Indian Church refuses to endorse political party in election
Assam Christians outraged by Hindu leader’s “divisive” remarks
Moral theologians address challenges in biomedical ethics in India
Persecution of Christians has worsened around the globe, according to new study
Pope to Cardinals-elect: Keep your eyes raised, your hands joined, your feet bare
Tribal Christians avoid travel fearing attack in India’s Manipur
Pope Francis’ visit to Singapore ‘has revived the faith of our people,’ cardinal says
Cardinal Dolan: Harris received ‘bad advice’ to skip Catholic charity dinner
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
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples” – Mother Teresa. The starfish story is an endearing account of a child, walking along an empty, desolate beach with his parents, the day after a terrible storm and the beach was littered with thousands of washed up starfish. When the child picked up a stranded and dying starfish and threw it back into the ocean, the father admonished his son saying that there were thousands of similarly stranded starfish on the beach after the previous day’s storm and he couldn’t possibly make any difference to their plight by picking up just a few and returning them back to their natural milieu of the life enriching ocean. The child then picked up the next starfish and throwing it back into the ocean replied: “I made a difference to that one”. This little story comes from the treatise, “The Star Thrower” which is from a 16-page essay by Loren Eiseley, published in 1969 and has been adapted and retold a million times by thousands of motivational speakers and grandmas and grandpas telling bedtime stories to grandchildren over the years without any attribution to Loren Eiseley. Just because an act is small and seemingly insignificant, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worthwhile or has any value in its own right. The problems that the world faces currently may be huge and insurmountable, but if individuals concentrate on realistic outcomes, small acts of kindness and singula
