Christmas Celebratory Again In Holy Land Amid Ongoing War; Patriarch Urges Pilgrims To Return
Vatican: Former Choir Director, Manager Convicted Of Embezzlement, Abuse Of Office
Christians in Aleppo feel an uneasy calm amid rebel takeover of Syrian city
Kathmandu synodality forum: Indigenous people, ‘not the periphery but at the heart of the Church’
Indian Cardinal opposes anti-conversion law in poll-bound state
12,000 gather as Goa starts exposition of St. Francis Xavier relics
The “Queen of England And All Her Realms” dies as a much-loved grandmother, who provided some ephemeral sense of continuity in a rapidly changing world of the 20th Century and the first two decades of the 21st. Her life reflected the buffeting of her land and her people through a devastating world war, acute depression, rebuilding, and loss of income from the vast commonwealth. In an ironic rebounding tsunami, one among a wave of refugees almost became the last prime minister of her long, very long reign India-born Rishi Sumak lost to Englishwoman Liz Truss in an election that saw more than its share of racism. Truss, a middle-class Conservative working woman and mother was invited by Queen Elizabeth to be prime minister, the last official act she did in the glare of cameras. She passed away, on Sept. 8 at 97 at her home in Balmoral Castle. She died within a year of the death of her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, who she was married to for more than seven decades. Her state funeral may also be the last classical display of colonial royal pageantry the world may see. Royalty, beset by scandals ranging from divorces, the mildest of them, and marriage to black women, has seen uncounted marital scandals down the centuries. Trafficking and friendship with international criminals, as one of the heirs was accused of in distant United states. King Charles III, her eldest son and instant successor after her death, divorced his wife Diana, who was very popular with the Bri
A few days ago, I met a small group of priests and nuns. I just asked them a question, “Are you aware of the Bilkis Bano’s case?” Surprisingly none could give me an answer. Taking this as an example, I can conclude that a vast majority of the priests and nuns may not be aware of what happened in Gujarat starting from Godhra incident in 2002 to the release of the 11 convicts on the Independence Day this year. Background: Gujarat had turned violent after the Sabarmati train was burnt in Godhra on February 27, 2002. Fifty-nine karsevaks were killed in the train. Fearing the outbreak of violence, a then five-month pregnant Bilkis Bano fled from Randhikpur, her village, with her three-year-old daughter and 15 other family members. They took refuge in the Chhaparvad district. However, on March 03, 2002, they were attacked by about 20-30 people armed with sickles, swords, and sticks. Among the attackers were the 11 accused men. Bilkis, her mother, and three other women were raped and brutally assaulted. Of the 17-member group of Muslims from Randhikpur village, eight were found dead, six were missing. Only Bilkis and two more persons survived the attack. As per multiple reports, Bilkis regained consciousness three hours after the incident and after borrowing clothes from a tribal woman made her way to the Limkheda police station to register a complaint. Bilkis was taken to a public hospital for medical examination only after she reached the Godhra relief camp. Her case was
As another ‘Ninth August’ slips into history and perhaps into oblivion (as some would certainly like it to be), it is important that we bask in the significance of the day and what it holds in store for all and particularly for the journey ahead! This reflection therefore is about the past, present and future – three tenses all encapsulated into one reality!The day was pregnant with meaning and hopefully, it will continue to be so! Several anniversaries on this day: much to learn from! Eighty years ago, in 1942 - Mahatma Gandhi and our other freedom fighters launched the ‘Quit India Movement’ which brought us our independence. That very day Edith Stein (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) was killed by the Nazis in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing on Hiroshima, Nagasaki was also destroyed by another deadly atomic bomb. On ‘World Indigenous Peoples Day’ we remember our Adivasi sisters and brothers and their relentless struggle for identity, dignity and justice! Jai Adivasi! It is also the Ashura in Muharram: day of atonement, prayer, fasting and mourning our Muslim sisters and brothers! If there is one word that becomes the common denominator for the day is the word “Freedom”!“Freedom”! It was a loud, unequivocal clarion call given by Mahatma Gandhi! On 8 August, 1942, at the Bombay session of All India Congress Committee, he introduced the resolution to start a ‘Quit India Movement’. The resolution wa
There are books and books: some are meant to decorate bookshelves, others are read and forgotten; then there are still others, when internalized are inspirational, motivating the reader to action.The newly released book, “If Not Now, When? Disquieting Feminist Questions,” clearly belongs to the last category. Edited by Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, Kochurani Abraham and Jesuit Father PrashantOlalekar, the anthology raises serious questions, it discomforts, it makes demands. The title says it all: disquieting feminist questions. If taken seriously, it challenges the reader to get out of one’s complacency, comfort zone! It is a must-read and a ‘must-act-upon-now’ book!The book is divided into three sections, all inter-related:1. Voices from the Margins 2. The Personal is Political and 3. Patriarchy, Power and the Catholic Church. Twenty-five essays, interviews and insightful articles fill the almost three-hundred pages. The contributors belong to the entire spectrum of society: different voices but one in heart, soul and mind.In fact, all the articles merit independent reviews. The style throughout is racy, without being superficial, raising pertinent questions and simultaneously providing possible answers, the contents are provocative yet dynamically positive. For a discerning reader, it does not make for comfortable reading – it is not meant to do so- it is meant to ‘disquiet’ and it does so with brutal
When the US Supreme Court overturned its earlier decision on abortion on June 24th, American Catholics were deeply divided in their opinions. Many claimed this as a victory while others called the decision a regression.Despite efforts to nuance their statements, American bishops were equally divided. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore released a laudatory statement about this “historic day” while US Cardinals were more cautions, emphasizing how “this ruling is not the end of a journey, but rather a fresh start.”Meanwhile, Catholics around the world have watched the American religious-political scene with wonder. How American Catholics can be so polarized and radical? Why is abortion such a divisive issue when gun violence attracts little attention? To what extent shall the universal Church follow this kind of cultural war?Quoting EvangeliiGaudium (The Joy of Gospel), the 2013 apostolic exhortation, the pope affirms that a temptation in the Church “leads to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”On top of that, the Holy See has reiterated how the protection of life requires a holistic approach which includes attenti
