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
The solo Indian flag that made an appearance among the vast swathe of Trump supporters storming the Capitol building in Washington D.C. recently, caught the attention of many. It was even more of a surprise when it was revealed that a Malayali Christian na-med Vinson Palathingal was responsible for it. However, truth be told, Palathingal is just one of the many Malayali Christians who are fervent advocates of the Christo-racist nationalism represented and championed by Donald Trump and his band of supporters. For those wondering how an exclusivist White supremacist anti-Muslim ideology and rhetoric that underpins Trumpian politics appeals to these migrants and their ilk from the Global South, the answer may be found in the latter’s own social location within the Kerala society in India. Beyond the general term Christian, there lies a more nuanced identifier for the community that people like Palathingal hail from – Syrian Christians. A traditionally privileged and landed community, they claim their origin from the proselytisation mission of Jesus Christ’s disciple St. Thomas in the first century CE. There are visible tendencies among the Syrians, who are also called St. Thomas Christians, to go back and revive what they imagine to be their Syriac liturgical tradition. The most popular myth about their origin is that they hail from Brahmins who were proselytised by St Thomas. While inquiring into the veracity of th
‘We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured,’ said Joseph Biden, the new president of the United States. He had every reason to say so. His predecessor, Donald Trump, had made 30,573 false or misleading claims as president. Nearly half came in his final year. “Over time, Trump unleashed his falsehoods with increasing frequency and ferocity, often by the scores in a single campaign speech or tweetstorm. What began as a relative trickle of misrepresentations, including 10 on his first day and five on the second, built into a torrent through Trump’s final days as he frenetically spread wild theories that the coronavirus pandemic would disappear “like a miracle” and that the presidential election had been stolen — the claim that inspired Trump supporters to attack Congress on Jan. 6 and prompted his second impeachment.’ (Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post 24.01.2021). The irony of it all, 74 million Americans believed Trump and voted for him. And we know the US is no mean country. It claims to be a great nation. Two centuries of democracy, almost totally literate people and the richest country in the world. Why would so many Americans believe in the false claims of Trump? Reality is no different in other countries across the globe. In every country, political leaders (and leaders in other domains too) lie at will and people soak them in. So the crucial ques
For any organization, movement or institution, the passing away of its founder is a jolting moment yet graced with gratitude for the vision transmitted and realized in the course of its trajectory. The members of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) share these sentiments at the demise of Rev. Fr Constantine Manalel, CMI, its founder and guide on the path of its significant growth. “The ITA came into existence because of the creative action of this great visionary” says its former president Jacob Parappally MSFS. “Fr Constantine challenged theologians to dialogue with the religious, social, cultural, economic and political contexts of our country while theologizing.” The launching story of Indian Theological Association has been recorded by Kuncheria Pathil, CMI as follows: ‘In the post-Vatican II scenario, it was Rev. Joseph Constantine Manalel who proposed the idea of forming an association of Indian theologians. In 1971 he had already published a theology journal, named Jeevadhara in two editions, English and Malayalam, for which he had formed a society, called, “Jeevadhara Theological Society.’ On August 28, 1975, he convened a meeting of the above society where for the first time he proposed the idea of forming an all India association of Indian theologians. The period after Vatican II was, indeed, an extraordinary spring time for the Church in India. After elaborate preparations the “Church in
It is 72 years since India promulgated its secular-democratic constitution. The nation observed the anniversary on Jan. 26, just as in previous years, with a military parade in New Delhi. But an uneasy disquiet continues across the country. Over the years, the parade added cultural tableaux from its provinces. Uttar Pradesh state’s cultural tableau this year displayed the model of the Ram temple being built in Ayodhya town at a spot where an ancient mosque stood until 1992 when Hindu radicals demolished it. The temple has political connotations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has vowed to turn India into a nation of Hindu hegemony. The pro-Hindu party came to the national mainstream promising the temple in Ayodhya, their Hindu Lord Ram’s birthplace. Almost three decades after the demolition of the mosque, a major BJP promise is getting fulfilled. The government proudly displayed it at the parade celebrating the anniversary of the nation’s secular constitution. That’s the growth of Indian democracy! True to the character of any democracy, there is a paradox in India’s polity today. While the Modi government returned to power in 2019 with an enhanced mandate and his BJP winning provincial polls, the country is gradually turning into a grieving and protesting nation. Get it Now Are common people really happy under the Modi administration? Various sections of people, including religious minorities and farmers and teachers i
The year 2020 began, as every new year does, with the promise of hope and possibilities. It soon turned into a nightmare. Covid-19 ravaged our world. Even the mightiest nations on earth have felt the chill, with 356,000 dead in the United States alone.
But with far fewer deaths from the pandemic, India still suffered possibly its worst social impact. It ruined the lives and livelihoods of over 1,000 million marginalized and vulnerable Indians. These toiling and exploited citizens have a historic resilience and a spirit strengthened and not broken in struggle and will spring back to a better life.
Our hope is rooted in our belief that the rest of the country, its government at the centre and in the states, and its institutions have learned lessons. When governance failed and institutions let down the people, including the migrant laborers trudging back home from closed factories, common people were roused by the misery and pain they saw in the images on their TVs and social media. Religious groups, healthcare workers and youth risked their lives to provide the much-needed relief…
A singular lack of meaningful planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, deficiencies in competence, commitment, passion and creativity in mission remain the order of the day.
Emerging India and the crisis within the Church demand a positive and proactive response from the Christian community.
