From The States

China forces removal of Bible and Quran apps

American tech giant Apple has removed a Bible app and a Quran app from its App Store in China following requests from officials, triggering conde-mnation from rights groups over a further violation of religious freedom by the communist state. Apple confirmed to the BBC that the apps, Quran Majeed and Bible App by Olive Tree, […]

Catholic school in Madhya Pradesh ordered to install Hindu idol

Right-wing Hindu activists on October 25 served a 15-day ultimatum to Catholic school in the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh state to install in the campus an idol of Saraswati, the goddess of know-ledge. A 30-member delega-tion of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal met Father Augustine Chittupara-mbil, manager of Christ Jyoti Senior Secondary […]

Muslims shoot Christians, killing two and wounding several in Okara

More than 20 Muslims have attacked a Christian commu-nity in Punjab. The violence followed a row between two families over the irrigation of some fields in the Okara area. When a group of young Christians went back to water their fields, Muslims opened fire with guns and rifles. Two young Christians, Yaqub Mukhtar and Haroon […]

Indian Dalit Christians demand separate Catholic rite

Dalit Christian organiza-tions in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have demanded a separate rite for Dalit Catholics as a solution to caste-based discrimination in the Indian Church. Dalit Chri-stians have long wanted an end to caste-based discrimination in the Church and have in the past urged Pope Francis to create a Catholic rite […]

Archbishop, academicians, activists join forces to promote peace

A group of academicians and social activists came together under the leadership of Archbishop emeritus of Guwahati to promote peace at a time when the whole of Brahmaputra Valley is “in search of peace.” The occasion was the re-lease of an Assamese langua-ge book entitled Hanti Bisari (In Search of Peace) written by Archbishop Thomas […]

From Mumbai to Jerusalem, the synodal path begins in Asia

The Churches of Asia, in communion with Catholic communities around the world, yesterday marked the start of the two-year synodal path announced by Pope Francis centred on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”. The first phase, which entails listening to the whole people of God, will see individual dioceses take the lead. […]

Rally launched to promote communal harmony in Kerala

Leaders of various religious communities and social organizations have started a journey in the southern Indian state of Kerala to promote communal harmony and national integration. The journey named ‘Sarva Dharma Sadbhavana Yatra’ (Journey to foster goodwill among all religions, is an initiative of the Dharmabharathi mo-vement and promoted by a 16-member team. The journey […]

Displaying cross no sign of religious conversion, says Indian court

A top court in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has ruled that a Dalit Hindu woman marrying a Christian or displaying religious symbols such as the cross cannot be cited as reasons to revoke her scheduled caste (SC) community certification. The Madurai bench of Madras High Court held that hanging the cross on […]

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

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India