Patriarch Sako began his message by noting that, over the Christmas period, he listened to the sermons of various Eastern clergy, and watched their television interviews.
“I found,” he wrote, “that the ideas put forward are outdated, and that what they said does not communicate with the current reality (…). Therefore, it does not move the recipients, nor does it give them hope, nor does it give them a feeling of reassurance and refreshment.” Such preaching, he warned, discourages young people from coming to church, and, “if the situation continues as it is now, future generations will be without faith.”
Part of this problem, he said, is that the Eastern Catholic Churches “did not benefit much” from the Second Vatican Council or 2010’s Special Assembly on the Middle East.
What is the solution? Priests, Patriarch Sako said, should bear in mind the close relationship – insisted upon by the late Pope Benedict XVI – between faith and reason, and speak “honestly, transparently, [and] rationally.” The Church, he stressed, should respond to “cultural and social changes”, just as Christ did.
“Truth and renewal are at the heart of the Church’s nature,” the Patriarch emphasised.
Given the precarious state of the Eastern Churches, Patriarch Sako went on to say, “priority must be given to the issue of unity”, which is “the only guarantee of our survival.”
Such unity, he stressed, does not mean erasing the “spiritual, cultural, and theological heritage” of each particular Church. Rather, “unity is about accepting differences and respecting them through mutual humility and fraternal encounter, working together based on the Gospel.”
“In division there is no future for us, in unity and marching together the guarantee of our survival,” he wrote, urging the Eastern Churches to adopt a synodal style of co-operation.
The Patriarch concluded his letter by drawing a parallel between the current situation of Middle Eastern Churches and the city of Constantinople before its conquest by the Ottomans. As enemy forces were gathering at the gates, he wrote, “Byzantine theologians were arguing about the gender of angels.”
Myanmar mass pardons include 300 political prisoners: UN
Among more than 7,000 prisoners granted amnesty by Myanmar’s junta this week were about 300 political prisoners, the United Nations said on January 7.
The military junta, which seized power nearly two years ago, announced it would free 7,012 prisoners to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar gaining independence.
It did not specify whether the amnesty covered those jailed as part of its brutal crackdown on dissent, but the UN rights office said political prisoners were among those released.
“It’s about 300 who were political prisoners,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters, citing “credible sources”.
He said that so far, 195 of those cases had been verified.
Kandhamal survivor among three Capuchin priests ordained
Kandhamal survivor among three Capuchin priests ordained in Odisha.
Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur January 4, 2023 ordained Deacons Aspin Digal, Ramesh Parichha and Samant Nayak at San Damiano Capuchin Minor Seminary, Sindurapalli, Chatrapur of Ganjam District of eastern Indian state of Odisha.
“The priest is given a sacred power to serve God’s people, to lead them to union with God. He does this principally by teaching the people, shepherding them through leadership, offering pastoral care and spiritual guidance and sanctifying them through the sacraments. He has the role of priestly, kingly and prophetic,” said the Bishop Nayak in his homily.
Newly ordained Jesuit priest dies in road accident
A Jesuit priest died January 10 in a road accident in central India a little over two months after his priestly ordination. Father Arun Bara died around 4 pm when his motorcycle was hit by a truck near Bandarchua village near Kunkuri in the Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh state. He was 33 and was ordained a priest on October 26, 2022. He was a Jesuit for 13 years.
Christian leaders in Odisha hold historical conclave
Leaders of various Christian denominations in Odisha have held a historical conclave to discuss the present and future of their community in the eastern Indian state.
The January 7 conclave at Hindustan Hotel International in the state capital of Bhubaneswar was the initiative of Christian leaders of in association with the Nabin Bodonaik Foundation.
As many as 300 Christian leaders from across the state attended the day-long event with a few distinguished leaders from other religions.
In his opening remark Manoj Bodonaik, one of the founding members of the conclave, said, “The main objective of the conclave is to unite the Odisha Christian Community beyond the denominational barriers and to promote consistent dialogue with the government machinery concerning the issues and challenges of the Christians in Odisha and seek permanent solutions to the challenges faced.”
The conclave was divided into four-panel discussions.
The opening session was chaired by Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack Bhubaneswar.
Tea Garden parish marks 100 years of Catholic mission
A tea garden parish in the Dooars area of Jalpaiguri dis-trict of North Bengal inaugu-rated 100 years celebration of founding of Catholic community at Champaguri, near Naya Sy-lee Tea Garden near Nagrakata on 8th January 2023.
Bishop Clement Tirkey of Jalpaiguri presided over the solemn centenary inaugural Eucharistic with 20 priests, 40 religious Brothers and Sisters; and some 1,000 faithful.
The parish has some 1,020 families with about 4,000 Catholics spread out in 17 sub stations.
As the old parish church was in dilapidated condition and the new church construction was incomplete, the celebra-tions were held in the open.
While congratulating the faith of Christians of the parish, Bishop lamented the fact that “in 100 years, the parish could offer only two priests, one for diocese and another for Jesuit society.”
Parish Priest Fr Samir Tir-key says, “Spiritual preparation for all age group, catechism classes at grass root level, trai-ning for catechists, and on going faith formation through Small Christian Community programs at different tea gardens to be held regularly are being pla-nned.”
Centenary celebrations will conclude in October 2023.
The Pontifical Milan Fa-thers (PIME) started mission at Nya Sylee Tea Garden around 1911 and moved to Champaguri in 1923, to the same bungalow offered by the then Tea Garden Manager.
Hockey India president applauds Jamshedpur Jesuits’ daring mission
The president of Hockey India Padma Shri Dilip Tirkey has applauded the Jesuits of Jamshedpur province for reaching out to places where no one dared to go.
“The Jesuits dared forests and mountains and faced all odds in doing God’s mission and shaping the bright future of thousands of children,” Tirkey told a function to mark the platinum jubilee of the Jamshedpur Jesuit Society.
The young hockey icon from Odisha was the chief guest at the January 8 program at Loyola School in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern Indian state.
“I am at the helm of affairs at this time as the hockey world cup starts from January 13-29 in Odisha. However, I could not refrain from coming over here and expressing my gratitude to the Jesuits who deserved the most for their total dedication. Hundred years back the Kolkata Jesuits’ mission reached Rourkela. We are the fruit of their mission,” said Tirkey, a former member of the Rajya Sabha.
As many as 1,500 people, including bishops, priests, religious, and laity, participated in the event.
The celebration was kicked off with a solemn Mass presided over by Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. Jam-shedpur Jesuit provincial, Odisha Jesuits, and priests in and around Bhubaneswar concelebrated.
Jesuit Father Augustine Ezhakunnel, the superior of the Loyola School Community, welcomed the gathering before the Mass and declared the opening of the platinum jubilee celebration of the Odisha region.
India’s top court says conversions a ‘serious matter’
India’s top court has called forced and deceitful conversions “a serious matter” and sought assistance from the federal government’s top law officer in seeking steps to stop them.
“Religious conversions by force, allurement, etc… if that is happening then what should be done? What are the corre-ctive measures?” the Supreme Court bench of Justice M R Shah and Justice C T Ravikumar observed on Jan. 9 while discussing a petition.
The court also requested Attorney General R. Venkata-ramani to act “as amicus curiae or otherwise in any form” in the matter. The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Ashwini Upadhyay, a lawyer and member of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking a national law to check religious conversions through force and other fraudulent means.
The judges brushed aside questions about the maintain-ability of the petition and the credibility of Upadhyay raised by P. Wilson, government counsel of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Wilson said the petition for a national anti-conversion law was politically motivated.
“Leave this matter to the legislature. There is no threat of conversion in our state. This is a politically motivated litigation. He [Upadhyay] has made Tamil Nadu, the state govern-ment, a party,” Wilson said, according to The Hindu.
The Court also directed the federal government to step in and make efforts to tackle the “very serious issue” of proselytization through deception, allurement and intimidation.
(See Focus)
Sri Lanka court orders payouts for Easter attack victims
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ordered former president, Maithripala Sirisena, as well as top defense ministry and intelligence officials, to pay compensation totaling 310 million rupees (US$ 885,670) to victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
The Jan. 12 order from the top court pointed to a “reckless” intelligence failure, reported The Hindu. “A Victim Fund must be established at the Office for Reparation, which must formulate a scheme to award the sums ordered as compensation in a fair and equitable manner to the victims and families,” the order noted.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara, former Ministry of Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former head of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardene, and former National Intelligence Chief Sisira Mendis are among those ordered to pay.
Sirisena was ordered to pay 100 million rupees ($273,300) while the other officials were to pay a total of 210 million rupees ($574,000). The compensation has to be paid from their personal funds.
“The mastermind behind the attack has not yet been traced”
The Supreme Court has also ordered the federal government to pay one million rupees as compensation to each of the victims.
Father Sarath Iddamalgoda, one of a dozen petitioners in the case, said political leaders think they can do anything illegal but the judgment was a reminder that nobody is above the law.
The priest told UCA news that he couldn’t have wished for a better gift on his 78th birthday on Jan. 12.
“As a priest, I tried to seek justice for the victims. But the mastermind behind the attack has not yet been traced. We are waiting for him to be caught,” Father Iddamalgoda said.
Catholic Church vandalized in Chhattisgarh’
A violent crowed of tribal people vandalized a Catholic Church, a grotto of Mother Mary and the presbytery in Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh state on Jan. 2.
The crowed armed with sticks and stones forced open the main gate of the Sacred Heart Church, in the heart of district headquarters and started to pelt stone at the Church.
They then forced into the Church through the main door and destroyed everything including the crucifix in the altar.
The crowed also vandalized the presbytery and a grotto of Mother Mary inside the Church campus.
Father Jomon TD, the parish priest told Matters India, “nothing is left everything is destroyed”.
“The more than five decades old Church”, the priest said, “was rebuilt five years back and now everything inside is ruined”.
Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur has condemned the attack and sought action against those behind it.
“We are deeply saddened and pained by the destructive attacks on Christians and today’s atrociously vandalizing the Catholic Church and presbytery at Narayanpur in the Diocese of Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh,” archbishop said.
The crowed that attacked the Church was part of a protest under banner of Sarva Adivasi Samaj that is opposed to tribal people adopting other faiths especially Christianity and Islam.