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Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica

About 700 people, mostly Catho-lics, marched through Old Goa, the colonial-era Portuguese capital, to protest a government plan for a tourism project near the Bom Jesus Basilica, the 16th-century church that houses the relics of Saint Francis Xavier. Environmentalists and resi-dents of Old Goa joined the protest at the popular pilgrimage site on Mar. 23 […]

Protest-leading Indian bishop faces forest trespassing charges

An 88-year-old Catholic bishop and 23 others are facing legal action in southern Indian Kerala state for entering a restricted forest after they led a march demanding the reopening of a blocked public road. Kerala State Forest Department filed charges against retired Bishop George Punnakottil of Kothamangalam and others, including elected representatives, for violating forest […]

Indian court drops contempt charges against 5 Salesian priests

A court in northeastern India has dropped contempt of court charges leveled at five Salesian priests after they submitted a written apology. The priests in Meghalaya state were facing charges after they allegedly demolished a school building owned by their Salesian congregation without the court’s say so. However, after having apologized, the state High Court […]

Media, govt blamed for anti-Christian campaign in Indian state

A six-member team that studied reasons for increased hostility toward Christians in an eastern Indian district have blamed the media and a new government for causing the problem. “A few local daily newspapers played a villainous role in escalating the hate campaign against Christians,” the team said in a March 15 report after touring Balasore […]

Thieves target Catholic Church in eastern India

Thieves have ransacked and desecrated a Catholic Church in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, stealing the tabernacle containing the Holy Eucharist and money from the donation box, sources confirmed. The incident targeting the Holy Family Church in Sambalpur diocese, about 390 kilometres south of the state capital Bhubaneswar, took place on the night of […]

Indian Church leaders slam Hindu seer’s ‘conversion’ charge

Church leaders and a Christian law-maker have slammed a popular Hindu spiritual leader for accusing Christian school teachers in western India’s Gujarat state of converting students to Christianity. Morari Bapu claimed that 75% of govern-ment school teachers in Gujarati’s tribal-dominated Tapi district are Christians and “are actively involved in converting students to Christianity.” The spiritual […]

Burial refusal forces Christians to become Hindus in eastern India

Four members of a Christian family have been forced to become Hindus to bury the head of their family in a Hindu-majority tribal village in eastern India’s Odisha state, relatives said. Hindus at Siunaguda village in Nabarangpur district refused to bury Kesab Santa, 70, in the village burial ground unless the family members converted to […]

Indian Capuchin donates body for medical studies

The Capuchin Catholic religious order in India has donated the body of a member priest for medical research and studies, following the rare wish of the dead priest. Capuchin Father Xavier Vadakkekara, a former editor of the Catholic newsweekly Indian Currents, died in New Delhi at 72 on March 16. His body was handed over […]