South Asian Jesuits are seeking collaboration with secular groups and marginalized people to make the region more tolerant and peaceful. ‘Collaboration and network for harmony’ was the theme that 112 leaders of Jesuits in Social Action (JESA) discussed on October 13-15 in Pune, western India. Program organizer and JESA secretary Father Stanislaus Jebamalai told ucanews.com the meeting focused on the ideals of freedom, justice and tolerance. JESA was started in 1973 to coordinate the work of Jesuit social workers in South Asia. The Pune gathering came two months after the Jesuit Conference of South Asia circulated a document that stressed South Asian nations were struggling against economic inequalities, caste discrimination and cultural hegemony. The statement noted that in India and Pakistan fundamentalist forces threatened religious minorities as well as progressive individuals and organizations.

For centuries, Catholics in India have drawn support from and expressed their faith through the liturgies, traditions and spiri-tualities of three different rites; Pope Francis said it is time that all of them, no matter where they live in the country, have their own bishops.

The Vatican announced on 10 October that Pope Francis had created two new eparchies, or dioceses, for the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and extended the boundaries of two others. A letter from Pope Francis to all the bishops of India explained the move.

Close to 20 million Catholics live in India; the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church has about 4.2 million members and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church has about 450,000 faithful.

“In India, even after many centuries, Christians are only a small proportion of the population and, consequently, there is a particular need to demonstrate unity and to avoid any semblance of division,” Pope Francis wrote. But the different Catholic rites do not have to be a sign of division when they are, in fact, “a treasure” for the church.

“I have therefore authorized the Congregation for the Oriental Churches to provide for the pastoral care of the Syro-Malabar faithful throughout India by the erection of two Eparchies and by the extension of the boundaries of the two already in existence” Pope Francis wrote.

“I decree also that the new circumscriptions, as with those already in existence, be entrusted to the pastoral care of the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly and to the Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, according to the norms of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.”

“This is a historic move,” said Fr Paul Thelakat, a senior priest of the church and its former spokesperson. “It removes administrative restrictions imposed on the church by Portuguese missionaries since the 16th century.”

Catholic women leaders have drawn inspiration from the faith shown by survivors of the violent anti-Christian Kandhamal attacks when they recently visited the region in the eastern Indian State of Odisha.

On Oct. 5 a group of 20 women visited the remote, impoverished area of Odisha where villagers were attacked by rampaging Hindu nationalists in late August 2008, leaving 100 people dead and thousands homeless. They were the worst attacks on Christians in India’s history.

The women were among 50 leaders from across India who had gathered in Bhubaneswar, capital of Odisha, for a conference organized by the Indian bishops’ Commission for Women. The conference, held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, discussed the role of women in the family.

“I am strengthened in faith after visiting the region,” said Rosemary Sahayam from Madhya Pradesh in central India. “How families continue to live in faith and confidence even after their relations were killed for their faith is truly inspiring.”

The anti-Christian violence engulfed more than 600 villages. Those killed included the disabled and elderly people, children and women. Several rapes were reported, including that of a Catholic nun. More that 350 churches and 6,500 houses were looted and burned down during the attacks leaving 56,000 people homeless.

The anti-Christian attacks were fuelled by the gunning down on Aug. 23, 2008 of a Hindu spiritual leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, 85, and four of his associates. Hindu extremists blamed Christians for the murders even though Maoists claimed responsibility for the deaths.

Archbishop Thumma Bala of Hyderabad condemned the false accusations and derogatory comments made by Hindu leader Swami Paripoornananda Saras-wathi against Mother Teresa in a recent television debate.

A Telugu Channel based in Hyderabad on Sept 22 broadcast a debate between Swami Paripoornananda Saraswathi, Head of Sreepeetham at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, and Dalit rights activist Professor Kancha Illaiah regarding the caste controversy and protests around Illaiah’s new book.

Swamiji diverted the topic calling Professor Illaiah “a foreign agent” and dragged Christianity and Mother Teresa into the debate. He alleged that “Mother Teresa organized the illegal trafficking of 50,000 women, making them work as nuns after converting them to Christianity.”

The Archbishop said the comments of Paripoornananda Swamiji were totally uncalled for as “the subject of the discussion was something different. It was not necessary for Swamiji to speak of the Pope and Mother Teresa.”

Catholic priest and theologian Dr Victor Ferrao has said that history is being distorted by upper caste Hindus to promote their views.

Giving an example of such distortion, Dr Ferrao said the battle of Cuncolim gaunkars was a battle to safeguard their interest, but the same is now being promoted as the first battle for India’s Independence.

Speaking to around 50 Social Action Team members from four parishes, Dr Ferrao asked: “When did the Goan Konknno become a Hindu?” driving home the point that the Hindutva philosophy of RSS promoted aggressively by the Bharatiya Janata Party is causing communal disharmony in the country and the State.

He said the growth of the BJP is directly connected with globalization of the economy as it is only after globalization in 1991 that the BJP began emerging stronger.

“Globalisation made Indians rootless and hence they became more religious thus giving rise to religious fundamentalism,” he said and added that while Catholic religion is based on hope, Hindutva thrives on fear and that is why fear is palpable in the society today.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the FCRA registrations of the Believers Church and three of its affiliates — Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia India), Love India Ministries and Last Hour Minis-try. These NGOs are among 4,864 organisations that lost their FCRA registrations during 2017, according to the MHA website.

The church authorities, however, said the registrations were subject to renewal.

The Believers Chu-rch, founded by K P Yohannan, and associated organisations had received a whopping Rs 1,348.65 crore as foreign aid last financial year. During FY16, Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel For Asia) was the single largest recipient of foreign aid in the country as it received Rs 826.27 crore. Believers Church had received Rs 342.64 crore, Last Hour Ministry Rs 103.51 crore and Love India Ministries Rs 76.23 crore during FY16.

Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil was sitting in a room in an unknown location — one of several he had been relocated to during his 18-month imprisonment — when he received some unexpected news. “Those who kept me came to where I slept (and said), ‘I bring you good news. We are sending you home. If you need to go to the bathroom, go. Take a shower, but quickly!’” Father Uzhunnalil told reporters September 16 at the Salesian headquarters in Rome.

The Salesian priest from India was kidnapped March 4, 2016, from a home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen. On that day, four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others were murdered in the attack by uniformed gunmen. Seeing a group of Missionaries of Charity sisters seated at the news conference in Rome, Father Uzhunnalil expressed his condolences. However, the memory of the four sisters’ martyrdom still proved too difficult to bear. Silence filled the room as the Salesian priest covered his eyes, tears streaming down his face while doing his utmost to hold back emotions that he thought he could contain. “I thank God Almighty for this day, for keeping me safe, healthy, clear minded; my emotions were in control until now,” he said after regaining his composure. “I don’t want to speak too much about the sisters because I get too emotional,” he said. Although reports following his kidnapping suggested the attack was carried out by the so-called Islamic State, Father Uzhunnalil said his captors never identified themselves.

Pope Francis has met with the Indian priest who was held by Islamic militants in Yemen for 18 months. The Indian government announced on Sept.12 that Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil – a missionary priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4, 2016, at a home for the elderly in the southern port city of Aden where he served as a chaplain – had been released.

He arrived in Rome 12th evening to recuperate at the Salesian headquarters before returning to India.

Uzhunnalil was kidnapped during an attack on the missionary compound in which gunmen posing as relatives of one of the residents at the home burst inside, killing sixteen people, including four Indian nuns belonging to the Missionaries of Charity, the order of founded by Mother Teresa.

He met with Francis on September 13 in the Casa Santa Marta, immediately following the general audience.

“The Holy See strongly thanks those who have been working for its find, in particular, His Majesty the Sultan of Oman and the competent authorities of the Sultanate.”

The Press Room also announces that “the religious will be visiting for a few days in a Salesian community in Rome before departing for India.”