From The States

Indian police file complaint months after politician mocked Christ

Christian leaders in the central Indian Chhattisgarh state say police have regi-stered their complaint against a state legislative member following four months of persuasion after the politician allegedly in-sulted Jesus Christ. State police registered the complaint by Chhattisgarh’s Christian Forum against legislative member Raymuni Bhagat on Jan. 7. Forum president Arun Pannalal said the police acted after […]

Church leaders oppose changes to Indian state’s forest laws

Catholic bishops of the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church have opposed changes to the forest law in southern Kerala state, saying the move could harm farmers amid a rising man-animal conflict. The Communist-led government has proposed amending the Kerala Forest Act of 1961 purportedly to suit current social needs and help better forest conservation. The amendments […]

Indian court hands burial ground back to Christians

A district authority in Maharashtra state in western India has been ordered to take back land encroached upon by a state minister and designate it as a multi-faith burial ground as per a directive the authority made eight years ago. Last week, the Bombay High Court ordered the Thane Municipal Corporation “to secure the land from illegal encroachment.” The […]

Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany Appointed Vicar of the Major Archbishop for the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly

His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and the Metro-politan Archbishop of Emakulam-Angamaly, appointed Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany as the Vicar of the Major Archbishop for the Archeparchy of Emakulam-Angamaly on January 11, 2025. This appoint-ment was made following the First Session of the XXXIII Synod of Bishops of the […]

Mumbai musicians release youth anthem for 2025 Jubilee

A group of musicians from Mum-bai has launched an album featuring 15 songs to mark the 2025th year of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The collection, titled “Jubilate Jesus 2025,” released on December 31, 2024, is an initiative by Tej-Prasarini, the media production house of the Mumbai Salesian province. The project was coordinated by […]

Fresh hope for settling dispute in Indian Orthodox Church

An order from India’s top court has rekindled hope for settling a property dispute between two warring factions of the Oriental Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, which is based in southern Kerala state. The Supreme Court, in its Dec. 21 order, told the Kerala state government to assess the facts while maintaining the “status quo […]

Seven Christians arrested for conversion in India

Seven Christians, including two pastors, have applied for bail in a court in a northern Indian state after they were arrested, accused of violating a sweeping anti-conversion law. “We applied for their bail at a local court in Sitapur in nor-thern Uttar Pradesh on Dec. 16,” said an activist extending legal help to the arrested […]

Cardinal Poola celebrates Christmas with transgender community

Cardinal Anthony Poola has joined the transgender community of Hyderabad, a southern Indian city, to cele-brate Christmas that many say has sent a message of inclusivity and Christian love for the margi-nalized. “True Christmas lies in embracing the poor and ne-glected, offering them accep-tance and dignity,” said Cardi-nal Poola, the Archbishop of Hyderabad and a […]

Salesians elect Maltese priest Fabio Attard as Don Bosco’s 11th successor

Pope Francis does not accept Cardinal Koch’s resignation: could continue at least until anniversary of Council of Nicea