Indigenous Christians in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh say they are under increasing pressure to give up their faith due to mounting pressure from Hindu activists.
“Our people are being forced to give up Christianity and join the Hindu religion,” said Patrick Ganava, a Catholic from the predominantly tribal Jhabua district. He said Hindu activists and organizations were conducting special drives in villages to pressurize Christians, which was a cause for worry.
“There is propaganda against Chri-stians in the district but come what may we will not give up our faith in Jesus,” he told on November 16. The anti-Christian campaign, coupled with police arrests of 10 Christians including six pastors on Nov. 10 for alleged religious conversion, has emboldened right-wing Hindu groups, Ganava said.
“It is unfortunate that we are being portrayed as people working only for converting people to Christianity,” said Father Rocky Shah, public relations officer of Jhabua Catholic Diocese.
The priest said he took the initiative and wrote in local newspapers explaining Christian worship and baptism, trying to clarify common misconceptions. “But nothing changed. The situation is such that our prayer services are being falsely depicted as religious conversion activity,” Father Shah told.
He recounted how a mob of over 1,000 tried to demolish a more than a century old grotto of Mother Mary on Nov. 10 in Thandla in their diocese, but the timely intervention of the police saved it. But the mob persisted with their demand for demolishing the grotto, alleging it was serving as a spot for conversion activities.
“Earlier, in September, they threatened to demolish churches that were built illegally at the district headquarters. They are now moving into the interiors. Timely intervention by the police saved us so far, but we are not sure what will happen tomorrow,” the priest said.

Christians in India have welcomed a recent court order saying interfaith marriages need not wait for the nod from authorities as required under the new anti-conversion law in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Allahabad High Court directed that the marriages of 17 interfaith couples in the state be registered without insisting on or waiting for approval from the competent district authority with regard to the couples’ conversion of faith.
The court said the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Un-lawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, does not prohibit interfaith marriages, but indi-viduals marrying outside their religion “can be subjected to harassment” while dismissing the government’s contention that the couples had not got mandatory approval from the district authorities under the provisions of the law.
The Nov. 18 order, passed by Justice Suneet Kumar in a batch of petitions filed by interfaith couples who had entered wedlock after changing their religion, said that “freedom of religion and belief is a basic human right across civilized states, and the state cannot inquire into or take notice of a person’s religious or moral belief.”

The Indian Catholic Forum, a collective of Catho-lics in the country, plans to meet next year to seek the Church’s reform and renewal.
The February 5-6, 2022, program in Bengaluru, known as the Vatican of India, will stress sharing, praying, listening and dialoguing. The two-day deliberations would be recorded and synthesized, says a press note from the forum convener Kanpur-based chho-tebhai.
The meet on “Journeying Together – the Path Ahead” is expected to come up with a 10-page synthesis that would be sent to the Vatican by April 2022, it adds.
The program, the press note says, will have no chief guests, ceremonials or keynote speakers in the spirit of the Synod. “Jesus will be the chief guest and every participant will be a guest of honor,” the press note says.
Pope Francis has called the Synod during 2022-2023.

Catholics in the eastern Indian state of Odisha are celebrating the ordination of a priest who was a victim of India’s worst anti-Christian violence. Fr Vikash Nayak, 29, who hails from Tiangia village in Kandhamal district, was ordained on November 6 by Archbishop Emeritus William D’Souza of Patna, the apostolic administrator of Buxar Diocese in the neighboring state of Bihar.
He visited his village on Nov. 13 and concelebrated his first Eucharist with local people amid much joy and happiness.
In 2008, Father Nayak’s village witnessed seven casua-lties including a Catholic priest, Father Bernard Digal, during violence that followed the murder of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who was shot dead by Maoist rebels on Aug. 23, the day Janmashtami or the birth of Lord Krishna was being celebrated.
Local Christians including a 13-year-old boy were cornered by irate Hindu mobs, beaten and abandoned at the police station. Then a leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or World Assembly of Hindus, made public their names and declared them accused in the killing of the Hindu leader.
The murder was declared as a “Christian conspiracy” and violence was unleashed against the minority community.

A Muslim body in Kerala has filed a case against a Catholic bishop for allegedly promoting disharmony, enmity and hatred between two religious communities in the southern Indian state.
The police in Kuravilangad town in Kottayam district November 1 registered the case against Bp Joseph Kallarangatt of Palai for his controversial remarks on “narcotic jihad” almost two months ago.
The Police said the case was registered following a complaint from the All India Imams Council. “The case follows a direction in this regard by the Pala [Palai] magistrate court,” said Shilpa Dyavaiah, district police chief in Kottayam. Palai is a major town in Kottayam district.
Abdul Asees Moulavi, district president of the Muslim council, alleged that the police had initially refused to register a case against the bishop, even after making formal complaints at the Kuravilangad station and to the district police chief.
So, he approached the Palai magistrate court that in turn ordered the police to register a First Information Report against the prelate and probe the alleged charges against him.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla has called on Arunachal Pradesh’s two Catholic bishops and dis-cussed crucial issues affecting Christians in the north-eastern Indian state and the country.
The minister was on a five-day tour that ended October 31. He met Bishop John Thomas of Itanagar on October 28 and Bishop George Pallipparambil two days later at their residences.
Bishop Thomas expressed happiness at the minister’s visit which he said was a recognition of the presence of minorities in the state.
The minister was apprised of the difficulties faced by the minorities, especially Christians, in various states of India.
Minister Barla with Arunachal children “We are happy that the minister gave us a patient hearing to our concerns and assured us that all our concerns would be addressed,” Bishop Thomas said.
Barla met Bishop Pallipparambil on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Welcoming the minister on his maiden visit to the state, the Salesian bishop said, “It is indeed a happy coincidence that our Honorable Minister, John Barla, is here with us in Miao diocese when our Prime Minister is making his maiden visit to the Holy Father.”

India’s top court has agreed to hear a dispute between Christians and Muslims over minority scholarships for students after accepting an appeal filed by Kerala’s state government. The Supreme Court bench of Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice B.R. Gavai on Oct. 29 ordered to serve notices on all the parties listed in the appeal as respondents. The communist-ruled Kerala government in southern India moved the top court challenging an order by Kerala High Court to quash the 80:20 ratio for distributing scholarships meant for minority communities.

Christians of former low caste or Dalit origin face several forms of discrimination within the Catholic Church but they never abandon their faith in Christ, says Sister Robancy Amal Helen, who has been working for the community.
The 33-year-old member of Idente Missionaries (Religious Institute of Christ the Redeemer), a new form of consecrated life of pontifical right, has campaigned and advocated for equality and justice for Dalits in the Catholic Church in India, especially women. As part of her campaign, she coordinated Dalit programs for the community when she worked for the New Delhi-based Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India from 2014 to 2019.
Sister Helen assisted in drafting a policy for Dalit empowerment for the church in India. The policy was published by the bishops’ Office for Scheduled Castes (such as the Dalits) and Backward Classes.
Currently, Sister Helen is an executive editor of the Dalit Christian Digest, a news portal. She also edits and writes for Urimai, (which means “Right” in Tamil), a monthly magazine for Dalit Christians published by the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council. “The Indian bishops’ Dalit empowerment policy says, Dalits, although historically the daughters and sons of the soil, are today alienated from society and are silenced. India’s caste system treats Dalits as outcasts. They are robbed of dignity and the basic necessities of life. They are treated as children of a lesser God in Indian society. They are targets of discrimination and have been tortured and killed.
Some Dalits converted to Christianity hoping that they would find dignity and equality in the church. But sadly the caste system is practiced in Christianity, too. The Dalit Christians are deprived of opportunities in church leadership, education and employment. There are separate churches, cemeteries and hearse carts for the Dalits and upper-caste Christians.
But I have observed that the Dalit Christians are deeply rooted in their faith and they never abandon their faith in Christ, whatever the discrimination they face within the church.” She said the Church’s Dalit policy says Dalits account for 12 million among 19 million Catholics in India. But their representation in the hierarchy of the Church is not proportional.
Although Dalits are the majority in the Catholic Church, they are not treated equally. The Dalit Christian children are not allowed to serve the altar or to become lectors. Most so-called upper-caste priests do not visit the houses of Dalit Christians. We see this discrimination even in the appointment of bishops. Among India’s 174 dioceses only 11 bishops are from the Dalit Christian community.

Young Catholics in Tamil Nadu are in the forefront of rescue and relief operations among the flood victims in the southern Indian state.
Some hundred youth from various parishes of the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore “promptly swung into action” as the flooding affected reportedly more than 500 residential areas in Chennai, the state capital, Father Ronald Richard, secretary of the archdiocese’s youth commission told Matters India on November 12.