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 the opening of the September 20-22 convention at Seva Kendra that explored the theme, “Fostering Wellness – Innovative Approaches to Therapist Self-Care and Client Engagement.” Christian Brother Sunil Britto, the conference coordinator who introduced the theme: “Self-Compassion for Our Self-Care,” asked the participants to reflect on how they care for themselves while attending to the needs of their clients. Priya Puri, chief Clinical Psychologist and founder of “The Healing Space,” addressed the opening session on “The Therapist Dilemma.” She addressed the tension of being fully present for others while balancing one’s own needs. Shatabhisha Chatterjee, consultant Clinical Psychologist attached to Mental Health Foundation Kolkata who addressed trauma-informed care, introduced the therapists to Internal Family Systems theory, encouraging them to heal from vicarious trauma.

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 Gaya Devi, and Meena Ksha-triya, all Nepali citizens, and local residents Mangal and Ja-garnath on Sept. 22. According to news reports, Christian orga-nizations involved in religious conversion are active in the Musahar settlement area in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and largest state. According to India’s national human rights commission, the Musahars, a declared schedu-led caste of Dalits (former untouchables) under the Indian constitution, are living in the northern Indian states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are reported to be the poorest among the Dalits. Musahar means “rat eater” in the Bhojpuri lang-uage, spoken in Bihar where they constitute 2.2 million of the state’s 104 million people. “We came to know about it through news reports and local sources. The matter is under investigation. Hence, it is too early to say anything,” said Pastor Jiya Lal, based in Sul-tanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. In February, the police arrested four Christians from the same locality, Lal added. “However, we have no updates in that case,” the pastor told.
on Sept. 23.
Religious conversion is banned in Uttar Pradesh, where Christians constitute a mere 0.18 percent of its 200 million people. Ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2017, the Hindu-majority state enacted the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act in 2020 introduced by monk-turned-politician Yogi Adithyanad’s government. His right-wing government amended the draconian law in July this year which was passed by the state assembly in August. Under the amended legislation anyone will be able to file a police complaint, unlike before when only conversion victims, their parents and other close blood relatives could do so. Penalties will also get tougher with life imprisonment now a possibility in cases of forced conversions. The law will come into force once the state governor Anandiben Patel gives her nod, which is just a formality. “Since the [original] anti-conversion bill was passed in 2020, violence against the Christians has increased,” Uttar Pradesh-based Pastor Dinesh Kumar told UCA News on Sept. 23. Often allegations of religious conversion against Christians have proved false, he said. The BJP and its parent paramilitary outfit the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are against missionary activities of the Indian Church among India’s Dalits and indigenous people who are currently grouped under Hinduism. Dalits and indigenous people make up more than 25 percent of the South Asian nation’s mammoth 1.4 billion people. Uttar Pradesh ranks second among states with regard to anti-Christian violence, according to the United Christian Forum, an ecumenical group based in New Delhi

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 the Central India Christian Mission. The high court noted that the case against “the petitioner is sugar-coated with ill-intention and made to belittle his image in the soci-ety,” Shekhar told. Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district charged Lall in August with committing various offen-ses under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Child-ren) Act. Lall was accused of not sharing details of two children who stayed at his orphanage 15 years ago, which led to the registration of a case of child trafficking. The bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi sla-mmed the police for registering the false case. He said the action was initiated against Lall without a complaint or obje-ction from any children or their parents. The high court also noted the arbitrary role played by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a statutory federal body to protect the rights of children. “A well-orchestrated campaign and negative media coverage was carried out to malign the image of an insti-tution that extends a helping hand to poor children,” said Daniel John, a Catholic leader based in the state capital Bho-pal.

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 Carmel Sister Maria Nirmalini, who heads the women’s wing of the Conference of Religious India. Young people in India, she told Global Sisters Report, are losing their trust in an adult-dominated world and migrate to foreign countries in large numbers for freedom and growth, leaving their parents and their Christian heritage. Youth distancing from the church was first studied by the National Youth Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India in 2012, which found that church attendance had dropped during the teen and young adult years: Only 29 percent of youths continued attending church frequently while in college, and 40-50 percent of students in youth groups reportedly struggle in their faith after graduation. “It is high time we recognized this dangerous trend and be with the youth,” said Sister Nirmalini, who led the Conference of Religious India until May. “Youth are not going away from the church, but the church is moving away from them,” added the nun, who has spent decades as an educator. The women religious’ youth ministry received a boost in May at the conference’s triennial national assembly, which voiced concern over Catholic youths’ distancing from the church, as well as their mass migration. (According to the 2023 Indian Student Mobility Report, about 1.3 million students from India went overseas for studies in 2022, and the report’s authors predict that about 2 million students from India will be studying abroad by 2025.)

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. 10 asked the Gorakhpur diocese to pay along with the state government a compensa- tion of 1 million Indian rupees (US$11,910) to Bhola, the land owner who was identified by a single name.
“We are going to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court [the top court in the country] as we do not agree with its findings that the diocese illegally encroached upon the land,” said Gorakhpur diocese spokes-person Father Justin Cheruparambil.

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 at 3 p.m. and will end on Sept. 15 at 3 p.m., said the state government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Sept. 9, women and students from the Meitei Hindu community held a protest in the capital Imphal, which turned violent. The protesters wanted removal of top police officers and resignation of lawmakers for their failure to end the ethnic strife that claimed over 220 lives.

A young man who resigned a job in a multinational firm to join a semi-nary has died after he accidentally fell into a river and drowned. Brother Noel Felix Thekkekkara was doing his regency in an estate of Kalyan diocese in Sawantawadi, a town in Maharashtra state’s Sindhudurg district when the tragedy occurred. He was 29.

A professional youth group of company secretaries and chartered accountants in Siliguri marked this year’s Teacher’s Day by honouring school principals and senior teachers. Among the educators honoured by Marwari Yuva Manch was Salesian Father C.M. Paul, a lecturer of Sesian College Siliguri, West Bengal. Recognition was handed over on Sept. 8 by Inspector General of Sashatra Seema Bal, North Bengal, Sudhir Kumar, at an event held in Hotel Surya Grand Siliguri. The plaque given to Father Paul reads, “‘Saman’ proudly presented to Fr. C. M. Paul, SDB, Vice Principal of Sciences, Salesian College, on Sept. 8; in recognition of your selfless contribution as an educator.” After completing postgraduate studies in Mass Communication and Journalism from Fordham University New York and Salesian University Rome, Father Paul has been a lecturer at institutions such as St. Anthony’s College Shillong, Calcutta University Journalism Department, as well as Assam Don Bosco University and Salesian College Sonada Darjeeling, where he founded Mass Communication and Journalism departments. His professional contributions include being a reporter for South Asia Religious News (1981-1989), Union of Catholic Asia News (1989-2012), and Matters India (2013), as well as being accredited to the Vatican Press Office (2007-2010). Father Paul was editor of The Herald weekly Calcutta (1989-1991) and director of Salesian News Agency Rome (1992-1995), as well as two terms president of national Catholic media institutions for radio, television, and cinema (1999 to 2004), as well as serving on Central Board Film Certification Kolkata (2006-8). All India Marwari Yuva Manch is one of the largest volunteer organisations of youth in India, with chapters in major cities. Its primary goal is to support young people in contributing to community and country irrespective of caste, colour, or creed. The Manch was founded as a non-profit voluntary youth organisation on October 10, 1977, at Guwahati, Assam.

On this teacher’s day, a school in Odisha, which is the lifeline of many students and a ray of hope for many teachers, Vidya Jyoti Girls High School, Kahupani, a tribal hamlet in the Kutra Block of Sundargarh district, was established in 1982. The hamlet is some 20 km from the nearest town. Transport and communication facilities are remote in this area. Basked in the natural beauty, Kahupani has both traditional folks and migrating youth.The school’s inception was the locals’ dream, as their children could not get admission in schools in the city. Bishop Alphonse Bilung of Rourkela supported the local people in realising their dreams. In 1982, the Holy Spirit Sisters arrived in Kahupani and got involved in the school. It began as Janta School, hoping for the government’s aid in further development. However, to keep up the standard of education, the Catholic Sabha was entrusted with the school management. The school began to receive full grant aid in 1989. The goodwill didn’t last long. Soon, the school management was caught in a power struggle. The tussle among the staff led to the ceasing of grants-in-aid in 1995. That was a big blow for the school. Many staff members sought transfers and went away. But the generosity of a few teachers upheld the school. They decided to work for the students. Some worked for a meagre 400 rupees a month. But they had faith that the storms would clear one day and they would receive their rightful salaries.Their faith didn’t go in vain. After two decades in 2017, they received the grand-in-aid scale salary again. Within a couple of years, some of them retired. Their dedication to the cause was commendable. They literally did their duty without expecting the return.Sister Aloysia Lugun captained the school during those difficult years. It took a long legal battle to restore the grants in aid. Even though many bureaus turned their files down, she kept trying. A year before her retirement, the much-awaited salary issues were rectified. She stepped down with the feeling of doing justice to the school and her faithful colleagues. The school has not only contributed to nation-building but also provided a good number of vocations to the church. Nearly 100 of its alumni now serve as missionaries all over the world. The decisions of the locals, the bishop, and the dedicated teachers had helped them. Nothing much has changed even after four decades. As part of the T5 initiative of the previous government, the school has received minimum facelift with smart boards and a few infrastructural additions. The school now functions with minimum staff and a repeated history—a few get full salary, while others teach with the hope that one day their hard work will be paid. On Teachers Day, the country honours teachers for their dedicated service and their role in nation-building. They play the primary role in moulding socially responsible citizens. However, the teachers’ day is not the same for every teacher, even if their mission is similar. The differences such as government, private, aided, unaided, and semi-aided schools make a huge impact on the quality and productivity of the students and the teachers.

A Hindu group’s plan to campaign against cow slaughter in India’s Christian-majority Nagaland has invited criticism from several quarters, including the state’s ruling alliance. National-level Hindu leaders, such as Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Maharaj of Jyotirmath, are scheduled to arrive for the Gau Dhwaj Yatra (cow protection march) set for Sept. 28. However, the state’s political parties say such a march would go against the sentiments of the 1.97 million people in the state, where the majority—88 percent—are Christians. A statement from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which leads the state’s ruling alliance, said the “event would go against the sentiment of the majority of people.” m The march could disrupt the socio-religious harmony in the state, the statement added. Alliance partner, the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged the organisers “to reconsider the proposal.” The cow is a revered animal under Hinduism, and 20 of 28 Indian states have laws banning or regulating cow slaughter. The NDPP statement said the Nagaland legislature had already decided not to ban cow slaughter. The party observed that Nagaland became a state in 1963 under constitutional provisions safeguarding the social practices of its people, called the Nagas. In a statement, BJP Nagaland president Benjamin Yepthomi said the government of Nagaland should uphold the special provisions of the constitution. Two state legislators belonging to the Baptist Church also opposed the proposed event. Kuzholuzo Azo Nienu of the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) expressed “shock” at the announcement of such an event in Nagaland, where beef is a staple for most Naga people. The march would be “tantamount to infringement on freedom of individual rights to choice of food.” In 2017, the NPF organised a “beef festival” in the state capital, Kohima, to protest the move to ban cow slaughter. Lawmaker Imkong L. Imchen from the BJP said the proposed march will not aid the cause of the right-wing party in Nagaland. “Beef is the most delicious food for the Nagas,” he told UCA News. As many as 20 Indian states have laws regulating the act of slaughtering cows. Leaders of religious minorities, such as Christians and Muslims, say cow vigilante groups have stepped up violence since Modi came to power in 2014.