New church in Jordan reflects national desire for closer ties with Christendom
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’
The recent news of Mount Carmel Convent Senior Secondary School in Cementnagar, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, losing its management to the Adani Foundation has shocked the local community. A lot of concerns and questions have been raised by the General Resolution dated September 27, which was made public a few days ago.Why, after more than 50 years of successful operation under the direction of the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel, has the management of the school been abruptly and without explanation transferred to a corporate behemoth? Who made the proposal for this change, and what are the underlying reasons? What are the implications of this change for the school’s and the area’s educational system’s future? These are not only urgent concerns for the people involved in the school but also have wider ramifications for the dynamics of education, politics, and corporate power in India.The Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel and ACC, a well-known cement manufacturer, collaborated to create Mount Carmel Convent Senior Secondary School in 1972. ACC has a history of supporting infrastructure development and education in the communities surrounding its operations through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The school, which received funding from these CSR initiatives, soon gained a reputation for its rigorous academic programs and all-encompassing instruction.Mount Carmel Convent developed into one of the most pre
After landing at the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport on September 1, I noticed several large red hoardings while traveling towards Kandi city in Sri Lanka.These posters prominently featured the striking image of a young man with a beard. The text on the hoardings was in Sinhala, which I couldn’t read, so I asked a Sri Lankan friend for clarification. He explained that the person on the hoardings was Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the National People’s Power (NPP), a rising political figure in Sri Lanka.My friend gave me further insight into the political background of the NPP, explaining that the party is deeply rooted in Communist ideology, stemming from the pro-China faction of the Sri Lankan Communist Party. Anura Kumara Dissanayake began his political career with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), or People’s Liberation Front, which had been involved in several armed uprisings.Over time, the JVP’s political stance evolved significantly, and it was legalized in 1994, becoming part of the political mainstream by entering Parliament. Anura Kumara served as Minister of Agriculture in President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government in 2004 and rose to prominence as the JVP’s leader by 2014.In 2018, he formed the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, bringing together over two dozen small political groups, professionals, academics, and activists. I happened to witness one of the rallies organized by the NPP in Kandy, which was
As India is witnessing an upsurge of sexual abuses, we tend to think that we need to protect girls. Continuous advice is given to parents: “Protect your daughters.” In fact, this advice is not debated. But a spontaneous question arises: “Is it enough to protect our daughters?” At this introspective stage, I received a thought-provoking WhatsApp picture with a caption: “Educate your sons.”It is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality. It aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that empowers them to realize their health, well-being and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that of others; and understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives.CSE presents sexuality with a positive approach, emphasizing values such as respect, inclusion, non-discrimination, equality, empathy, responsibility and reciprocity. It reinforces healthy and positive values about bodies, puberty, relationships, sex and family life.UNESCO believes that with CSE, young people learn to treat each other with respect and dignity from an early age and gain skills for better decision making, communications, and critical analysis. They learn they can talk to an adult they trust when they are confused about their bodies, relationships and values.They le
I appreciate Sr. Dr. Soja Maria’s article titled Synodality: An Analytical Exploration for a Religious Perspective. The Church is inherently synodal in nature and thus synodality has to be embraced in all its facets beginning from its very primary structures. The religious life forms an essential part of the structural organization of the Church. Religious men and women are major component of the Church’s hierarchy. This ‘analytical exploration’ serves well to indicate to the religious men and women in the contemporary Church to practically apply the tenets of synodality to their every day life. It is high time that the religious houses and formation houses consider communion, participation, and mission as elements to be inculcated in the lifestyle of all members. Religious communities primarily need to overcome structural autocracy, individualism, insensitivity and compartmentalization. These elements are a threat to the evangelical counsels as such. They betray the very essence of community life.There is a dire need to deepen the Church’s reliance on the gospel-based values with a sense of trust in God. This fact need to be implemented by all organs of the Church regardless of the circumstantial differences. This discussion on the analytical exploration needs to propose practical modalities for the implementation of the principles of synodality in religious houses and in the formation programs of the religious men and women. A think-tank on how to build commun
On 1 July 2024, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal of the Allahabad High Court in a bizarre comment said, “if this process (religious conversion) is allowed to be carried out, the majority population of this country would be in minority one day, and such religious congregation should be immediately stopped where the conversion is taking place and changing religion of citizen of India.” The single- bench judge was hearing the bail plea of one Kailash booked under Section 3/5(1) of the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, said that Article 25 of the Constitution of India does not provide for religious conversion but only provides freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion. The Court also noted that in several cases unlawful activity of conversion of people of SC/ST castes and other castes including economically poor persons into Christianity is being done at rampant pace throughout the State of Uttar Pradesh. The Court on expected lines, denied bail to the accused.Exactly a week later, on 9 July, the same judge Agarwal sang the exact same tune, denying bail to yet another accused in a case of alleged ‘illegal conversion’. He observed that the right to freedom of conscience and religion cannot be constituted as the right to convert others! He once again categorically stated that, “The Constitution confers on each individual the fundamental right to profess, practice and propagate his religion. However, the i
