of peace, and Jesus the prince of peace, brings love, joy and peace from the Father.” He further said that “the Church becomes the visible face of Jesus Christ in her service to humankind.”
He also claimed that the members of the Pilar Society “are the visible face of Goans throughout India and abroad to carry the message of peace, harmony, joy and love that exists among Goans, although we may belong to different creeds.”
Hundreds of students drive Rohingya out of temporary shelter in Aceh
Hundreds of students in the province of Aceh, western Indonesia, invaded a shelter on December 27 that temporarily housed more than a hundred Rohingya refugees, driving them out in what is but the latest incident due to local hostility towards the refugees, who belong to a persecuted stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar.
Since mid-November, more than 1,500 Rohingya fled refugee camps in Bangladesh to reach Aceh province by sea in makeshift crafts. According to the United Nations, this is the largest migration of Rohingya to Indonesia since 2015.
Under the slogan “Aceh’s Students Denied Access to the Rohingyas”, hundreds of people demanded that these asylum seekers leave from their temporary shelter in the Balee Meuseuraya building and be relocated elsewhere.
Even though most of vulnerable refugees are families, especially women and children, the students dragged them into vans and pickups and drove them to another place not far away, about a kilometre from the previous location.
About 135 Rohingya, who landed on an Aceh beach on 10 December, were subjected of this action, after.
“We were able to move these Rohingya as most of our compatriots in Aceh have already expressed concern and were against their presence here,” said one of the coordinators of Wednesday’s action.
Outrage over parish council’s “barbaric” punishment to questioning youth
A Kerala parish council’s “barbaric” punishment to a youth during Christmas midnight Mass has triggered condemnation in the southern Indian state.
“Today I heard the news that the young man was brought to his knees to apologize. The sting of the action still hasn’t gone away, and the shame of it coming from a religious group that I belong to is overwhelming me,” laments Father Aji Puthiyaparambil, who left active priestly ministry a few months ago to fight corruption in the Church.
The 46-year-old priest says the “barbaric punishment” took place on Christmas, the “birthday of the one who forgave those who insulted him even in his last breath.”
Earlier, marunandanmala-yalee.com, a YouTube channel, reported the incident with the headline, “A parish gives barbaric punishment to a youth. Kerala is shocked.”
According to the December 27 report, the parish committee of St Andrews Church, Karumkulam, had asked a young parishioner named Minroose to walk on his knees from the church’s main door to the altar before apologizing.
The YouTube channel shows the man walking on his knees before apologizing from the pulpit. The man, who claimed he was an illiterate fisherman, said the committee had asked him to apologize in the church for questioning its decision on a church property.
87 tribal Christians buried months after Manipur riots
Thousands of Christians paid their last respects to 87 indigenous Christians during a mass funeral on Dec. 20, eight months after sectarian violence rocked India’s hilly state of Manipur.
The victims from the Kuki and Zomi communities were buried in separate places in Churachandpur district, where the strife started on May 3, claiming 200 lives.
“We buried 87 people in two different places in two sessions,” Barnabas Simte, district president of the All-Manipur Catholic Union, told UCA News on Dec. 20.
“The bodies included those airlifted from capital Imphal and those kept in the district hospital,” Simte added.
The government airlifted 60 bodies of indigenous Kukis from Imphal on Dec. 14 as the authorities feared transporting them by road could fuel fresh tension.
Their burial was sanctioned on Nov. 28 by the Supreme Court, India’s top court.
According to government records, 175 bodies mostly of indigenous people were preserved in mortuaries.
The top court ordered the government to hand over the bodies to their relatives and dispose of the unidentified bodies.
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists come together in Natore for Christmas, the feast of harmony
Christmas was marked by interfaith harmony and sharing with members of different religions united to celebrate the joy of the birth of Jesus in Natore, a district in Rajshahi Division, experiencing moments of intense participation in the name of rebirth, new beginnings, forgiveness, and peace in a country that once experienced sectarian tensions.
Trees adorned with lights and decorations illuminated the surroundings, accompanied by special prayers in churches and Christmas carols and hymns of joy in Christian homes.
The celebration crossed religious boundaries with members of the Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist communities united in stressing that “Christmas is a universal celebration.”
Robiul Islam, a young Muslim from Natore, spoke to AsiaNews about his experience. ”I joined the Christmas party with my friend Jonathan Gomes. We sang Christmas carols, enjoyed delicious food, including the Christmas cake,” he said. Stressing the strong bond between faiths, he said that Jonathan had previously participated in Eid (Islamic) celebrations with his family.
On Christmas Day, the parish of Bonpara, Natore, organised a convivial moment after the Mass with local Christians sharing Christmas cake and songs with people of different faiths.
Siddiqur Rahman Patwari, a Muslim leader and member of Parliament, as well as other political leaders, attended the event, bringing greetings to the Catholic community.
Patwari expressed gratitude to the missionaries from the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) for their major role in local development. He also highlighted local religious harmony, expressing hope that it would continue in the future.
Conversion case: Church rejoices after priest, others get bail
Church groups in India on December 20 expressed joy after a court granted bail to a priest and three Catholics in judicial custody for nearly three months for allegedly violating an anti-conversion law.
The Allahabad High Court, the top court of Uttar Pradesh in northern India, granted bail to Father Babu Francis, the director of social work in Allahabad diocese and others on December 18.
“With God’s grace and your prayers Fr. Babu Francis has been granted bail. We received the bail order at 5:10 pm today. He will come out very soon along with others. Let’s thank God for His great gift for Christmas 2023,” said a message from Bishop Louis Mascarenhas of Allahabad addressed to his people.
The prelate urged the priests, nuns and Brothers in the diocese to offer a thanksgiving Mass on December 21.
While thanking his people for their “constant prayers and support during this difficult time,” the bishop pointed out that “their innocent suffering will not go in vain, it will strengthen the Church and faith to work for the Lord.”
Pray for Manipur, conflict regions: Catholic bishops’ Christmas message
The head of the Catholic Church in India on Christmas eve called for prayers for war-torn regions of the world, including Manipur in the country.
“In the spirit of Christmas, I earnestly request your prayers for those in violence-affected and war-torn regions of our world, including the state of Manipur in our beloved country, and the conflict zones of Israel-Palestine war, and Ukraine,” says the Christmas message from Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.
Ethnic violence has raged in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur since May 3, rendering thousands homeless.
The prelate wants the “collective prayers” to become a beacon of hope and healing for those enduring the harsh realities of conflict.
“As we celebrate the joyous occasion of Christmas and welcome the dawn of the New Year, I, along with all the Catholic bishops in India, extend heartfelt greetings to each one of you. May this season be filled with the love, peace, and joy that the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ brings into our lives.”
Archbishop Thazhath prays for the coming year to “witness a transformation, where peace triumphs over discord, and compassion reigns over cruelty, fostering understanding and harmony in the troubled areas of Manipur and bringing solace to the people of Israel, Palestine, and Ukraine.”
The Indian Church leader wants those celebrating the festival to pause to reflect on Christmas’ true essence. “It is not merely about Santa Claus and Christmas trees adorned with glittering ornaments. Christmas is, above all, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, whose life embodies the principles of love, justice, and compassion.”
Manipur, Archbishop of Imphal: ‘At Christmas God unites us beyond any tribe, language or culture’
“We are approaching Christmas” and “traditionally we look forward to this great celebration”, but “this year several parishes in our archdiocese will not be able to carry out Christmas liturgies or gather families and loved ones as happened in the past due to ethnic violence.” For this reason the Church invites us to “refrain from grandiose festive celebrations”.
With these words the archbishop of Imphal, Msgr. Linus Neli, addresses the Christians of the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur in his Christmas letter. The clashes broke out in May and involved the main tribal groups in the region, the Kuki and the Meitei. Despite a decline in violence, the situation continues to remain tense.
“God adds joy to our hearts by gathering the human family around his Son regardless of race, tribe, language, culture, status, gender or community. We are all one in humanity”, underlined the archbishop.
But around the world there are different situations in which Christmas celebrations are interrupted due to violence: “The same difficulty prevails in many parts of the world due to wars and conflicts. Many suffer from stress and anxiety while staying in shelters for an extended period of time.”
India Christians welcome state election win by main Modi rival party
A senior Indian cardinal has welcomed a new state administration led by a party which represents the main rival to the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party, and which came to power in part on the basis on promises to respect minority rights.
Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad congratulated A. Revanth Reddy of the Congress Party, who led his coalition to victory in Telangana state in the south-central region of India on Nov. 30 and who recently took office as the state’s Chief Minister.
“Revanth Reddy’s ascension to this significant responsibility reflects the trust and confidence vested in his leadership capabilities by the people of our vibrant state,” said Poola, who also leads the Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council (TCBC).
“Revanth Reddy embarks on a new journey. We are optimistic that under his leadership, Telangana will continue to prosper and flourish, reaching new heights of development and inclusivity,” said Poola, the first cardinal from India’s traditionally marginalized Dalit community.
“The Archdiocese of Hyderabad and the TCBC are eager to collaborate and support Revanth Reddy’s vision for a harmonious, progressive and equitable Telangana state,” he said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to contributing to the welfare and upliftment of our communities, working hand in hand with the new government for the greater good of all citizens.”