Login      Register  
Subscription

Carmelites bring back down-to-earth priest as leader

The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the largest men’s congregation of the Syro-Malabar Church, has elected Father Paul Achandy as its prior general for the second time. The election was held on March 19 during the 39th General Chapter at Chavara Hills in Kochi. Father Achandy, 62, had earlier served as prior general for six […]

Maharashtra becomes latest Indian state to pass anti-conversion law

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on March 16 passed the Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, despite opposition from Christian groups and some political parties. The bill will become law after approval by the Legislative Council and the state governor. The move makes Maharashtra the latest state to introduce a law regulating religious conversions. The ruling Bharatiya […]

Christian teenager forced to chant Hindu slogan by mob in Indian state

Christian leaders in Chhattisgarh have expressed serious concern after a teenage Christian boy was allegedly assaulted by a mob and forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram.” A video of the incident, reportedly from Champa district, appeared on social media on March 18. It shows the boy being slapped, held by his collar, and forced to […]

First bishop of Kuzhithurai, Tamil Nadu, dies

Bishop Emeritus Jerome Dhas Varuvel of the Diocese of Kuzhithurai passed away on March 24 at the age of 74. He died at 1:30 am at the Care Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Chennai. The bishop had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and Dementia and was under treatment at Kauvery Hospital […]

Priest’s academy produces world-class sportsmen

On a quiet hilltop in Kerala, St. Ephrem’s Sports Academy has been transforming young lives through sports and values for more than two decades. Guided by Carmelite priest Father Antony Kanjirathinkal, the academy has become a strong center for nurturing talent, especially in basketball. Founded in 2003 under St. Ephrem’s Higher Secondary School in Mannanam, […]

Northeast Church mourns first native chief of indigenous congregation

The Catholic Church in northeastern India is mourning the passing of Mother Mary Rose Thapa, the first native superior general of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians. She died on March 22 at 6:10 am in Guwahati, Assam, due to age-related illness. She was 91. Mother Thapa had received the Sacrament of the […]

Nun who serves as government medical officer in remote village

Sister Jean Rose has become the first Catholic nun to serve as a medical officer in a government hospital in Kerala. A member of the Sisters of the Destitute, she works at the Community Health Centre in Marayoor, a remote tribal area in Idukki district. Usually, Catholic nuns with medical degrees serve in Church-run hospitals. […]

Christians protest exams on Maundy Thursday, Easter

Catholic organizations in Kerala have raised strong objections to the scheduling of national-level entrance examinations on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday, urging authorities to reconsider the dates. The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) on March 23 called on officials to withdraw the plan to conduct all-India engineering entrance exams on these important Christian feast days. […]