National

Covid-19: Religious leaders in India urge precautions

Two Catholic prelates and a Hindu religious leader were among those calling for precautions in the wake of growing scare over coronavirus or COVID-19. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, has asked his people to take five precautionary steps during religious services until April 12, the Easter Sunday, to check […]

Trump praised for raising issue of religious freedom in India

An organisation of Indian-American Christians has thanked US President Donald Trump for raising the issue of religious freedom and the plight of minorities during his talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying political tranquillity is fundamental to economic progress. The Federation of Indian American Christian organisations in North America (FIACONA) said it “truly hopes” that […]

Vatican drops ‘caste tag” of India’s new saint

As India prepares to welcome its newest saint, a controversy over his name and its relationship with the Hindu caste system has come to the fore. A Vatican decree announced a miracle had been approved for Blessed Devasahayam, clearing the way for his canonization. However, when Devasahayam was declared a Blessed in 2012, the name […]

American bishop amazed at India’s vibrant Catholicism

Earlier this year, Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville visited India to express his thanks and gratitude to the families and religious order superiors of the 11 Indian priests living and serving in his diocese. “Since I’ve been bishop, every priest from India has invited me to go to their home country and experience India […]

Forum asks bishops, superiors to oppose divisive citizenship laws

An advocacy group for progressive Catholic religious nuns, brothers and priests in India has asked top Church bodies to oppose openly laws that try to divide citizens in the country. “The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) are divisive, discriminatory and draconian,” the Forum for […]

Cardinal Gracias: Church must ‘shed prejudice’ against women’s leadership

One of the six members of Pope Francis’ advisory Council of Cardinals has acknowledged a bias among the members of the Catholic Church’s all-male hierarchy against giving women more leadership roles, saying he and his peers must “shed this prejudice.” In an NCR interview, Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias called himself a “convert” to the cause […]

Pope appoints auxiliary bishop for Tura diocese

Pope Francis on Feb. 24 appointed Fr Jose Chirackal as the auxiliary bishop of Tura, a diocese in the northeastern Indian State of Meghalaya. The announcement was made at noon in Rome and its corresponding time (4:30 pm) in India. The bishop-elect was born on July 14, 1960 at Ayiroor near Karukutty in Kerala’s Ernakulam […]

Bishop in India ‘categorically denies the false allegations of forced conversion’

An archbishop in India is denying the accusations of a Hindu nationalist organization that “forced conversions” are taking place in the northern State of Uttar Pradesh. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – meaning Universal Hindu Council – announced it had identified 30 places in eastern Uttar Pradesh where alleged “forced conversions” by Christian missionaries are […]

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Pope: Red Cross’ humanitarian work shows that fraternity is possible

New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity