From The States

Christians surprised as High Court admits forced conversion petition

Christians in Tamil Nadu have expressed surprise that the state’s high court has admitted a public interest litigation to stop forcible conversion of students in schools. The bench of Justices R. Madhavan and S. Ananthi of the Madras High Court on May 6 admitted the petition and posted the matter to a regular bench on […]

Nobel laureate and physicist Wilczek wins Templeton Prize

Frank Wilczek, the Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author renowned for his boundary-pushing investigations into the fundamental laws of nature, was honored Wednesday with this year’s prestigious Templeton Prize, awarded to individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality. In a statement, the John Templeton Foundation praised the 70-year-old Wilczek for transforming […]

Stan Swamy’s sacrifice recalled as Supreme Court pauses sedition law

Christian activists in India on May 11 recalled “the sacrifice” of Jesuit Father Stan Swamy while welcoming the Supreme Court order to keep the country’s sedition law on abeyance. Father Stan, as he was popularly known, died July 5, 2021, in a Mumbai hospital as an undertrial prisoner. A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice […]

Indian Christians arrested for attending Maundy Thursday service

Police in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state charged 55 Christians who took part in a Maundy Thursday service with violating a law that criminalizes religious conversion following complaints by right-wing Hindu groups. Among them, 26 people were arrested and later released on bail, but police say they are searching for others included in the first information […]

Church opens Indian state’s first palliative care centre

The Catholic Church has set up the first-ever palliative care centre in Nagaland, a Christian-majority state in northeast India. The St. Joseph Pain and Palliative Care Centre at Chumukedima, near the state’s commercial hub of Dimapur, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, a Baptist Christian, on April 24. The centre is an initiative of […]

Indian faith leaders pledge unity during Ramadan

Leaders of different faiths at the first-ever iftar organized by the Archdiocese of Delhi pledged to remain united amid sectarian violence and growing unrest in India. The iftar or evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset was a symbolic gesture to show solidarity with members of the national capital’s Islamic […]

Bishop who strengthened tribal Church in south Rajasthan dies

Emeritus Bishop Joseph Pathalil, the first prelate of Udaipur diocese in Rajasthan, died April 14 after a long illness. He was 85. The death occurred at 12 noon at Paras KJ Hospital in Udaipur. A message from Bishop Devprasad Ganawa of Udaipur said his predecessor had developed some breathing difficulties in the morning and was […]

Angel Voice’s priest founder dies

Father Kuriakose Kachiramattom, the founder director of the nationally famous Christian music troupe – Angel Voice Gospel Music Group — died April 22. He was 79. The death occurred in the after-noon at Lissie Hospital in Ernakulam, Kochi. Father Kachiramattom be-longed to Kothamangalam Syro-Malabar Eparchy.

Indian bishops slam terror attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India