The Catholic Medical Association of India (CHAI) is leading a campaign to tackle cases of tuberculosis, in collaboration with government agencies and other civil society organizations, said Redemptorist Fr Dr Mathew Abraham, CHAI Director General. India has the largest number of cases of tuberculosis in the world. Every hour more than 50 people die of tuberculosis in India. CHAI, linked to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, is formed by doctors and healthcare professionals working in Catholic hospitals, health centres and institutes in various Catholic dioceses throughout the country.
Rise in anti-minority violence grave concern: US body
Human rights abuses against India’s social and religious minorities have been on the ascendance since the BJP government came to power.
This grim reality is already being acknowledged within India as well as internationally, says the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA) of the United States.
The AJA report launched in Washington DC came nearly two months after the United States Commission on Inter-national Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) declared that religious freedom in India was at stake.
At the launch of the latest report the panellists such as Jennifer Prestholdt (Deputy Director, The Advocates for Human Rights), veteran journa-list Kannan Srinivasan, and Ajit Sahi (Advocacy Director, Indi-an American Muslim Council) briefed the press.
AJA talks about the inability of Indian government in dealing with the anti-minority violence and said that “government action seem to actually protect the perpetrators.” It said, “The Government of India has not demonstrated a sense of urgency to adequately investigate and effectively prosecute perpetra-tors of human rights violations against members of minority groups,” the report said.
Mukhia defends doctoral study on Impact of Christianity on Lepcha and Tamang community
Guwahati: A Darjeeling hills Mukhia tribal scholar presented his doctoral study on the impact of Christianity on his fellow hills tribal commu-nities of Lepcha and Tamang at Assam Don Bosco University Guwahati, 18 May 2017.
The Ph.D. thesis by Assistant Professor at Salesian College Sonada Mr Terence Mukhia is entitled “Impact of Christianity on the Lepcha and Tamang Tribal Communities in the Darjeeling District (1841-2017): A Philosophical Pers-pective.”
The research was under-taken at Assam Don Bosco University under the super-vision of Salesian Father Dr. Mathew George of Kolkata.
The four year long research was funded by Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), New Delhi from where the research scholar, Terence Mukhia, passed Junior Re-search Fellowship (JRF).
The thrust of the thesis says Mukhia, “is on the impact of Christianity on the Lepcha and Tamang tribal communities in the Darjeeling District from a philosophical perspective.”
Monsignor George Veliparambil: Pioneer and veteran journalist
An era in journa-lism, especially in the Catholic Church, came to an end when Fr George Veliparambil, former Managing Editor of the Kerala Times and president of the Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA), died on May 15.
According to reports and obituary write ups, Father Veliparambil was on the forefront in modernizing Malayalam language and journalistic style of reporting and writing. As Kerala Times Managing Editor, he revived ‘Satya Nadam’ (True Voice), one of the oldest periodicals in Malayalam.
Vijayan to take up with PM issue of kidnapped Catholic priest
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he will take up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the issue of kidnapped Kerala Catholic priest Tom Uzhunnallil, who is at an undisclosed location in Yemen. Vijayan was replying in the Kerala Assembly to a motion moved by former State Finance Minister K.M. Mani, who accused the state government of doing nothing to bring back the kidnapped priest.
Seminary professor appointed new bishop of Kottar
Pope Francis on May 20 appointed Fr Nazarene Soosai as the new bishop of Kottar diocese that covers the southernmost region of mainland India. The 54-year-old priest replaces Bishop Peter Remigius, who turned 78 on the same day. He did his philosophical and theological studies from Sacred Heart Seminary in Poonamallee, Chennai and was ordained a priest for Kottar on April 2, 1989.
Sr Rani Maria to be beatified on November 4
The beatification of Sister Rani Maria, who was killed by a hired assassin in central India 27 years ago, will take place on November 4. The official announcement will take place in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
“It is a blessed moment for the Catholic Church in India. The decision of Pope Francis to beatify Sr Rani Maria brings joy to all Catholics in India,” said Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church.
A special function to commemorate the beatification, will be held on Nov 5 at the tomb of Sr Rani Maria at Sacred Heart Church in Udainagar, Madhya Pradesh.
Ban on religious icons in cars sparks Catholic outcry in Philippines
In the most recent clash between the government and the Catholic Church in the Phili-ppines, authorities have banned hanging rosaries and religious icons in vehicles, citing safety concerns.
According to reports from the AFP, the ban is part of a new law that will take effect on May 25 aimed at eliminating distractions for drivers, including talking or texting on mobile phones, applying makeup, or eating or drinking.
The ban, announced, sparked outcry in the majority-Catholic country, where roughly 80% of the population identifies as Catholic.
“This is an overreaction, insensitive and lacks common sense,” Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, told the AFP.
The Catholic Church has been one of the most outspoken opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent and unrelenting war on drugs, as well as his policies on the death penalty and reproductive health that go against the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
Arunachal govt seeks info on Christian population
A letter issued by the East Kameng district Superintendent of Police to the president of the East Kameng Christian Forum (EKCF) seeking details of Christian believers in the district has created apprehension. State government however claimed the same as routine affair.
In the May 19 letter, the SP informed that the government was collecting data from all religious groups, and accordingly requested the president of EKCF to furnish data regarding the total number of Christian believers in the district, and names of church leaders / caretakers, along with list of churches and their locations for onward submission to the government within 10 days.
Clarifying on why the government was seeking details of religious groups, Government spokesperson Bamang Felix informed that it was a “routine secret exercise” conducted by the Security Branch of the government to collect data on various religious institutes. “This procedure is conducted for all religions and places on an annual basis, but the documents for East Kameng district were somehow made public. It has nothing to do with a specific religion as the letter itself reads that data is being collected for all religious grou-ps,” he said, before adding that it should not be misinterpreted.
Meanwhile, the Arunachal Civil Society (ACS) strongly condemned the SP’s letter and said that it was “unlawful and uncalled for.” It alleged that asking the details of Christians shows the hidden agenda of the BJP Government, while going on to claim that asking for unnecessary details would bring communal disharmony, religious hatred, and unrest among the different faiths living together.
Pastors ‘falsely charged’ granted bail in northern India
Six pastors were released on bail by a court in the north Indian State of Uttar Pradesh after the prosecution failed to prove, charges of attempting to incite a riot and hostility between religions. The pastors who belong to the Seva Bharat (serve India) Church were released on a surety of 20,000 rupees (US$298) on May 20, nine days after they were arrested in Salempur village, said Sanjay Kumar, a member of the church from the village.
The pastors from the neo-Christian church were slapped with charges of disturbing communal peace, creating hostility between religions and attempting to incite a riot. Kumar said that, apart from the prosecution failing to produce evidence, the court also found anomalies in the police complaint and subsequently granted bail.