Priests, who lead the Mass, will face the congregation for the introductory session and delivering the sermon, but for the rest the of worship, will face the tabernacle, beginning November 28, it was decided at the 29th Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church that was held online and concluded on Aug. 27 evening.
This change in the order of worship must be implemented in all parishes, latest by April 17 next, Easter Sunday, the Synod said.
The Bishops, who constitute the Synod, expressed concern at what they termed as attempts being made to overlook the contributions that Christians had done for nation building. While stressing the need to uphold freedom of expression, they condemned repeated attempts by persons in the socio-cultural spheres and the film sector to portray Christianity in bad light. Social issues affecting Christians had been taken up with members of the ruling front and that of the Opposition, they said.

Social activists in India have filed a plea before the Supreme Court seeking the prevention of hate speech in public places.
The move comes in the wake of reported hate speeches made against Muslims by Hindu Rakshak Dal (Save Hindu Forum) at a rally in capital Delhi on Aug.8.
Syeda Hameed, a former member of the Planning Commission of India, and Professor Alok Rai, a former faculty member of Delhi University, filed the public interest litigation on Aug. 16, urging the apex court to recognize that public authorities have a “duty of care” to prevent such speeches.
he petitioners asked the court to define the contours of liability when authorities willfully allow hate speech in contravention of constitutional and statutory laws.
Pointing out that it was the fifth such rally to be held in three months across the national capital region and neighboring Haryana state, the petition underlined how “speeches calling for direct action against Muslims were made.”
Video footage of the Aug. 8 rally circulating on television and social media showed mobs openly calling for the killing of Muslims. Delhi police later made some arrests after failing to take preventive action, which was against the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, the petitioners pointed out.

Sister Rini Rose was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 26. As a result, she has become physically weak, which limits and slows down her movements.
Rose made her first profession at the age of 20 as a member of the Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation based in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The debilitating disease hit her as she was completing a three-year nursing course in Andhra Pradesh, another southern Indian state.
Now, after 15 years, Rose spends most of her time inside a convent in Ambalavayal, a village in Wayanad, a district in northern Kerala. She prays for others and receives prayer requests from people both known and unknown to her. She also makes rosaries and deposits them into the rosary bank she created until she gives them to people who need them.
“ I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, just before I could start working as a nurse. Since then, I have been on medication.
I was sad and distressed when I was told I was suffering from MS. But my strong faith in God helped me overcome my sorrows and lead a fulfilling life.
According to my doctors, MS affects the central nervous system, especially the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This can lead to a wide range of symptoms in the body.
After my diagnosis, I began to feel my health deteriorating. I also began to experience more limited physical movements. Now, I need double the time and effort to do my daily regular activities. I also need to use extra energy to move around that causes physical strain and tiredness. Even to move around within the convent, I need help from others. My sisters always lend me a hand.” “Praying for others and surrendering my suffering to the Lord gives me great joy.”

Catholic bishops want Christian families in Kerala to have more children after the national census recorded a drastic decline in the community’s population in the southern Indian state.
The Christian population in the state declined from 24.06% in the 1950s to 18.33% in 2011, according to the census report.
“Fifty years ago Christians in the state accounted for one-fourth of the total population but now we are on a drastic decline,” Father Jacob G. Palackappilly, deputy secretary-general of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), told.
“If this trend continues, the day is not far off when the Christian community will face a threat of extinction in the state.”
The KCBC at an online meeting last week emphasized the need for promoting large Catholic families and asserted the pro-life stand of the Church.
However, they agreed with the government’s policy to control the population in the country.

The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) on August 26 mourned the death of its last survivor earlier in the day.
Monsignor Benedict Aguiar had led the organisation as its president from 1969 to 1978.
“In his death the ICPA has lost a father-figure. His long and illustrious life and legacy as priest, communicator, historian, author and organizer will continue to inspire us and the posterity for sure. The zeal and consistency he maintained in his convictions and actions make him an all-time role-model for everyone.”

Catholic religious congregations in Kerala are to challenge a state court’s order which withdrew tax exemption that religious priests and nuns enjoyed as employees of government-aided educational institutions for decades. The court in the southern Indian state refused to accept their argument that they do not take their salaries for their personal use but instead they go to their respective religious societies.
“We have now decided to appeal against the order before the Supreme Court of India,” said Father Jacobi Sebastian, president of the Kerala Conference of Major Superiors.
Father Sebastian, a member of the Oblates of St. Joseph, told on Aug. 9 that they are also planning a larger meeting of church officials, major superiors and financial consultors on August 16 to chart the next steps.
The court quoted the Bible to say “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”
“We are reminded of the above teachings of Jesus Christ … while we consider an engrossing question on the liability of tax deduction at source from the salary paid to teachers who are nuns or priests of the religious congregations,” the court said.
The legal clash began in 2014 after the federal Income Tax Department ordered an end to tax exemption given to the Catholic religious priests and nuns since 1944. It asked the government treasury to deduct tax before paying salaries.
Three priests and a nun challenged the order soon after it was issued. A single bench of Kerala High Court dismissed their demand for exemption and upheld the Income Tax Department’s order.
The petitioners appealed before a higher bench of the court along with 49 others, but the court dismissed their demand on July 13.
The lawyers of the petitioners also quoted from the Church’s canon law to say that people who take “a perpetual vow of poverty” undergo a civil death and thereafter they are not considered persons under the Church’s laws.

In his morning Mass online, the Archbishop of Bombay (Mumbai) – and is also president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) – spoke about his participation two years ago in the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, enjoined by Pope Francis.
On that occasion, the cardinal realised that “challenges faced by Indigenous people in South America were similar to the challenges faced by Tribals in India.”
Card Gracias also spoke about Fr Stan Swamy, who gave his life for indigenous tribes in India, and mentioned the many men and women religious who work among the Adivasis.
“We are present in Bihar, Chotanagpur and Raighad, to give them hope, education,
dignity and a future,” the prelate said. “But tribes around the world suffer injustice and exploitation.”
For the past three days, the CBCI has been holding webinars to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, noted Father Nicholas Baria, executive secretary of the CBCI Tribal Affairs Committee.
On paper, the clergyman acknowledges that “The Constitution guarantees the rights of tribal people; in practice, how-ever, their land rights are not recognised” by the authorities.

Jesuits in India have opened their first residence in the north-eastern state of Tripura.
The Arrupe Inn in Jamtalibari was inaugurated in the presence of faithful by Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala on July 31, the feast day of Jesuit founder Ignatius of Loyola.
“We welcome them to our diocese and wish them our prayers and support as they enter into new ministries. They will be engaged in social, pastoral and education fields in the diocese,” Bishop Monteiro told.
In 2018, two Jesuit missionaries, Babu Paul and James Morias, came to Jamtalibari from the southern state of Kerala.
“As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius, it is an important occasion for Jesuits to refocus on their life and mission,” said Father Irudaya Jyothi, who was part of a Right to Food campaign in West Bengal state before he joined the mission in Tripura.
“The Arrupe Inn is dedicated in a special way to the implementation of the universal apostolic preferences of the Society of Jesus.”

Throughout his career as the principal of Sacred Heart College, in Kochi’s Thevara suburb, since 2010, he was known to use a bicycle to travel short distances, trying to inculcate a sense of ecological responsibility among his students and the general public. In fact, he has been known among people in Thevara as the “padiri” who rides his bicycle.
He has also been part of green activities in the southern Indian city of Kochi, promoting organic agriculture, garden-ing and creating concern for nature in young generation.
The 56-year-old member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate retired from his academic career earlier this year. He will now undertake a tour of India on his favorite motorbike. He said he was not using a car since it consumed too much fuel. “Using a motorbike is better, because it was lighter on the environment,” he said as he prepared to set out on the Trust-Green-Peace journey from August 10.
Father Palakkappilly was instrumental in acquiring about four acres of paddy fields in Arayankavu, near Kochi, under the aegis of the Sacred Heart College, as a center for biodiversity where students could be introduced to the basics of nature.
He said he was a “sanyasi” who would be available for any duty to be performed on the orders of his superiors.
The solo bike ride will be flagged off from Thevara and will reach Kottayam on the same day. He will cover Kashmir and Kolkata, Kutch and Konkan as the journey progresses over a period of two months.

Representatives of various Christian denominations in north-eastern India on July 30 pledged to fight human trafficking in the region.
“Human trafficking is a serious concern all over the world. It is a sad truth that the northeast region has become the hub of cross-border human trafficking,” said Reverend Roger Gaikward, the former president of the National Council of Churches in India and present presbyter at Christ Church, Guwahati.
He was addressing an online meeting to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It was convened by the United Christian Forum of North East India, an ecumenical organisation.
Moderating the webinar, Reverend Gaikward said, “Listening to victims’ voices will lead the way to helping the region out of this sad reality.”
Among those present were representatives of Presbyterians, Baptists, Evangelicals, Church of North India and Catholics.
Reverend Gaikward points out that northeastern India’s proximity with international borders makes it easy for the human traffickers.
Many trafficked victims never see their homes again. More than 80 percent of them are pushed to flesh trade. Lack of education and awareness on the issue and poverty make the northeastern Indian youth soft targets, Reverend Gaikward added.