A Catholic nun and four girls accompanying her were on June 13 forced out of a train in the central Indian State of Madhya Pradesh.

Government Railway Police detained them at Satna station in the state after rightwing Hindu groups accused Sister Bina Joseph of indulging in illegal religious conversion.
The group was traveling on Shipra Express to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh capital, from the eastern Indian State of Jharkhand.

“As our train reached the station, police personnel forced us out and then detained saying the girls were being taken for religious conversion,” Sister Joseph told Matters India over phone from police station.

The nun and the girls were held up in the police station at the time of filing this report at 11:40 pm on June 13 almost 12-hours after their detention. The police personnel also recorded their statements before a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) who reportedly ordered their release.

Confirming their detention, Satna GRP Police station in-charge S.R.Bagri told media persons, “The police personnel carried out a search in the Shipra Express in which they were travelling following complaint from Bajrang Dal activists.”

The Bishops of Kerala’s Catholic Church said on Jun 8 that it views with “openness” BJP chief Amit Shah’s recent bid to reach out to the Christians in the state, but made it clear that it could not agree with the “basic ideology” of the saffron party.

Expressing anguish over the Centre’s ban on sale of cattle for slaughter in animal markets, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) said the church will not accept a government that dictates what people should eat.

He said the bishops discussed with Shah the minority rights.

“We did not discuss politics. We had a friendly discussion on minorities and their rights. He said the government is 100 per cent committed to protecting the constitutional rights of minorities,” Pakiam said.

“But, we will never accept a dictum on what we should eat or a government that dictates it. They (the BJP government) may try to impose their dictum as they are mighty. But we are not going to accept such decrees. For us, the Constitution is big,” he said.

Talking to reporters after the monsoon session of the KCBC here, the official, however, alleged rights of minorities were being violated in north India. He also said he had never expected Shah to meet the bishops.

Pakiam further said the bishops welcome those who visit their homes. “We are dealing with openness,” he said.

Police say they have arrested 22 people from a crowd of over 100 people who vandalized the Lady of Fatima Church in Kundapalli village. They broke statues of Jesus and the Blessed Mother, the crucifix and left furniture in disarray.

“All the attackers belong to the village where the church was built,” Anantha Chari, investigating police officer of the case, told ucanews.com.

George Reddy, a layman, donated land for the church. He applied for permission to construct a church but was never given the go ahead, Chari said.

“The villagers had objected two or three times to the construction,” he said.

The new church was blessed by Archbishop Thumma Bala of Hyderabad on May 13 but the church had not yet been used for service. Finishing touches to the building were ongoing.

Archbishop Bala told ucanews.com that the church was blessed to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Fatima “otherwise we would have waited a few more months.”

The prelate said that the attack could have happened because the Catholic Church is getting a bad name due to “aggressive preaching” by leaders of the Pentecostal churches in the area.

Pentecostal preachers are going around villages condemning other faiths, telling people they are not saved except in Christ and converting them. It is creating trouble for the Catholic Church, he said.

“Local anger is shown [by attacking churches] as the general public cannot differentiate between a Catholic or other denominations. They see the cross and consider the person a Christian,” Archbishop Bala said.

This is not the first time Christian places of worship have come under attack in the country. In August 2016, Hindu extremists stopped the construction of a church building in Chhattisgarh State accusing Christians of illegal conversion activities.

India’s tribal Catholic bishops have sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee to ensure the rights of millions of tribal people.

The memorandum signed by tribal bishops from six states said, they were “saddened” by the policies of state governments that have trampled over tribal people’s rights. They want the president “to protect the land, forest and socio-cultural rights of tribal people,” the May 10 memorandum said.

“Land is the only means of livelihood and sustenance” for most tribal people, as 90 percent of them are dependent on agriculture or allied activities in their ancestral land, the bishops said. The present federal and most state governments, however, “have taken various actions to alienate tribal people from their land on a massive scale to facilitate industrialists.”

In the most recent example, Jharkhand government amended two laws that guaranteed the protection of tribal land used for agriculture. The government declared their land as non-agricultural and, since non-agricultural land does not come under the purview of protective legislation, tribal people can be deposed.

Father Stanislaus Tirkey, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops’ office for tribal people told ucanews.com that indigenous people are facing the same problems every state and “we plan to address it collectively.”

The Catholic Medical Association of India (CHAI) is leading a campaign to tackle cases of tuberculosis, in collaboration with government agencies and other civil society organizations, said Redemptorist Fr Dr Mathew Abraham, CHAI Director General. India has the largest number of cases of tuberculosis in the world. Every hour more than 50 people die of tuberculosis in India. CHAI, linked to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, is formed by doctors and healthcare professionals working in Catholic hospitals, health centres and institutes in various Catholic dioceses throughout the country.

The beatification of Sister Rani Maria, who was killed by a hired assassin in central India 27 years ago, will take place on November 4. The official announcement will take place in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

“It is a blessed moment for the Catholic Church in India. The decision of Pope Francis to beatify Sr Rani Maria brings joy to all Catholics in India,” said Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church.

A special function to commemorate the beatification, will be held on Nov 5 at the tomb of Sr Rani Maria at Sacred Heart Church in Udainagar, Madhya Pradesh.

“Discrimination against any human being is a disgrace for society everywhere,” Fr Z Devasagayaraj, secretary of the Office for Dalits and backward classes of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), told AsiaNews. The clergyman spoke on the sidelines of “‘Christian Responsibility to Dalits and Caste Discrimination’, a conference held in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark (London). In his view, “the whole world must condemn racism, xenophobia and apartheid. We cannot keep quiet when such practices occur somewhere in the world.”

The Christian Network against Caste Discrimination (CNACD) organised the two-day gathering, which began yesterday, with Card Peter Turkson, head of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as the guest of honour.

Caste discrimination, especially against the Dalits, aka untouchables, remains a major problem in India, as well as within the Catholic Church. This is why the bishops launched an action plan for the first time last year to counter marginalisation and promote integration. Dalits represent a majority of India’s Catholics, 12 million out of 19.

“We must condemn the caste system and discriminatory practices in the workplace as well,” Fr Devasagayaraj said. “The caste problem is not just a problem in India, but it is widespread in South Asian countries, and where they (Dalits) emigrate.”

“We are sorry that these people still carry with them caste discrimination,” the clergyman added. For this reason, it is important to organise “international seminars on the issue, so that we can shed light on their discrimination in the country, but also in the Christian community.”

According to Mgr Sarat Chandra Nayak, bishop of Berhampur, “the problem is so pervasive that it is not possible to eradicate this evil without the collaboration of the international community. It is vitally important for international institutions to pay greater attention to this issue.” “Caste discrimination continues to be widespread and persistent,” he explained. In fact, “with globalisation, the problem has been exported and with it, the challenges to solve it. At present, it has become a global phenomenon.”