National

Syro-Malabar church to issue its ‘Aadhaar’ for parishes

In an ambitious attempt to move with the times and make its services, religious and otherwise, available at the ‘fingertips’ of believers, the Syro-Malabar Church is launching an app for each of its roughly 3,500 parishes – the church has already come out with custom made apps for more than 700 parishes. The apps are […]

Third baby-selling case filed against Mother Teresa nuns

Police have filed a third baby-selling case against Missionaries of Charity nuns in India’s Ranchi city, making church leaders demand an impartial probe into the allegations. Police in Jharkhand State, ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed the case on Nov. 9 based on the complaint of a couple. The complaint said nuns and a […]

Assam CM inaugurates 4th Don Bosco College in the state

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated Don Bosco College Bongaigaon on 4 November 2019. This is the fourth Don Bosco College in Assam after Azara, Diphu and Golaghat, at Chapaguri in Chirang district. The Chief Minister in his inaugural address congratulated the Don Bosco Fathers and Brothers for providing quality education to the student community, […]

Andhra Pradesh government hikes financial aid to Haj and Jerusalem pilgrims

The Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in Andhra Pradesh has decided to increase financial aid to Haj and Jerusalem pilgrims in the state in a cabinet meeting on Oct. 30. The decision will affect Muslims travelling to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Haj and Christians visiting different holy places in Jerusalem every year. After being […]

Priests want “corrupt” Mysore bishop removed, laity backs him

A group of parishioners has supported Bishop K.A. William of Mysore after 37 priests of the diocese wrote to Pope Francis demanding the prelate’s dismissal. The parishioners on November 5 shouted slogans in support of Bishop William when a laity group from Mumbai, Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC), came to Mysuru (formerly Mysore) to protest […]

Women empowerment best process for self-reliance: Bethany nun

Sister Shanti Priyal, a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, is the director of Bethany Social Service Centre (BSSC), Paradip, a port city, some 105 km east of Bhubaneswar, State capital of Odisha. She is a professional social worker who is committed to the causes of the poor […]

Hindu kids more likely to believe “Indian equals Hindu”

When it comes to the question of who is a true Indian, the country’s Hindu children are more likely than their Muslim peers to connect their faith to their national identity, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley. “Our results indicate that by age 9, Hindu children have already internalized an “Indian […]

Women can be parish in-charge: Cardinal Gracias

Catholic bishops are not fully utilizing Church Law to maximize the role of women in decision making capacities, Cardinal Oswald Gracias said on October 23. While acknowledging that women are unable to hear confession, say Mass, or administer confirmation, “she can do practically everything else,” said Gracias. “Women can even be in charge of a […]

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

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica