From The States

Nun who worked with street children murdered in Haiti

An Italian missionary who dedicated herself to working with street children in Haiti for more than 20 years, was murdered. Sister Luisa Dell’Orto, a Little Sister of the Gospel of Saint Charles de Foucauld, was shot during a robbery attempt on June 25.

Indian Catholics slam silence over Nigerian massacre

Catholics in India have questioned the silence of the global community over the brutal mass killing of Christians in southwest Nigeria recently and want it to take a strong stand against such atrocities. Scores of Catholics belonging to the Catholic Congress based in Kerala state in southern India staged a rally in Kottayam district, a […]

Vatican accepts court decision on Mulakkal case: Nuncio

Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, apostolic nuncio to India and Nepal, on June 11 said the Vatican has accepted the Indian court decision about Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar. The nuncio, who was on a two-day pastoral visit to Jalandhar, said this June 11 while addressing the priests of the diocese of Jalandhar. The nuncio said Bishop […]

Christians welcome Delhi High Court’s questions on forced conversion

Christian groups in India have welcomed the Delhi High Court questioning the basis for filing petitions on forced conversion. The bench of Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Tushar Rao Gedela on June 3 pointed out that conversion is not prohibited in India. “It’s a right of an individual to profess any religion, religion of his birth, […]

Rise in violence against churches alarms Christian forum

The United Christian Forum (UCF), an ecumenical group, has demanded urgent judicial and government intervention to check what it says is the rapid rise in incide-nts of violence, coercion and false arrests that traumatize the community. The persecution is most acute in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka; the UCF said […]

Diocesan Synod renews Church in Tripura

Nine months of the in-tense synodal meetings at different levels ended June 11 with the diocesan pre-Synodal meeting in Agartala, capital of the northeastern Indian state. As many as 92 representatives of laity, catechists, women’s groups, youth religious and priests attended the day-long prayer, reflection, discernment and planning for the future of the Church in […]

Nuns in Kochi bring light into ‘Enclave of Darkness’

A slum in this southwestern Indian city was once known as the “Enclave of Darkness” be-cause it was the den of thugs, alcoholics, drug runners and psychopaths. It is now called Udaya Colony (Sunrise Enclave) after Catholic nuns dared to enter it 33 years ago as part of their mission to reach people in the […]

The rise of priestly vocations in Southeast Asia

An average of one priest ministering to 8,000 souls is a sad picture of the priestly vocation unable to cope with the growing population. The 2021 Catholic Directory of the Philippines counted more than 120 active bishops and 10,470 priests serving 85 million Catholics. It’s the same number of clergy as 10 years ago while […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica