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India’s Syro-Malabar synod allows civil marriage before Church wedding

The Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church in India has conditionally allowed Catholic couples to have civil marriage before solemnizing it in the Church. “This is not for everyone. It is meant for those who live abroad or who want to move abroad with their prospective life partner,” said Father Abraham Kavilpurayidathil, the Church’s chancellor told on Oct. 20. Catholics, “who […]

Telangana Christians demand legislative seats, scholarships from political parties

Separate parliamentary and legislative seats, land for cemeteries and scholarships are among 20 demands Christian groups in Telangana have put forward to political parties in the southern Indian state. The Telangana State Federation of Churches, Telangana Council of Churches and Synod of Telangana, representing the entire Christian community in the state, had met in the […]

Blessed Rani Maria: Movie on nun martyr

Blessed Rani Maria stands out for many other reasons as well. She is on the road to sainthood today, which makes her life all the more endearing, memorable, and inspiring. She was born on January 29, 1954, nine months after I was born. She was given the baptismal name Mariam, after Mother Mary, the mother […]

Vatican approves beatification process for 35 Kandhamal martyrs

The Vatican has given a go-ahead to start the beatification process for 35 people who were martyred for their faith during the 2008 anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal in eastern India. A message from Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli to Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar says the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has granted […]

Christian group files complaint against Indian godman

A Christian organization in a northern Indian state has filed a police complaint against a Hindu godman, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments by making baseless statements on religious conversion.  Jatinder Gaurav of the Global Christian Action Committee said they complained against Dhirendra Krishna Shastri to the police in Amritsar, the holy city for Sikh people in Punjab […]

Screening in Rome of documentary about Jimmy Lai, jailed for more than a thousand days

“If you’re a bird, you’d rather die singing than living a silent life,” is a Chinese saying and starts off The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s extraordinary struggle for freedom, a documentary produced in 2022 by the Acton Institute whose premiere in Italy was held yesterday afternoon at the Institut Français Centre Saint-Louis in Rome. The film tells the […]

Danial, the Pakistani tailor who went from being destitute to becoming a ‘Good Samaritan’

Danial Masih, 46, is a tailor in the city of Faisalabad, Punjab. The father of three daughters and two sons, he has nine relatives who depend on him. Danial had a dream, making school uniforms for local Christian and public schools. However, for a long time, this project was out of his reach because he […]

Rare bail is granted to Pakistani Christian blasphemy duo

A rights group has hailed a Pakistani court’s granting of bail to a Christian couple accused of blasphemy for allegedly defiling the Quran and called for changes to the Muslim-majority nation’s blasphemy laws. In a press statement on Oct. 19, Nasir Saeed, director of the UK-based Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) called […]