Light of Truth

Category: From The States

  • Caritas India Sets Up A Task Force Against Coronavirus

    Caritas India Sets Up A Task Force Against Coronavirus

    Caritas India plans to set up an emergency task force to meet the corona virus epidemic spreading across the country. The social action wing of the Catholic bishops in India also plans to hold an emergency meeting at the national level to evaluate the situation and plan the next course of action, says its executive director Fr Paul Moonjely.

    Caritas India is already involved in the corona virus emergency. “We are going to reach out to isolated communities and support them,” Fr Moonjely explained to asianews.it.

    As part of its strategy, the Catholic charity’s public relations and communications manager Patrick Hansda issued an advisory for all the staff, partners and beneficiaries, urging them to follow prevention instructions to reduce the risk of contagion. Meanwhile, the outbreak continues to progress across the country. A 64-year-old man died in Mumbai on March 17, taking the number of corona virus-linked deaths in the country to three. The total number of infected people has reached 142, including the first positive case in West Bengal.

    The government has stopped incoming travel from the European Union, Malaysia, Philippines and Afghanistan. As the questions over the lack of mass testing grows louder, the Indian Council of Medical Research said they are working on the inclusion of private laboratories in the testing process and considering the possibility of testing people who have no travel history, reports ndtv.com.

  • FORMER CHRIST UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR ELECTED CARMELITE CHIEF

    FORMER CHRIST UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR ELECTED CARMELITE CHIEF

    Father Thomas Chathamparampil, former vice-chancellor of Christ University in Bengaluru, was on March 13 elected the prior general of the Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI), a Kerala-based congregation. He succeeds Father Paul Achandy, the current prior general.

  • HENRY MARTYN INSTITUTE HONOURS JESUIT EDUCATIONIST, MUSLIM SCHOLAR

    HENRY MARTYN INSTITUTE HONOURS JESUIT EDUCATIONIST, MUSLIM SCHOLAR

    The Henry Martyn Institute in Hyderabad, a pioneering specialized institute of Islamic studies, has honoured a Jesuit educationalist and a Muslim scholar for their contribution to Muslim-Christian relations.

    Church of South India Bishop Pushpa Lolita, vice-chairperson of Henry Martyn Institute, on March 18 conferred Doctor Litterarum on Jesuit Fr Thomas V Kunnunkal, the president of Islamic Studies Association of Delhi, and Akhtarul Wasey, professor emeritus, Islamic Studies and the president of Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

  • Corona virus: Catholic Priest’s Ambulance Service Helps Stranded Patients

    Corona virus: Catholic Priest’s Ambulance Service Helps Stranded Patients

    A Catholic priest, Fr Jomon Chempakasseril of the Kannur diocese is making waves in Kerala with his ambulance service to help the poor during the nation wide lockdown to contain corona virus pandemic. “I decided to start the service since nobody was willing to take patients to hospitals out of fear…”

  • CORONAVIRUS: TERESA SISTERS TO PROTECT ‘POOREST OF THE POOR’

    As the number of positive tests for corona virus in India topped 150, members of the Missionaries of Charity – the order founded by St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta to serve the poorest of the poor – are working to keep those cared for in their institutions safe. Over 200 people live or work in the Shanti Daan home, run by the Missionaries of Charity brothers in Mumbai. The home’s 175 residents suffer from physical and developmental disabilities. “We take people from the streets, the destitute, they are mostly challenged, both physically and mentally, we go and pick them up. Dying destitute in the streets, pavements, gutters, bus-stops, railway stations and public places,” said Brother Alexius. “The destitute is generally in a condition of malnutrition, chronic illness, suffering with open and festering wounds, often with infections of maggots, severe tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc, some are completely dependent on us, even for basic needs like bathing, etc.,” he told Crux.

  • GOVERNMENT SAYS NO INFO ON GABRIEL SENA: ARCHDIOCESE RELIEVED

    The federal Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says the government has no information about the Church’s “Gabriel Sena.” The government declaration has brought relief to Tellicherry archdiocese in Kerala that was caught in a controversy after reports surfaced about it raising the sena, a unit of retired military and paramilitary men “for furthering the Church’s interests.”
  • Bangalore Parish To Follow Ten commandments To Help Poor

    Bangalore Parish To Follow Ten commandments To Help Poor

    A parish under the Archdiocese of Bangalore has decided to follow a new set of ten commandments as part of its observation of the Year of the Poor.

    The Don Bosco Church in Bengaluru, capital city of Karnataka State, will follow a simple lifestyle, avoid culture of waste, educate poor children, feed the hungry, heal the sick, support the imprisoned, welcome immigrants, provide shelter to the homeless and show concern for the differently abled and the marginalized and offer employment opportunities to the poor. Father Aloysius Santiago, the pastor, said these moves are the Salesian parish’s response to a circular from Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore that declared 2020 as the Year of the Poor.

    Father Santiago, his assistants Fathers Stanley George, James Sunder and Sunder joined lay and youth representatives to light the lamp as a symbol of opening the year. Father Sunder read out the action plan containing the ten commandments proposed by the archbishop to be observed during the year.

    In his homily the parish priest asked people to follow the archbishop’s directives to alleviate poverty in the parish. He also urged the people to help him educate girl children from the new academic year. He said the presence of the Catholic community in the slums near by the parish is to radiate God’s goodness to the people. He said children should not be deprived of quality education because they are poor. The inauguration ended with the recitation of the prayer for the Year of the poor as given in the circular.

    Archbishop Machado, in a recent circular, exhorted all to imbibe the spirit of Saint Joseph as whose feast falls on March 19. He expressed the hope the foster father of Jesus would “certainly inspire us to reach out to the poor and marginalized, especially in this Year of the Poor in our Archdiocese.”

    St Joseph is referred to as the patron of the poor. Though poor, the saint is referred in the Bible as a “just man,” a man who did justice to everybody, both in his role as the head of the Holy Family and as a man of dignity who was proud of his poor profession.

  • Tribals, Dalits protest against CAA in New Delhi

    Tribals, Dalits protest against CAA in New Delhi

    Hundreds of Dalits, Tribals, Muslims and Christians from various parts of India gathered in New Delhi to protest against the implementation the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

    The March 4 protest at Jantar Mantar, near the Parliament building, was organized by Save Nation Save Constitution Committee, a civil rights group.

    “The unleashing of violence by anti social elements under the political backing on the citizens of the nation, particularly women from marginalized religious and caste communities around the country has led to a state of unprecedented insecurity among people,” says a statement issued by the organizers.

    The protesters expressed deep anxiety against CAA which is to be used as a ploy to divide the society based on the religious identity.

  • Archdiocese of Bombay dedicates pastoral centre to late Cardinal Pimenta

    Archdiocese of Bombay dedicates pastoral centre to late Cardinal Pimenta

    Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay celebrated a special memorial Mass at St John the Evangelist Church in Marol on March 1 in honor of his predecessor, who died 2013 at the age of 93. The parish was the home parish of the late cardinal, and was the place where he was buried after his death. Marol, a suburb of Bombay, was once under Portuguese control and considered a Catholic heart of the city. St John the Evangelist parish was founded in 1579.

    Pimenta served as Arch-bishop of Bombay from 1978-1996 and was created a cardinal in 1988 by St John Paul II.

    “I wanted to give Cardinal Pimenta a fitting memorial to mark his birth centenary,” Gracias told Crux.

    “I worked very closely with Pimenta, and was his close advisor, and we have to honor Pimenta’s pioneering initiative in Raighad. When Pimenta was appointed Archbishop of Bombay, the Catholic Church had no presence in Raighad,” the cardinal said.

  • Nun, hospital employee charged with conversion in India

    Nun, hospital employee charged with conversion in India

    Ucanews.com reported the charges came after Hindu activists barged into Sanjo Hospital in Mandya district and beat up its public relations officer, Solomon George, said Father Josekutty Kalayil, who is helping the hospital deal with the case.

    George and Sister Nirmal Jose, hospital administer, were accused of denigrating Hindu gods and attempting to convert Hindus, Kalayil told ucanews. com on March 4.

    George was granted bail March 3, two days after he was arrested, but the case continues in court, said the priest, who is helping the hospital deal with the case.

    Kalayil told ucanews.com the case started with an elderly man being admitted to the hospital with a complaint of high blood pressure on March 1. The next day, he sought to leave the hospital against medical advice.