The Indonesian government will no longer use, in Bahasa, Indonesia’s national language, the term “Isa Al-Masih,” a word of Arabic origin, to refer to Jesus Christ and Christian holidays. An end will thus be put to the decades-long practice of using the term routinely used by believers of the Islamic religion, who draw from the Arabic terminology in the Quran. Beginning in 2024, public institutions will use the term “Yesus Kristus in both documents and speeches,” which baptized Indonesians of all denominations use in their prayers and liturgies. “There will be a change in nomenclature, as far as the names of holidays are concerned, in accordance with the Minister for Religious Affairs,” said the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, in recent days, reporting that “the name Isa Al-Masih will be changed to Yesus Kristus.” The deputy minister for religious affairs, Saiful Rahmat, specified that the change was requested by representatives of Indonesian Christians.
The measure has generated mixed reactions and opinions in the public, which have also emerged in the Indonesian media. According to some Christians, it is the right decision because, in Christian liturgies the word “Isa Al-Masih” is never used, but “Yesus Kristus” is used. According to others, the change was unnecessary because “people already know that saying Isa Al masih refers to Jesus Christ, and the name is interchangeable.”
Two Asians speak at the Synod, giving voice to basic communities and those who are silent
Asia’s sufferings but also its gifts echoed yesterday at the Synod Assembly in the Vatican through the words of Vanessa Cheng, a lay woman from Hong Kong and a member of the Focolare movement, and Fr Clarence Devadass, a priest from Malaysia, during the public session that opened the days dedicated to the examination of the second part of the Instrumentum Laboris.
“Hong Kong society has been torn apart after two years of social unrest, the synodal process has helped the Church to restart. ‘Walking together” bears the fruit of healing’,” said Vanessa Cheng, citing the continent-level report.
In her description of the synodal path in Asia, she cited the image of “taking off our shoes”, which is deeply connected to the sense of the sacred that inhabits local communities.
Although Christians are but a “small flock”: 6.5 %, with Catholics just above 3 % they stand side by side with other great religions born in the continent, as well as all those who have no faith of their own and await the Good News. This is why listening rooted in respect is so central.
For Vanessa Cheng, “we must also be aware that many Asian cultures do not favour outspokenness for a variety of reasons, such as the fear of making mistakes and losing ‘face’, of not being accepted by one’s social circle, of being identified as problematic, disrespectful and challenging in front of all kinds of authority, and so on.
“As a result, many faithful may tend to remain silent instead of voicing their own views and concerns. Therefore, we need to pay even more attention to those who are silent for some reason. It is very important that the experiences of joy and wounds and the issues raised in the Report should be taken seriously.”
For his part, Fr Devadass notes, “Some may see us as small and insignificant, but we consider ourselves as unique and valuable parts of not just the church but also building and transforming human society.”
“In many parts of Asia, the Church takes the lead in the service of integral human development and the common good, especially in the fields of education, healthcare, and reaching out to the poor and marginalised groups in society beyond the boundaries of our churches.”
Lawyers, civil society support judge who fled Sri Lanka
Lawyers have decided to boycott court proceedings as protesters took to the streets in support of a judge who fled Sri Lanka after an order on a disputed religious site.
Rallies have been taking place in Northern and Eastern provinces almost all days this week, demanding independence of the judiciary after district judge T Saravanarajah quit and fled the nation.
He was handling the case of a disputed archaeological site, claimed by both Buddhists and minority Tamil Hindus as their place of worship with historical importance.
Saravanarajah’s resignation letter, dated Sept. 23 and addressed to the secretary of Sri Lanka’s Judicial Services Commission, said he was resigning because of the “threat to my life and stress.”
Civil society groups and lawyers organized a human chain on Oct. 4. covering 10 kilometers on the main road from Jaffna town to Maruthanarmadam in the Northern province.
Meanwhile, lawyers attached to the Bar Associations across eight districts in the two provinces have decided to boycott court proceedings till “a transparent and independent probe” is conducted.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for a report after criticism from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and civil society outfits.
Killed and kidnapped in a war not their own: dozens of Thais and Nepalese among Hamas victims
Victims of a conflict that is not theirs. There are also many Asian families among those mourning the dead of the Hamas incursion into the kibbutzim around Gaza or anxious about the kidnapping of loved ones.
It is no coincidence: the agricultural settlements of southern Israel are one of the areas where the work of migrants arriving from the Far East is most concentrated.
Migrants we have often talked about due to the harsh working conditions imposed by one of the most restrictive legislation in the world: they have residence permits strictly linked to temporary work contracts, without any possibility of accessing Israeli citizenship. Yet they too were treated as “collaborators”, without any mercy on the part of the Palestinian commandos.
Two deaths have been confirmed so far by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok, as communicated by the deputy minister Jakkaphong Sangmanee, but according to various sources, including Israeli employers, there are a dozen in total, to which should be added eight injured, two of whom are serious and 11 kidnapped by militiamen, the details of three of whom have been released.
13 Card Francis: inculturation and universality, the challenges for the Church in Malaysia
Bishop Sebastian Fran-cis of Penang (Malaysia) is among the 21 new cardi-nals created by the pontiff on 30 September during a ceremony held in St Peter’s Square.
Speaking to AsiaNews, he said, “Pope Francis told me to concentrate and focus my mission on the inculturation of the faith” in his country, promoting the path of evange-lisation in the local culture and “work for the universality, not uniformity of the Church.”
In his view, “These fa-ctors are the starting points of my mission in a new context, but always linked to the direction indicated by the pope, which we must follow.”
Card Francis was born on 11 November 1951 in what was then the Feder-ation of Malaya, the son of migrant pare-nts from Kerala (India).
Appointed as bishop of Penang in 2011, he is the second Malaysian in the country’s history to become cardinal after Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez of Kuala Lumpur, a former bishop of Penang (1977-1983) who passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.
About a hundred people – members of his family, priests and nuns, as well as people from his diocese and the capital – travelled to Rome to attend the ceremony that saw him elevated to the rank of cardinal.
With respect to evangelisation, the cardinal explained, “both Malaysia and the Asian continent as a whole are still young,” with a low average age and a youthful population in several countries.
Indian priest who joined Hindu nationalist party relieved of duties by bishop
An elderly Catholic priest in India’s Kerala state was suspended from priestly duties for joining India’s ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party or Indian People’s Party), which is known for pursuing a Hindu nationalist agenda.
The BJP is the party of Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi. The priest’s action took place at a time of rising persecution of Christians in India. According to the United Christians Forum (UCF), in the first eight months of 2023, 525 incidents of violence against Christians have been reported in 23 states of India.
“There was no option but to act, as it has become a scandal to the faithful,” Bishop John Nellikunnel of the Diocese of Idukki told CNA about the Oct. 2 suspension of Father Kuriakose Mattam, vicar of St. Thomas Parish of Mankua.
“His action violated the canon law, which prohibits priests from joining political parties without permission,” Nellikunnel said.
Elaborating further, Nellikunnel noted: “It seems that Father Kuriakose, who is close to retirement [he will be 75 in six months], was misled into joining the BJP. As the news spread, the priest was also disturbed. So, he was moved out.”
Father Jins Karackattu, spokesperson for the diocese, told CNA that a couple of local Catholics who are actively associated with the BJP had “lured” the elderly priest into joining the BJP two weeks ago, promising him a quick repair of roads in the area.
Religious leaders of Manipur meet for peace in Guwahati
Even as Imphal Valley was in turmoil over the disappearance of two students, Interfaith Forum for Peace and harmony, Manipur, were meeting with Kuki Church leaders searching for ways of peace.
While this meeting was the initiative of interfaith forum, it was prompted and supported by Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, who had visited Manipur four times since 3rd May violence, in an effort to begin a peace dialogue in some manner or the other. He was assisted by Father Tom Mangattutthazhe and Joshua Thiek.
In Manipur itself, Deben Bachaspatimayum had been working tirelessly to mobilize groups in favour of peace. The emergence of the Interfaith Forum for Peace and Harmony on June 5, of which Archbishop Menamparampil was chosen as the Convenor, was the fruit of his sustained effort.
Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, who was one of the founders of the Interfaith Forum was personally present at the meeting in Guwahati, made several insightful suggestions at key moments of the discussion.
Archbishop Menamparampil set a tone for the discussions with his initial remarks about the need of mutual respect and openness in dialogue. He pointed out that the time was sensitive and this was the first meeting of some significance.
Catholic priest, three others sent to jail in India
A court in a northern Indian state has remanded four Catholics, including a priest, to judicial custody under the stringent anti-conversion law.
The court in Prayagaraj district in northern Uttar Pradesh on Oct. 2 sent Father Babu Francis, director of social work of Allahabad diocese, and three other Catholics to jail, a day after their arrest.
“The priest was arrested when he visited the police station to inquire about the detention of other three Catholics,” Father Isidore D’Sousa, chancellor of the diocese, told on Oct. 3.
A pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vibhavnath Bharati in his complaint to the Naini police station in the district accused the priest and others of attempting to convert villagers.
The BJP under the leadership of monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath is ruling Uttar Pradesh since 2017 and enacted the draconian anti-conversion law in 2021.
The complainant charged the priests and others with attempts to defame Hindu gods and physical assault.
“The police complaint is based on totally fake charges,” noted D’Souza.
“When the BJP leader and his supporters created a ruckus and sought police help, the pastor ran away,” D’Souza said.
Journalists urge India’s chief justice to uphold media freedom
Media organizations have urged India’s chief justice to uphold freedom of speech following the arrest of a popular editor and raids on 46 journalists.
In a letter to Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, 18 media bodies noted, “The fact is that today, a large section of journalists in India finds itself working under the threat of reprisal.”
The organizations, including press clubs of various cities, told the chief justice that, “it is imperative that the judiciary confronts power with a fundamental truth — that there is a constitution to which we are all answerable.”
The letter, dated Oct. 4, sought the judiciary’s intervention to end the rampant use of investigating agencies against journalists.
“The country’s investigating agencies have been misused and weaponized against the press,” it said.
Their plea to Chandrachud comes in the immediate aftermath of the raids on 46 journalists, editors, writers, and professionals connected with the news portal, Newsclick.
The raids, conducted under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the sweeping anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), took place in more than 30 locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Court relief to India’s minority institutions
The top court in a southern Indian state has ruled that education institutions of minorities, including Christians, do not have to implement reservation quotas, which are part of the country’s affirmative action program.
In its order, the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu said that the government cannot compel educational institutions run by religious and linguistic minorities to provide the reservation quotas.
The quota system, commonly called “reservation” in India, is a means of compensation to address the historic oppression, inequality, and discrimination faced by some communities like the Dalits or former untouchables and tribal people among others, as promised by the constitution.
India recognizes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and Zoroastrians (Parsis) as religious minority groups. They can run educational institutions of their choice with financial aid from the government but without interference under Article 30 of the constitution.
“We have no hesitation to hold that the concept of communal reservation or reservation for Scheduled Castes [Dalits], Scheduled Tribes [tribal people] and Other Backward Classes of citizens would not apply to minority institutions,” Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu said in their Sept. 29 order.
The court upheld the right of minority institutions to admit students from religious and linguistic minorities up to 50 % of the sanctioned intake.
The judges ruled the government had no right to restrict the minority status of an institution to a particular period.
The status, once granted, would continue until the state-run National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions cancels it, they said.