National

Indian bishops seek action against judge for ‘hate speech’

Catholic bishops have urged India’s lawmakers to act against a high court judge who said the country should be ruled by the wishes of the “majority” Hindus. Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav reportedly delivered the controversial remarks on Dec. 8 at an event organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) at the […]

Indian Catholic lawyer priests, nuns to help persecution victims

The legal cell of Catholic lawyer-priests and nuns has vowed to extend help to Indian minorities, including Christians, as persecution against them increases in India. “We have decided to provide legal help to the victims of atrocities and discrimination from the minority communities, especially Christians, irrespective of their denominational differences,” said Father Bondala Sleeva Raju, […]

Indian Cardinal opposes anti-conversion law in poll-bound state

Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias has opposed a proposal to enact a stringent law restricting conversion in the poll-bound western Indian state of Maharashtra, saying it violates fundamental rights. In its election manifesto, the state’s ruling alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), promised to enact a stringent law making religious conversions difficult if re-elected […]

Conference on new media, AI enthuse clergy, religious

Bangalore City hosted the first National Catholic Media Confe-rence dedicated exclusively for Clergy and Religious at St John’s Medical College from November 23 to 24. The conference, entitled “ILLUMINAIRE: Nurturing Digital Stewardship in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” was orga-nized by the Salesian Commu-nication departments in Rome and India, in collaboration with the Vatican Dicastery […]

Indian court orders federal probe into Church land sale

The top court in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu has ordered a federal probe into allegations of illegally selling British-era Church properties worth millions in a Protestant diocese. The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Nov. 22 asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s top investigating agency, to probe the […]

Church denies backing candidate in Indian state poll

A Church leader in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has warned of legal action against political parties and candidates falsely claiming the Church’s support in the ongoing state assembly election. Father Bishu Benjamin Aind, vicar-general of Khunti diocese in the state, said that “the Church never endorses or asks its faithful to support any […]

Christians denied place in Indian state’s minorities panel

The western Indian Maharashtra state did not include a Christian representative in the state panel meant to safeguard the interests of religious minorities, which Christian leaders say was unfortunate and unusual. “It is unfortunate that no one from the Christian community was given representation on the 11-member Maharashtra State Minorities Commission,” said Father Nigel Barrett, […]

Indian court ends tax exemption for Catholic priests, nuns

India’s top court has ended a British-era practice of exempting Catholic priests, brothers, and nuns working in government-funded education institutions from paying taxes on their salaries. The Nov. 7 order of the three-judge bench of Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra dismissed 93 appeals against a 2014 order of […]

Hindus call off rally through Christian villages in eastern India

Dayal among three awarded for promoting religious freedom, civil liberties