Church leaders in India have welcomed Pope Francis asking Cardinal Oswald Gracias to continue as the Bombay archdiocese. “It is good news. We welcome the cardinal’s extension as the Archbishop of Bombay,” Bishop Allwyn D’Silva told Matters India on January 28, responding to the Pope’s decision.

Cardinal Gracias had on November 30, 2019, submitted to the Pope in person his resignation from the archbishop’s post as he was to complete 75 years on Dec. 24 the same year.

A letter from the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples to Cardinal Gracias says the “Holy Father has asked you to continue ‘donec aliter provideatur (until other provision is made).”

The congregation’s on Dec. 6 letter expresses its gratitude to the cardinal for what he is doing for the service of the Church in Mumbai, in India and the Universal Church. “Permit me to add my own personal esteem and affection,” said Cardinal Filoni Fernando, prefect of the Vatican congregation.

Bishops of India’s eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church have urged the federal government to clarify amendments made to the country’s citizenship law on Jan. 11, a day after the new law came into force. The prelates’ call came during their ongoing Bishops’ Synod, the Church’s top decision-making gathering, at their headquarters in Kochi city in southern Kerala State.

Of the 64 bishops, 57 are attending the Jan. 7-15 Synod.

India’s federal government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 on Dec. 11, 2019.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) aims to grant citizenship to illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan if they are not Muslims. The new law also relaxes the requirement of residence in India from 11 years to five years for such migrants.

Since the amendment, the country has witnessed wide-spread violent protests seeking to scrap it on the grounds that it violates the secular fabric of the country as it was biased against Muslims.

“The secular character of our constitution shall not be under any doubt,” he said, explaining the reason for bishops seeking clarification. The bishop also urged the government to grant citizenship to refugees in the country with-out any religious discrimination.

Kochi, Jan 14, 2020: The issue of land deals has come up for discussion during the Synod session of the Syro-Malabar Church now under-way at the Church headquarters in Kochi.

Nine bishops of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese raised the issue on January 13 when a suggestion came up that the Synod could admit to the losses incurred because of the land deals.

Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Church who is entangled the land deal controversy, informed the members that the losses could not be recovered without selling the land.

The bishops wanted a clear declaration of the ways of restitution, instead of admission of lapses. To this, the cardinal said he had not made any monetary gains out of these deals. The bishops, however, suggested that the cardinal could explain his stand in the matter before the priests and laity and convince them.

The Synod is yet to release an official statement regarding the discussions and decisions taken in the meeting.

“There came some suggestions from the Synod regarding the ways in which the losses can be rectified but no official statement has been released by the Synod. Earlier, the Synod had accepted that severe lapses occurred from the cardinal’s part,” said a source in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese.

A source said the coming days of the Synod meeting are crucial. “As Synod concludes on Wednesday (January 15), some major decisions will be taken,” he said. The Synod began on January 7.

India’s Supreme Court has agreed to examine a petition calling for Dalit Christians to be afforded the same social benefits given to Dalit people from other religions and has informed the federal government about the matter.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the National Council of Dalit Christians (NCDC) seeking Scheduled Caste status for Dalit Christians.

Scheduled Caste is the official name given to lower castes that are now protected by the Indian government and offered special concessions such as civil service jobs and places in schools.

Christians are currently denied government benefits meant for the social welfare of poor people based on the argument that Christianity does follow the caste system.

The Supreme Court’s decision to review the petition was welcomed by Christian groups.

“It is a huge success for all of us as we have been longing for this day for decades. We all know that justice delayed is justice denied,” Father Vijay Kumar Nayak, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops’ office for Dalits and lower classes told UCA News.

“Different governments have come and gone, all gave assurances but nothing happened but at least now the Supreme Court has agreed to listen to us and we welcome it wholeheartedly,” he said.

“Whatever the outcome of this step, the future of the Dalit Christians looks brighter and we are hopeful that something good comes of this,” Father Nayak said.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and justices B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant issued notice to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Minorities and Registrar General of India that it will be reviewing the petition.