From The States

Indian pastor, 4 others jailed for religious conversion

Five people, including a pastor, have been jailed for religious con-version in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Police said Pastor Gerald Massey Mathews of the Dasna Church, and the others were arrested for converting people under the pretext of curing their illnesses and offering their children a quality education. Uttar Pradesh is ruled […]

Tribal Christians avoid travel fearing attack in India’s Manipur

A tribal body in India’s strife-torn Manipur has announced a four-day travel advisory for Christians, cautioning them against an impending attack by their rival Hindu group. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) on Sept. 24 urged Kuki-Zo tribal Christians in the hilly state in north-eastern India not to venture out of their areas as the […]

Catholic psychologists meet at Kolkata

A convention of psychologists has stressed the need for mental health workers caring for themselves while attending to other people’s mental health. As many as 75 Catholic psychologists from 12 Indian states attended the 25th annual convention of the Conference of Catholic Psychologists of India (CCPI) in Kolkata. Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata presided over […]

Five held for luring ‘rat-eating’ Indians to Christianity

Three Nepali nationals and two Indians have been arrested by police in the northern Indian border state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly luring a “rat-eat-ing,” socially backward and marginalized community to embrace Christianity. Police raided a Sunday prayer service in Bhedihari, a village on the Indian-Nepalese border and arrested Bhim Ba-hadur Gurung, his wife, Vishnu […]

Indian court rejects child trafficking case against Christian leader

The top court of a central Indian state has quashed a cri-minal case of child trafficking against a Protestant leader, say-ing it was ill-intended and meant to damage his image. The Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court “quashed the false case on Sept. 23,” said Shashank Shekhar, a lawyer representing Ajay Lall, founder of […]

Nuns prioritize young Catholics to keep them in Church

Catholic women religious in India have enhanced their youth ministry, with the aim to bring young people closer to the church and their traditions. “This involves not only working on their faith formation, skills training or academic excellence, but [also] understanding and accepting them as they are with their dreams, weaknesses and strengths,” said Apostolic […]

Indian diocese to appeal against court order to pay compensation

Gorakhpur diocese in Uttar Pradesh state has been asked to pay for ‘encroaching’ on land it took on lease from govt. An Indian diocese has decided to appeal against a court order to pay compensation to a villager for occu-pying his land in a northern state. The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh on Sept. […]

Internet shut down in India’s strife-torn Manipur

A ban imposed after protest by women and students from the Meitei Hindu community turned violent on Sept. 9 A five-day ban on internet services came into force on Sept. 10. in India’s Manipur state where tribal Christians and majority Hindus have been fighting for over 16 months. The “temporary suspension” started on Sept. 10 […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica