A court has appointed two retired judges to administer the finances and all temporal goods of the crisis-ridden Church of South India (CSI), asking them to oversee the formation of a new synod, the Church’s top decision-making body. Justices R Balasu-bramanian and V Bharathidasan reached the CSI headquarters in Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, on April 18 and took over the administration of the church, which has 24 dioceses in India and Sri Lanka. The Madras High Court, based in Chennai, appointed the judges on April 12 following admini-strative disputes. The court-appointed administrators will continue until a fresh synod is elected, the court said. The court asked the administrators “to ensure that the elections for all the Diocesan Councils are con-ducted and representatives of the Synod are also elected by the respective Diocesan Councils and a special meeting of the Synod is convened at the earliest possible opportunity to elect new office bearers of the Synod.” In 2022, the laity moved the high court against former moderator Bishop Dharmaraj Rasalam. The high court removed him from the mo-derator post in September last year. The petitioners have accused him and the Synod under him of arbitrarily amending the Church’s constitution and being involved in corruption and other irregulari-ties. The petitioners said ten cri-minal cases were pending against the moderator, and his continuance in the office would not be appro-priate. They expressed their ina-bility to remove him from office because the Church lacked a law to remove a moderator. The CSI was formed in 1947 after India’s independence from Britain as a union of all Protestant denominations.

People in six districts of the Christian-majority Nagaland state in India’s northeast refused to vote in the ongoing national election to stress their demand for a separate state. The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), comprising seven tribal bodies in Nagaland, had urged people in six districts not to vote in the polls on April 19. “The demand by the ENPO is genuine,” said Paul Magh of the North Eastern Regional Youth Commission. The ENPO influences Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang districts, which have nearly half a million voters. Magh told UCA News on April 22 that the voters believed that the demand for a separate state was justified as the government did not do justice to them in terms of development. He said ENPO had held talks with the government to chalk out a unique arrangement called ‘Frontier Naga Territory’ within the state with a separate legislature and financial powers. “They believe if they were given a separate state, their life would be better,” said Magh, a Catholic lay leader. Ahead of the polls, the ENPO declared a “public emergency” in six districts and prohibited candidates from campaigning. Chumben Murry of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and Supongmeren Jamir of the Congress party were the candidates in Nagaland’s lone parlia-mentary constituency. However, overall voter turnout in the state, comprising 16 districts, stood at 56 percent compared with 83.08 percent in the 2019 polls. Starting April 19, India’s general elections will be conducted in seven phases. The results will be declared on June 4. The demand for autonomy for six districts figured prominently at last year’s assembly polls in February.

The Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople has expressed his desire for Christians in the East and West to begin celebrating Easter on a “unified date” instead of adhering to separate Lenten calendars. “It is a scandal to celebrate separately the unique event of the one re-surrection of the one Lord,” said Patriarch Bartholomew I, who holds the title of “primus inter pares” in Eastern Orthodoxy. The Ecumenical Patriarch made these comments during a homily on March 31, which marked Easter on the Western calendar and the second Sunday of Lent on the Eastern calendar. “We extend a greeting full of love to all Chri-stians around the world who cele-brate Holy Easter today,” said Bartholomew during the homily. “We implore the Lord of Glory that the next celebration of Easter will not simply be a random event, but the beginning of a unified date for its observance by both Eastern and Western Christianity.” The Ecumenical Patriarch noted that the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople sent representa-tives to Christian communities that celebrated Easter on March 31 “to extend our sincere wishes.” He also said that this effort is “particularly significant” because the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 is approaching. That meeting took place at a time when the Eastern and Western Churches were in full communion with each other. “Among the key discussions of the Council of Nicaea was the matter of establishing a common timeframe for Easter festivities,” Bartholomew said. “We are opti-mistic, as there is goodwill and readiness on both sides.” Pope Francis has also expressed his intention to reach an agreement to establish a common date for Easter.
In 2015, the pontiff said that the two churches “have to reach an agreement.” The pontiff also said that the lack of unity is a scandal and joked that Christians could say to each other, “When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week.”
The Roman Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, in the late 16th century. This replaced the Julian calendar, which was promulgated in the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. The Gregorian calendar was eventually adopted by most of the world as the standard calendar because its revision of leap years more accurately accounted for the Earth’s revolution around the sun than the Julian calendar, ensuring that dates more precisely reflected the seasons. In the Eastern Church, however, the liturgical calendar remained based on the Julian calendar for several more centuries. In the 20th century, most Orthodox churches adopted a revised version of the Julian calendar. Some Orthodox churches still adhere to the old Julian calendar, including the largest patriarchate, which is Moscow. Adherence to the old Julian calendar or the revised version leads to major festivities such as Christmas and Easter falling on different days than followers of the Gregorian calendar.

Archbishop in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has urged Catholics to vote for a secular government in the country’s upcoming general election. “Choose a leader who is secular, non-communal, believes in the constitution, and is less corrupt,” Archbishop Peter Machado of Bengaluru said on April 7. He explained that by secular he meant one who respects all people without any discri-mination, and non-communal meant one who accepts all religions. Machado, while deli-vering the homily at Logos Retreat Center in Bengaluru, said that all Catholics must cast their vote as the coming election was very important and a historic one. “It is a sin if we don’t vote,” he said adding that it was futile to later sit and complain about growing persecution against Christians and their institutions in the country. Machado, who is also president of Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishop’s Council, said those eligible to vote “should take time out by canceling all other engagements on the day of voting.” The national election will be held in seven phases in April, May and June. Karnataka state will vote on April 26 and May 7. Father Faustine Lucas Lobo, spokesperson of the regional bishops’ council said the archbishop’s guidance will help people to choose the right candidates to represent them in the national parliament. “Archbishop Machado is right… as the situa tion in the country is quite difficult for religious minorities who are facing increasing persecution since the past decade or so,” he told on April 10.The Indian constitution gives all citizens equal rights and the freedom to choose and practice any religion of their choice, the priest added. Lobo said the archbishop has been a vocal defender of human rights and had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act against those who “fail to rise above petty politics and indulge in hate speeches.” Catholic bishops in India had urged their people to pray and fast on March 22.The intention was “to intercede for our nation, especially in the forthcoming general election this year,” said Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. Christians make up 1.87 percent of Karnataka’s 68.4 million people.

Focusing on bioethical issues is to offer a partial (and too easy) reading of Dignitatis Infinita, the doctrinal declaration on human rights released by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a view supported by Card Anthony Poola, archbishop of Hyderabad, in comments he shared with Asia-News, starting with the reactions generated in India and beyond by the Vatican document.
“We need to confront those socio-cultural and religious thought-patterns that are behind why many in India still live in subhuman conditions,” something that Dignitas Infinita challenges. The Archbishop of Hyderabad looks at the media reaction to the declaration released by the Dica-stery for the Doctrine of the Faith on human dignity. The media are “focused on gender theory, sex change, surrogacy etc., but” peo-ple who “struggle with poverty, exploitation, discrimination, lack of access to primary healthcare” cannot leave others indifferent.
It is significant to note that Card Poola is the first Indian from a Dalit family to be raised to the cardinalship in the consistory convened in 2022 by Pope Francis. Because of his direct knowledge of a form of negation of human dignity, his testimony takes on particular significance.

Caritas India’s work among tribal people and Dalits or former untouchables does not auger well with Hindu groups. A pro-Hindu group has demanded a federal probe into the activities of Caritas India, the social service organi-zation of the national Catholic bishops’ conference, saying they threaten India’s national, social, and economic security. The Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), which is aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has written to the federal home ministry, seeking a probe into the activities of the social service organization of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. Its activities “are a threat to the national, social and economic security of Bharat [India],” LRPF stated on March 21 on social media feeds. A Caritas India official, who did not want to be named told on April 1, that “these are false allegations. We comply with government norms in letter and spirit.” In its March 21 complaint, the pro-Hindu group sought to cancel Caritas India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license, which is necessary to receive donations from outside the country.
“Caritas India is raising funds from abroad through the FCRA channel in the name of various welfare activities,” the forum accused.
The federal home ministry is in charge of the FCRA registrations. Several NGOs in India are facing increasing scrutiny and cancellation of their FCRA licenses since the BJP came to power in 2014.
The Hindu group’s complaint said Caritas India is projecting tribal people and Dalits as “the only poor in India.” The focus on these two groups, who together make up nearly 26 percent of India’s 1.4 billion people, is “to divide society,” it accused. The economic incentives from the Catholic charity are “being utilized to motivate tribal people and Dalits to abandon their ancestral faiths” to embrace Christianity, it alleged. “Frequent visits are conducted by Caritas India’s global partners like Caritas Australia to India to monitor the nation’s mineral resources and to create social disharmony through religious conversions,” it noted in the complaint. Conversion of tribal people and Dalits mostly take place in the central Indian states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh where they have a strong presence, the NGO noted. Dalits and tribal people, who follow their traditional worship practices, are grouped as Hindus under India’s Census, a practice started by colonial British officers for practical administrative purposes. The Caritas India official said the complaint “seems to be an attempt to create discord and confusion among people during the general election.” The seven-phased national polls to elect members of India’s 543-seat parliament will start on April 19 and conclude on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.

The Catholic Church obser-ved the Holy Week with chur-ches packed with refugees in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur where ethnic violence has raged for 11 months.
Fr Varghese Velickakam, vicar general of Imphal archdiocese that covers the entire state, said they had Palm Sunday services on March 24 “practically in every parish centre.” “Even in parishes with a large number of refugees the churches were packed for Psalm Sunday liturgical services,” the priest told on March 26, when the Church conducted Chrism Mass, another ritual in the week commemorating Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. The violence between Manipur’s largely Hindu Meitei majority and the predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo minority communities began on May 3, 2023. It has so far claimed nearly 200 lives and rendered thousands homeless. Hundreds have taken refuge in Don Bosco Parish in Churachandpur town and in St.Mary’s Parish at Tuibong in Churachandpur district.
“The situation is slowly settling down. The refugees are already in the separated area. We are trying to rehabilitate them. Con-struction is going on. Support is coming from different parts of the country and from their own community,” explained Fr Velikakkam, the convener of the relief and rehabilitation committee.
In the packed Imphal Cathedral, new Archbishop Linus Neli was the main celebrant. A report from Archbishop Neli’s predecessor Archbishop Dominic Lumon on June 15, 2023, said the violence claimed 150 people until then. More than 200 Kuki villages with one or more churches were attacked. “About 249 churches belonging to the Meitei Christians have been destroyed. All these destructions took place with precision within 36 hours of the start of violence,” Archbishop Lumon’s report said.

Catholic bishops have called on thousands of Church-run schools in India to promote religious harmony after the institutions faced the ire of right-wing Hindu groups over alleged religious conversions. “We need to respect all faith traditions without discrimination,” the bishops said in guidelines issued to schools on April 1.”Our primary objective behind issuing the guidelines is to inform about our legacy to our students and teachers,” Father Maria Charles, secretary of the Office of Education and Culture of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), told UCA News on April 4.The Church runs more than 50,000 educational institutions, including schools and 400 colleges, six universities and six medical schools.
“These guidelines are applicable to our higher education institutions as well,” Charles said. “We plan to promote inclusiveness in our academic institutions.” The bishops wanted daily recitation of the preamble of the constitution which says India is a “secular socialist democratic nation” in the assemblies. On several occasions, the prelates have strongly denied allegations of religious conversion by Hindu groups and have termed them as “false propaganda to tarnish the image of Christian schools.” Recently, Christian schools in the northeastern state of Assam came in for a co-ordinated attack by right-wing Hindu groups who wanted to remove all Christian symbols from Christian schools. They demanded priests, nuns and religious brothers working in these schools to wear traditional dress instead of religious habits. Eleven Indian states, most of them ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have enacted a draconian anti-conversion law. Persecution and violence against Christians have increased since 2014, when Modi first came to power. Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in office with the general election due to take place between April 19 and June 1. “Now we see a social awakening within society and a change in perception. Therefore, it is imperative to issue these guidelines,” Charles said. The bishops in their 13-page guideline urged schools to “promote diversity.”

The Conference of Religious Women, India (CRWI), has released its strategic plan for 2024-2029 with a stress on networking and partnerships. Sister Jane Wakahiu, head of Catholic Sisters Initiative under Hilton Foundation, released the document at Bengaluru on March 19 in the presence of Apostolic Carmel Sister Maria Nirmalini, head of India’s more than 130,000 women and men religious. Releasing the document, Sister Wakahiu, a member of the institute of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis, Kenya, referred to it as “roadmap to Christian ministries by the women religious in India, characterized by inter congregational collaborations. “This plan is a testament to our commitment to human dignity, social justice and environmental stewardship”, said Sister Nirmalini, adding the strategic plan would harness partnerships, dialogue and innovation to manifest the goals. “Through this plan, we will leverage inter-congregational collaborations, research, and outreach to empower the marginalized, and drive systemic change,” she added.
She said the plan’s priorities include the empowerment and well-being of the Catholic nuns by setting up a grievance cell, supporting their holistic development through training and counselling, addressing current challenges like old age care, and decreasing vocations. The plan aims to unify women’s congregations across India, continue their ministries of teaching, healing and missionary journey in a collaborative spirit, and affirm women’s rightful place in the Church by promoting equality, participation and gender justice.
The plan also underlines the need to promote inter religious harmony and inter cultural collaboration, and promoting a livable ecosystem. In the next five years, CRWI will strengthen nuns’ skills, knowledge, and leadership abilities to enhance ministries, and support the health and mental well-being of religious sisters, and deepen the national network of sisters. Equipping and empowering women religious, fostering leadership through dialogue with major superiors, and implementing innovative programs for holistic development of sisters and their congregation also will be considered as top priorities in the coming five years.

A Catholic bishop has refuted a media report about indigenous Christians in his northeast Indian diocese reverting to their indigen-ous faith. “It appears to be a ploy to sensationalize religious con-version and target Christians,” said Bishop Paul Mattekatt of Diphu diocese in Assam state.
The news of about 150 men and women participating in “rituals symbolizing their reversion to Barithe Dharma, their original religious practice,” appeared in the Organizer on March 20.
The weekly mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent outfit of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed the rituals were held on March 18 in Diphu, the headquarters of Karbi Anglong district.
The event was hailed as a “new chapter in the ongoing ghar wapsi [homecoming] movement in the state” of Assam. Ghar wapsi is the name given to a nationwide campaign run by the RSS through its affiliate organizations to convert tribal Christians to Hinduism or indigenous faith.
However, Bishop Mattekatt said he had personally verified the authenticity of the report and found no conversion or reconversion of indigenous Christians in his diocese.
“This kind of false news is to create confusion and mistrust among ordinary people who do not understand the reality of such claims,” the prelate said. He said it is wrong to presume that tribal Christians are shallow when it comes to their faith practices. “It is true our people are poor. That doesn’t mean that their faith is shallow and they easily give it up,” the prelate said.
“Until recently they made claims of reconversion of Christians to Hinduism, but now they say return to ‘ancestral roots’ when it comes to indigenous people,” he pointed out.
The RSS and its affiliate organizations claim the indigenous faith systems as part of Hinduism.
Brooks said the Hindu groups will continue to target Christians and their institutions in one way or another.
“The malicious campaigns will continue because the government in power is not taking action against the perpetrators” he added.