Christians in India’s Odisha have demanded that their constitutional right to freedom of religion be safeguarded amid rising religious persecution under the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the eastern state. “Our people are assaulted, threatened, and forced to give up their faith in Jesus. This is the new situation in which we live in this state,” said Bishop Pallab Lima, who heads the United Believers Council Network India (UB-CNI). Lima told on June 11 that some 60 complaints, including violent assaults, threats, social boycott, denial of burial grounds, etc., were lodged with the police in the past few months. “The state’s police registered 32 FIRs [first information reports providing initial details of the crimes], but no action was initiated against the per-petrators,” he said. Lima alleged that the perpetrators belong to radical outfits associated with the BJP, which has been in power in Odisha since June last year. “The aggrieved Christians,” he said, “staged peaceful protest marches at 25 of 30 district headquarters in the state on June 9 to highlight their plight to the authorities.” The protesters also handed over petitions addressed to Indian President Droupadi Murmu, calling on her to protect Christians’ right to practice and proclaim their faith without any disturbance from anybody.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
