National

Indian Church leaders scramble to defuse ‘crusader’ row

Church leaders have met the top leader of Sikhism after Sikhs objected to being called “crusaders” by unidentified pastors in a northern Indian Punjab state. The pastors alle-gedly called Sikh community members “crusaders” following a spate of attacks on the state’s Christians, who were accused of forced conversions. Christians account for 10 percent of Punjab’s […]

Odia Family Relieved As Catholic Nun Liberates Them From Bondage

A family in Odisha now thanks a Catholic nun for rescuing them from bonded labour in the southern Indian state. “I can finally breathe freely. I thank Sister Sujata pro-fusely,” says Deepthi Singh, who was held in bondage along with her husband in a brick kiln in Karnataka state’s Mallur district. The 22-year-old pregnant woman […]

Indian Church leaders back Amnesty’s Manipur relief camp call

Church leaders have concu-rred with a global rights group report that relief camps in Mani-pur in India’s northeast are “in dire need of support” after secta-rian strife uprooted more than 50,000 and killed over 220 people, most of them Christians. ”There is no doubt, Amnesty International has come out with the reality existing in Manipur” […]

Christian leaders ask India to repeal anti-conversion laws

A delegation of Christian leaders has urged India’s federal government to ask 11 states to repeal the sweeping anti-conversion laws, which they say target Christians. “The anti-conversion law has been weaponized to target religious minorities,” an eight-member delegation from the United Christian Forum (UCF) told federal minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. The delegation met the […]

Ways to end political isolation of Christians in India

Western-centric, religiously jingoistic, evangelical, insular, and apolitical are dominant constructs of Indian Christians. Often cocooned in the comfort of church pastoralism and doctrine, they are mostly active in community-centered social outreach, recreational activities and social relationships, and often responsive to societal concerns expressed through acts of charity, mercy and prayer. However, the 32.2 million Indian […]

Church leaders meet Indian PM, raise concerns over ‘attacks’

A delegation of Church lead-ers met with Indian Prime Mi-nister Narendra Modi on July 12, a month after he was elected to power for the third consecutive term, and expressed concerns about the increasing hostility Christians face in the country. Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, led the […]

Indian court denies bail to prelate, priest in excess fees case

The top court in a central Indian state has granted bail to a woman school principal but denied it to a Protestant bishop, a Catholic priest, and 12 others accused of charging exorbitant school fees. A single bench of Justice Maninder S Bhatti of Jabalpur High Court of Madhya Pradesh state has ordered the release […]

India’s new opposition leader visits strife-torn Manipur

Indigenous people in Manipur have sought the support of India’s new opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, to end a 14-month-old sectarian strife in their northeastern state, where tribal Christians are pitted against dominant Hindus. Gandhi visited the violence-hit state on July 8 after being elected opposition leader on June 26. “We appreciate Rahul visiting us and […]

Hindus call off rally through Christian villages in eastern India

Dayal among three awarded for promoting religious freedom, civil liberties