National

Indian nun listed 12 among world’s 100 most inspiring people

An Austrian magazine has listed a Catholic nun from India among 100 people, who influenced the world the most during the crises-ridden 2020. The “OOOM” has placed Sister Lucy Kurien, founder director of the Pune-based Maher, 12th in the list, just above the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis. The magazine says 2020 was a year […]

Indian state criminalizes conversion for marriage

Madhya Pradesh State in central India has replaced its more than 50-year-old anti-conversion law with a new and more stringent one that can criminalize even conversion for marriage. The law notified on Jan. 9 says any attempt to convert a person from one religion to another through misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat or force, undue […]

Police on alert after conversion claim in Indian state

Police in an Indian state have directed officers to keep a watch on prayer gatherings after five Christians were arrested on a charge of religious con-version. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a hard-line Hindu group, handed the five Christians to police in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh State, which is run by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata […]

Why is India denying prisoners spectacles and straws?

But in recent weeks, jail authorities in India have been called out for being especially cruel to prisoners, particularly the govern-ment’s critics who are described as “human rights defenders” by international rights groups. Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court reminded officials of Mumbai’s Taloja jail that they needed to show some “humanity” while dealing […]

PM to help sort out Kerala church issues

With differences between Orthodox and Jacobite factions in widening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will talk to both groups to find a lasting solution to some issues, said Mizoram Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai. The governor, also hailing from Kerala, said he had briefed the Prime Minister about all issues and sought his intervention to help […]

Dalit Christians hold protest march in southern India

Dalit Christians in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have held a protest in march against discrimination faced by Dalits in 45 Catholic parishes of Pondicherry-Cuddalore Arch diocese. Protesters submitted a memorandum to parish priests on Dec. 20 and requested them to forward it to Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro, India’s apostolic nuncio. “The memorandum contains Dalit Christians’ long-standing common […]

Meat issue: Goa Church writes to chief minister

The Church in Goa has urged the state chief minister to urgently intervene to resolve meat shortage that has severely affected people’s protein intake and tourism industry. The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) wrote to Pramod Sawant that the western Indian state started experiencing the shortage after neighboring Karnataka State passed a bill […]

YOUCAT India gets new national director

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India has appointed Maria Francis from the Archdiocese of Bangalore as the new national director of YOUCAT India. She will coordinate the ministries of the Youcat India Missionary Movement and will guide its members in India. Youcat, short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, also styled as YOUCAT, […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica