A Protestant bishop, a Catholic priest and 10 other management members of seven Christian-run schools in a central Indian state have secured bail after spending close to three months in jail for allegedly charging excessive tuition fees. India’s top court granted bail to Father Abraham Thazhathedathu of the Jabalpur diocese, Bishop Ajay Umesh Kumar James of the Church of North India (CNI), and others on Aug. 20. They appealed to the Supreme Court after the Madhya Pradesh High Court in central India turned down their pleas. “We are happy that the top court has granted bail to our priest and others who are accused in a fabricated case,” vicar-general of Jabalpur diocese Father Davis George said. The attorney for the state government vehemently opposed their bail pleas before a division bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh, saying they might tamper with evidence. The lawyers for the applicants, however, countered by saying, the accused were engaged in educational activities and did nothing illegal. Police in Madhya Pradesh arrested 22 people on May 27, including 13 management members and staff from seven Christian-run schools in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh state, ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party.
They were accused of charging students excessive fees and selling textbooks at exorbitant prices. Cases have been registered against 51 people from 11 private schools and book publishers. A female principal from a Christian school secured bail earlier while other Christian-run school staff members were detained. “We are relieved,” George told UCA News on Aug. 20. The police action against the Christian schools was “totally illegal” with “malicious intent,” he added. The Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Aug. 13 suspended an education department order on July 9 telling the Christian schools to reimburse nearly US$5 million they allegedly collected in excessive fees from students in the past six years. The court will hear the case on Aug. 25 after the education department filed its reply. Schools in Madhya Pradesh are allowed an annual fee hike of up to 10 percent. Beyond that, the district collector’s nod is required, while a fee hike exceeding 15 percent has to be sanctioned by a state-level panel. “We never charged exorbitant fees,” said George. “The schools were ordered to reimburse tuition fees even for the Covid-19 period when we did not charge any fees,” the priest said. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tribal people in India. Christian schools are the most sought-after in Jabalpur, known as the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is against missionary activities that benefit tribal people and other poor sections of society, said a Church official. Church leaders have accused the right-wing state government of unleashing targeted attacks on Church-run institutions, including schools, hostels, and orphanages. Cases are registered against Church officials, including a retired Catholic bishop, priests, and nuns, under a stringent anti-conversion law in the state that bans religious conversion. The Church runs many educational institutions that benefit tribal people in the state, who constitute more than 21 percent of Madhya Pradesh’s 72 million people, and Christians make up a mere 0.27 percent.
Indian Church leader allays Odisha violence fears
A leading Church official in the eastern Indian state of Odisha has dismissed rumors that there might be communal violence in the state’s Kandhamal district as Hindus gear up to celebrate Janmashtami, or the birth of the Hindu Lord Krishna, on Aug. 26.
Kandhamal district witnessed the worst ever anti-Christian violence in the South Asian nation on this day 16 years ago. “Just as the Hindu festival is approaching, vested interest people are spreading false messages that Kandhamal might witness more communal violence,” said Father Dibakar Porichha, chancellor of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese that covers Kandhamal. “It is false news and people should not believe it,” Porichha told. We have met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, local politicians, and police officials and have alerted them to the rumor, he added. Since July, Odisha (formerly Orissa) has been headed by a government from the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP and its sister organizations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (world Hindu council) are against missionary activities of the Church among India’s indigenous people, according to Church leaders. “They [the government] have assured us help,” Porichha said. Kandhamal witnessed anti-Christian riots on Aug. 26, 2008, as Hindus celebrated Janmashtami (the birthday of Lord Ram), after a Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was shot dead on Aug. 23 of that year allegedly by outlawed Maoists who have a strong following among tribal people in the mineral-rich Indian state. Soon after the murder, four ethnic Christians, including an illiterate 13-year-old boy, were picked up by Hindu activists and were accused of killing the Hindu monk. They termed the murder a “Christian conspiracy.” The riots that lasted for seven weeks killed some 100 people, rendered 56,000 homeless, and destroyed 6,000 houses and 300 churches. “There is some kind of uneasiness among Christians in the region whenever Janmashtami approaches,” said Christian leader Pratima Minj, who hails from a tribal community in Odisha. This time, they are worried as the state is headed by the pro-Hindu party, she noted. Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese in a statement on Aug. 20 asked people to desist from spreading rumors. “We commend the proactive steps taken by the district administration of Kandhamal and the government of Odisha,” it said. As part of this, peace-building meetings have been held across Kandhamal district with the participation of religious leaders, including priests and pastors. On Oct. 2 last year, the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints issued “no objection” to initiate the beatification process for the Servant of God Kanteeswar Digal and companions who are called the Martyrs of Kandhamal. They were killed during the riots. The total population of Odisha is 41 million and tribal people constitute its 22.85 percent.
Indian court indicts police for implicating Hindu follower of Christ
A Hindu follower of Christ in a northern Indian state has hailed a court ruling that indicted police for filing a false case against him under the sweeping anti-conversion law. “I lost my job and reputation because of the false case,” Abhishek Gupta, a resident of northern Uttar Pradesh, said. The court has ordered action against the police to prevent the recurrence of such illegal actions in the future. “It is a welcome step,” he added. The 41-year-old lab technician with a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh lost his job after police filed charges against him under the draconian anti-conversion law, enacted by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in India’s most populous state in 2021. The case was filed on May 29, 2022, when Himanshu Patel, a resident of Bareilly and district president of the right-wing Hindu group Hindu Jagran Manch, accused Gupta of leading a religious conversion program with an eight-team. The “police acted under pressure on the complaints made by persons like the plaintiff for their desire for publicity and took action in a futile attempt to give legal form to a baseless, fabricated and imaginary story which wasted valuable time, labor and money of not only the police but also the court,” said the trial court Judge Gyanendra Tripathi. The judge said their collective efforts had caused irreparable loss to the two accused and directed the senior superintendent of police, Bareilly, “to take appropriate legal action against the complainant, Himanshu Patel, as well as three people listed as key witnesses.”
The July 30 order, published in the media few days ago, acquitted the accused men. It sought action against the former police station in charge, “the investigating officer, and the jurisdictional officer who approved the charge sheet.” Gupta was arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. Later, Kundan Lal, whose house Gupta used to visit, was also arrested. After he lost his job, he was forced to transfer his nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son from a reputed private school to another school as he was “unable to afford monthly fees.” The court has directed the victims to approach an appropriate court for compensation. “We are yet to decide on the compensation,” said Gupta. Though, not converted to Christianity, “I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ,” Gupta said. The court has sought action against police officials, the complainant and the witnesses for implicating Gupta and his friend in a false case in Uttar Pradesh, which occupies the second slot in anti-Christian violence in the country, according to Church leaders. The July 30 order was released to the media a few days ago. Gupta’s case is an exception where the court took a strong stand in favor of truth and justice, said a Church leader who assists Christians in fighting their cases in the court. “Several similar cases are pending in different courts,” the Church leader told on condition of anonymity. I realized the “helping hand of God during the 40-day stay” in jail, Gupta recalled. “God protected us even when our family members discarded us,” he added.
Pope Francis meets Middle East Catholic bishops amid fears of all-out war in region
Pope Francis met with the Latin-rite Catholic leaders of some of the Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking countries amid fears of an escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. He encouraged the bishops to “bear witness to faith in [the Lord], also through respectful and sincere dialogue with everyone.”
The Aug. 28 meeting took place as part of the plenary assembly of the Conference of the Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions (CELRA), which covers Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Djibouti, Somalia, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
CELRA is headed by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, responsible for Latin Catholics in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus. The vice president is Bishop Cesar Essayan, OFM Conv, apostolic vicar for Latin Catholics in Beirut, Lebanon.
The bishops’ meeting with Pope Francis took place amid growing worries in the region about a broader war as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and Iran, its regional patron, appeared to escalate hostilities over the past weekend.
During the meeting at the Vatican, the pope noted the “very strong tension” in the Middle East region, “which in some contexts lead to open clashes and outbursts of war.”
“The conflict, instead of finding an equitable solution, seems to be becoming chronic, with the risk that it will spread to ignite the entire region,” he said.
“This situation has caused thousands and thousands of deaths, enormous destruction, immense suffering, and the spread of feelings of hatred and resentment, which prepare the ground for new tragedies.”
Francis in his address conveyed his closeness to the prelates and to the Catholics in their flocks.
“May you keep hope alight,” he added. “Be yourselves, for everyone, signs of hope, a presence that fosters words and gestures of peace, brotherhood, and respect. A presence that, in itself, invites reason, reconciliation, overcoming with goodwill the divisions and enmities stratified and hardened over time, which are becoming increasingly inextricable.”
The pontiff also asked the Latin-rite Catholic leaders to ensure students in public schools receive a good Christian formation, especially where Christians are a minority.
“This formation is of great importance, so that the content of faith may be known and accompanied by reflection and so that faith, in confrontation with culture, may thus be strengthened and have the means to give reasons for Christian hope,” he said.
Pope Francis sells out Belgium stadium for Sept. 29 beatification Mass in just 90 minutes
Tickets for Pope Francis’ Mass in King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels at the end of September sold out in record time on 26 August.
After becoming available for free online, 32,000 tickets for the Sept. 29 Mass were snatched up in just 90 minutes, surprising local organizers of the pope’s three-day trip to Belgium.
“This pleasantly surprised us; it’s very positive to see such a high demand,” the spokesman for the Belgian bishops’ conference, Tommy Scholtes, told French Catholic newspaper La Croix.
During the Mass, Pope Francis will beatify Carmelite Sister Ana de Jesús, a spiritual daughter of St. Teresa of Ávila and a friend to St. John of the Cross. Born Ana de Lobera y Torres, the religious helped expand the Discalced Carmelites to France and Belgium at the turn of the 17th century.
The Brussels soccer stadium is Belgium’s largest, with a seating capacity of almost 50,000 people. Besides hosting the matches of the national soccer team, it has also been the venue for concerts by world-class music artists, such as Madonna, U2, and the Rolling Stones.
Organizers explained that the approximately 18,000 remaining seats in the city-owned stadium are being reserved for groups from parishes, dioceses, and movements. After group registration closes, they may be able to release a few hundred more individual tickets for those who missed out on August 26th morning.
Nicaraguan dictatorship eliminates tax exemptions for Catholic and Evangelical churches
One day after cancelling the legal status of 1,500 NGOs in Nicaragua, the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, eliminated the income tax exemption for churches.
Lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina considers the measure a “fiscal blow” that will end up “financially suffocating the (Catholic) Church so that it falls under its own weight.”
The official government newspaper La Gaceta published Law 1212 on Aug. 22, which modifies three other laws: the law on regulation and control of non-profit organizations, the law on regulation of foreign agents, and Law 822 on tax coordination. The newspaper reported that this decision comes from the country’s legislature at Ortega’s initiative.
Article 5 of Law 1212 orders: “Repeal section 3 of article 32 of the Tax Coordination Law” of 2012, as well as its reforms.
Section 3 of article 32 stated that “Churches, denominations, confessions and religious foundations that have legal personhood, in terms of their income coming from activities and assets exclusively destined for religious purposes” were exempt from income tax.
An expert quoted but not identified by the newspaper La Prensa explains that with this decision by the dictatorship “all churches of any denomination will be subject to the fiscal terrorism to which the dictatorship has subjected the private sector and now religious institutions,” and they will have to pay between 10 and 30% in income tax.
Regarding this decision, Molina, author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?” which cited 870 attacks by the dictatorship against the Catholic Church since 2018, claimed that government authorities have already been to parishes asking for documents related to their accounts.
In “previous weeks, the regime’s authorities had visited parishes to request information on how they keep their accounts, they asked to see the general and minor ledgers, income and expenses, which is obviously not done this way in parish administration,” Molina wrote on X. “Now the priests will have to hire a CPA [certified public accountant] to keep all these accounts and also say who their main donors are,” she added.
Lay parliament to help pick new Swiss bishop
One of the Catholic world’s most unusual episcopal selection processes is underway in the Swiss Diocese of St. Gallen, involving cathedral canons and a lay parliament, as well as the Pope, of course.
The St. Gallen diocese, in northeastern Switzerland, announced Aug. 15 that Pope Francis had approved the start of the process to find a new bishop after incumbent Bishop Markus Büchel submitted his resignation upon turning 75.
St. Gallen, which serves roughly 250,000 Catholics, is one of several dioceses in the German-speaking Catholic world where the cathedral chapter plays an important role in selecting new bishops.
Under the terms of an 1845 concordat and the 1847 bull Instabilis rerum humanarum natura, the Bishop of St. Gallen is appointed after a free election by the cathedral chapter within three months of a vacancy.
Candidates must be diocesan priests over the age of 35 with more than five years of priestly service. They must also have experience of administration or pastoral care in the diocese. Around 60 priests are currently eligible, with local attention focused largely on the 13 members of St. Gallen’s cathedral chapter.
Following the pope’s signal, the 13 canons have three months to prepare for the election of Büchel’s successor.
The process will begin with a three-week survey of Church groups, led by the Swiss Institute of Pastoral Sociology (SPI) in St. Gallen. Groups will be asked to identify the qualities needed in a new bishop. Consultations were also held during the last two changes of episcopal leadership.
After reviewing survey responses, the cathedral chapter will create a shortlist of six priests, which will be sent to Rome via the nuncio. The Vatican will scrutinize the list, vetting the candidates individually, before returning it to the cathedral chapter through the nuncio when they have finished.
The chapter will then schedule an election day in collaboration with the Catholic College (Katholische Kollegium), a lay parliament covering the Canton of St. Gallen, one of the 26 member states of the country officially known as the Swiss Confederation.
The lay parliament could play a significant role in the election of St. Gallen’s new bishop because it can declare that three of the six candidates identified by the cathedral chapter and scrutinized by Rome are “less favourable,” resulting in their elimination from the list.
The cathedral chapter then holds a ballot. After the chapter selects a new bishop, the candidate has a week to accept or decline. If he agrees, Pope Francis is expected to formally appoint the candidate as the new Bishop of St. Gallen.
Papal visit sparks hope and joy in Papua New Guinea, says missionary priest
The anticipation is palpable for Pope Francis’ arrival in Papua New Guinea on September 6, especially in the coastal city of Vanimo, said Fr. Martín Prado of the Institute of the Incarnate Word. “Due to limited access to news and social media, not many people were aware that he was traveling. We are all very excited and working hard to be able to welcome the Pope as best as we can,” the priest said in an interview with the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The local Catholic community is making extensive preparations, which include nightly prayers, organizing hymns, and culturally significant dances on the local football pitch, repurposed for the occasion. These gatherings have drawn large crowds, a testament to the vibrant faith and communal spirit in Vanimo, the priest said. “At some of the better attended evenings, we had thousands of people taking part.”
He also highlighted the unique blend of faith practices in the region, saying, “The faith of the Christians here is very much alive and very simple.”
“Many still interpret Christianity through the framework of their ancestral faiths, which makes it difficult for them to achieve a full understanding of Christianity,” he added.
The priest said missionary work in remote jungle locations has led to significant spiritual engagements, including baptisms and the introduction of the Gospel.
“In the jungle, for instance, we have had the opportunity to baptize entire families, to teach them to make the sign of the Cross, and to preach the Gospel for the first time,” he said.
Despite these successes, the melding of ancestral beliefs with Christian teachings presents ongoing challenges. Fr. Prado highlighted the community’s efforts to discern and educate.
“Our work, as missionaries, is to help Christians understand that these things do not go together and try to effect change,” he said.
Addressing the specific challenges faced by the youth, the priest highlighted the vague concepts of marriage and family life that diverge significantly from Western norms.
“Young people do not have models to follow or serve as inspiration, and only a few have the support and accompaniment of their parents to commit to their spouses for life,” he said.
The missionary priest called for global support through prayers and material aid. He stressed the importance of praying for vocations, noting the recent increase in local vocations.
“Since then, the number of priests has doubled. We have started to see local vocations, which we had never had before,” he said.
Pope Francis Promotes Sustainability with A New Solar Plant for The Vatican
In a significant movement towards climate sustainability and neutrality, Pope Francis announced the construction of a solar plant on the outskirts of Rime. The initiative’s objective is for Vatican City to function completely with renewable energy, which is a crucial step in the fight against climate change.
In an Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis highlighted the urgent need of a transition to a sustainable development model. According to the Holy Father, the new solar plant will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote climate neutrality. The plant will be located in Santa Maria di Galeria, some 11 kilometers from Rome, where Vatican Radio’s broadcasting station is located. Not only will this project generate renewable electricity, but it will also be integrated with the land’s agricultural needs, combining modern technology with sustainable practices. The Pope has given full authority to two special Commissioners to supervise the plant’s construction, ensuring that the project is carried out efficiently and effectively. The energy generated by this solar plant will cover all the Vatican’s energy needs, eliminating dependence on non-renewable energy sources.
Solar energy plays an essential role in Pope Francis’ strategy to address climate change. Since his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’,” the Pope has been a firm defender of climate action and repeatedly appealed to the international community to take swifter and more decisive measures. In his writings, the Holy Father has pointed out the scientific consensus on global warming and extreme meteorological phenomena as key reasons to adopt cleaner energy sources. In addition to the solar plant, the Vatican is implementing other measures to reduce carbon footprint. For example, solar panels have been installed in several buildings and the fleet of official vehicles has been renovated with electric automobiles, including the famous Popemobile. These actions underscore the Vatican’s commitment to energy efficiency and the reduction of light consumption through renewable sources.
Vatican bans traditional Latin mass in Finnish cathedral
In a move that has sparked concern among traditionalist Catholics, the Vatican has ordered the relocation of Finland’s only Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) from its current location in the capital’s main cathedral to a smaller, more modern church. The Diocese of Helsinki announced on August 9 that, starting in September, the Latin Mass will no longer be celebrated at St. Henry’s Cathedral but will instead take place at St. Mary’s Church, following directives from the Vatican. The decision, as communicated by the Dicastery for Divine Worship, is rooted in the Vatican’s view of St. Henry’s Cathedral as a “model for the entire local church” and a “sign of unity.” This rationale implies that the cathedral, as a symbol of ecclesiastical cohesion, should not host the Traditional Latin Mass, which has been a point of contention within the broader Catholic Church. The Latin Mass had been celebrated at St. Henry’s Cathedral since 2007, following Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which encouraged the wider use of the pre-Vatican II liturgy. St. Henry’s, a neo-Gothic structure built between 1858 and 1860, originally served the needs of Catholic soldiers in the Imperial Russian Army, at a time when Finland’s Catholic population was minimal. The cathedral’s exterior features statues of St. Henry, Finland’s patron saint, as well as St. Peter and St. Paul, underscoring its historical and spiritual significance.
The new venue, St. Mary’s Church, is located over five kilometers from the cathedral and was constructed in the 1950s with a modern architectural design.
The move is seen within the context of broader restrictions imposed on the Traditional Latin Mass following Pope Francis’s 2021 motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which aimed to curtail the use of the old rite. Since the motu proprio’s release, the Vatican has been tightening regulations on diocesan Latin Masses globally. According to the Vatican’s liturgical office, only 57 parishes worldwide were granted permission to offer the Traditional Latin Mass in 2022. The Vatican’s reasoning for the relocation—citing the cathedral as a «sign of unity»—highlights the ongoing tensions between the Vatican under Pope Francis and segments of the Catholic community that favour the traditional liturgy.