National

Attack on Indian spirit will harm secularism: Goa archbishop

Any attack on “Indian spirit” can damage the age-old secular fabric of the country, warns Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa. The prelate was addressing the annual civic reception on the occasion of Christmas in Panaji, the state capital. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and several ministers were present on the December 27 program. Although […]

World’s tallest Christ statue plan runs into trouble

A Hindu politician’s plan to build the world’s tallest statue of Christ has run into trouble after some radicals raised objections. Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar, popularly known as D K Shivakumar and a leader of the opposition Congress party in Karnataka state, has pledged to build the 114-foot-tall Jesus statue at Harobele in Ramanagara, some 80 […]

Priest who left India to build links in Chinese Church dies

Initially placed in charge of vocations and youth movements, in 1969 he obtained a license in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University following a period of study of the English language in London. He was then sent to India where he was assigned an assistant in the parish in Mumbai and attended the theological faculty […]

Mamata Banerjee attends midnight Mass at Portuguese cathedral

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the Christmas night services on December 24 at the Cathedral Church in Kolkata. On her first visit to the cathedral for Christmas, Banerjee inaugurated the crib – traditional nativity scene of Jesus birth. Banerjee has served as the eighth and current chief minister of West Bengal since 2011, […]

Peace, not strife, on our mind for Christmas

Prayers for peace and understanding marked Christmas this year in the midst of subdued celebrations in light of the prevailing situation in the country and state. A Christmas message from the Assam Christian Forum said it all: “We humbly pray that peace returns to our land, and every tear is wiped from the eyes of […]

Protests spread over India’s controversial citizenship law

Church leaders have appealed for peace in northeastern India, where police shot dead two people as violent protests spread against the federal government amending the law on citizenship. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, passed by the national parliament on Dec. 11, is seen as discriminatory on religious grounds. It gives citizenship to migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh […]

Nun rape case: Pressure on witness to retract statement

Sister Lissy Vadakkel, main witness in the case of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of sexually abusing a nun at a convent in Kerala, said pressure is being budged on her to retract her statement. She said they are forcing her to withdraw her statements over phone and in person. Sister Lissy said that she is […]

Cardinal Alencherry elected Kerala Catholic Bishops Council president

Cardinal George Alencherry was on Dec 6 elected the president of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), an association of the Catholic bishops of all three rites in the state. The head of Syro Malabar Catholic Church succeeds Abp Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum Latin archdiocese. Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Calicut (Latin) will be the […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica