The government in Jharkhand, eastern India, has announced a plan to rename a state health service after Catholic saint Mother Teresa, removing its current name, which is linked to a prominent leader of India’s Hindu party. “It is a fitting gesture to honour St. Mother Teresa’s profound compassion for the sick and suffering, regardless of creed, caste, or colour in India,” former Archbishop Felix Toppo of Ranchi, based in the state capital, told on July 28.
The Atal Mohalla (community) Clinics in the state will be renamed Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinics in honour of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, who cared for the sick, the state’s Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, announced on July 24. The name Atal refers to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was the leader of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party and became the party’s first prime minister in May 1996. He died in August 2018. Soren heads the state government, which is led by his regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM or Jharkhand Freedom Front). The BJP, which previously ruled the state, is now in opposition. Soren, who follows the nature-worshipping tribal religion of Sarna, told the media that the state cabinet meeting decided the change, along with some 20 key proposals approved by the government. The BJP opposed the renaming move, calling it a tactic to convert more Hindus to the Catholic Church.
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
