Today’s Christian believers are facing an ever-darkening world. We are continuously confronted with shocking news reports, disturbing ideologies, and dangerous influences in our own country — outrageous stories vie for our attention. And, of course, our first responsibilities lie close to home. Every day, The Washington Stand focuses on those national concerns.
Still, at the same time, it’s important for us to remain aware of the enormous struggles and threats our spiritual sisters and brothers are facing abroad — far beyond our national borders. With that in mind, let’s focus our attention on one of the most challenging places in the world to be a Christian: The vast continent of Africa.
Here are some recent developments:
In Uganda: On June 18, BBC reported that Ugandan students “… were singing gospel songs before an attack by suspected Islamist militants. ‘Then I heard screaming,’ a woman who lives opposite the school explained.”
In Sudan: During the present civil war, innumerable Christians in Sudan are fleeing for their lives, trying to survive the fighting, and still facing persecution for their faith in Christ.
In Nigeria: Every month, hundreds of Christians are being killed in ongoing attacks. “Christian death tolls include at least 300 in several attacks in Plateau state spanning May 15–17 … more than 100 in attacks spanning May and June in Benue state … 43 in Nasarawa state in mid-May. Tens of thousands were displaced. Whole villages, dozens of church buildings, and thousands of homes reportedly were destroyed …”
Vatican and German bishops discuss theological questions from Synodal Way
German bishops and representatives of the Roman Curia met in the Vatican on july 26 to continue discussions started last year about the German Synodal Way.
According to a joint statement from the Vatican and the German bishops’ conference, the July 26 meeting took place in a “positive and constructive climate” and will be followed by other encounters.
The meeting was convened, the brief statement said, following the German bishops’ November 2022 ad limina visit, when “it was agreed that the theological and disciplinary issues that emerged in particular in the ‘Synodal Way’ would be further discussed.”
The Synodal Way, which began in 2019, is a collaborative effort between the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) and the German bishops’ conference.
During a concluding assembly in March, delegates overwhelmingly passed measures to change Church practices based on transgender ideology and to push the universal Church to ordain women to the sacramental diaconate.
Delegates also voted to adopt same-sex blessings, normalize lay preaching, and ask Rome to “reexamine” the discipline of priestly celibacy.
Mexican bishops submit ‘Indigenous liturgical adaptations’ to the Vatican for approval
The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has recently presented to the Vatican for its approval a series of Indigenous liturgical adaptations for the celebration of Holy Mass for the “original peoples” of the country.
Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, promoter of the initiative and one of those in charge of making the presentation to the Vatican, explained that the adaptations have the objective of “advan-cing the progress of inculturation of the Church in the native peoples and of taking responsibility for the celebration of Holy Mass with some elements of these cultures.”
“It’s not a question of creating a new Indigenous rite but of incorporating into the liturgy various ways of relating to God of these peoples and which express the same thing as the Roman rite, but in its cultural form.”
Before the Indigenous liturgical adaptations were presented by the Mexican Church to the Holy See, they had been approved during the 114th plenary assembly of the CEM, held April 17–21. The adaptations were approved by 103 of the 105 voting bishops.
“They asked me to present the text and write it up, to present it to the assembly,” he said. “The vote in favor was last April 19. Now the proposal is already in Rome, at the Dicastery for Divine Worship, awaiting its final approval.” The document was delivered in June. Incorporating elements ‘without harming the eucharistic liturgy’
Arizmendi said that “there are certain elements, which have been studied, that can be incorporated into the Holy Mass without harming the eucharistic liturgy.”
“We were studying and seeing what things could be taken into the Catholic liturgy, what things yes, what things no,” he said.
High court orders fresh probe into bishop’s death
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ordered a fresh probe into the death of a Catholic bishop in the central Indian state.
Bishop Thomas Thennatt of Gwalior died in a road accident on December14, 2018 and his family members suspected foul play in the death as the prelate’s body was buried without performing the mandatory post-mortem examination.
The Gwalior bench of the high court on July 19 ordered the probe into the death of the bishop, who was then 65 years old. The single bench of Justice Roopesh Chandra Varshney in its order dismissed the objections from the First Additional Sessions Judge, Shivpuri district that upheld the order of the Judicial Magistrate First Class in the same district and ordered for a fresh probe.
Jharkhand Churches organize human chain, prayers for Manipur
Members of various Churches joined the Conference of Religious India to organize a human chain and prayer service on July 23 for peace and harmony in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.
Jesuit Archbishop Felix Toppo of Ranchi led more than 10,000 people who stood on the road from 10 and to 12 noon, holding banners and placards pleading for peace and justice in Manipur where ethnic clashes have raged since May 3.
Faculty of Medical Sciences in Warangal: Fr. Colombo’s dream comes true
Fourteen years after his death, Fr. Augustus Colombo’s dream of a great university of medical sciences among the last in Warangal, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, becomes a reality.
This afternoon during a Mass presided over by the apostolic nuncio to India Msgr. Leopoldo Girelli, along with Indian Cardinals Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, and Felipe Neri Ferrao, archbishop of Goa, with all the bishops of Andhra Pradesh, the foundation stone was blessed of the college for nurses and paramedics, the new wing of the Fr. Colombo Institute of Medical Science, of the diocese of Warangal.
Policies of ‘ethnocide’ must end, including in China
Lately, my attention was drawn to news from Australia in June that reported a ceremony taking place in Queensland to celebrate the renaming of Fraser Island — a World Heritage-listed island that lies just off the east coast — as K’gari, the original name used by the Butchulla people.
This recognition and honouring of the First Nation People’s culture and history is in sharp contrast to what I observed as the Japanese consul-general in Melbourne two decades ago. At that time, Australians were divided between liberals and conservatives, and the former’s argument for apologies to indigenous people was strongly resisted by the latter.
It took another decade for the declaration of apologies to materialize. In this context, I am impressed by the substantial change Australia has brought about.
Clergy abuse ‘swept under the carpet’ in Indian Church
On June 1, the Vatican accepted the resignation of Indian Bishop Franco Mula-kkal, almost five years after police arrested him on charges of raping a nun.
The Vatican “requested” his resignation, said a statement from the apostolic nunciature in India, adding that this action should not be seen as a “dis-ciplinary measure imposed up-on” the bishop.
The Mulakkal case has once again revived the demand for speedy and transparent action into allegations of clerical abu-se in India as delays can lead to embarrassment for Christi-ans, who make up 2.3 percent in the Hindu majority nation of 1.4 billion people.
The Vatican’s move in the Mulakkal case came 18 months after a lower court acquitted him, and when an appeal against the acquittal is pending in a higher court.
Mulakkal is the fourth Catholic bishop to resign over allegations of sexual abuse in India — all in the past 15 years.
In all four cases, the hierarchy failed to act on its own against the accused but moved only after public outrage and police complaints. Even when acted upon, the hierarchy made no public report of its investigation on the allegations nor explained reasons for removing the person.
In the Mulakkal case, the nun was forced to go to the police because “the hierarchy did not listen” to her complaints and those of her companions, Sister Norah Alunkal, secretary of the women’s section of the Conference of Religious India (CRI), the forum of consecrated Catholic religious in India, told.
The hierarchy also “took a position with the accused and totally ignored the alleged rape victim,” said Alunkal, a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny.
Mumbai Christians win fight for burial grounds
The top court in India’s commercial capital Mumbai (formerly Bombay) has restrained a suburban civic body from converting designated burial grounds for other purposes.
The Bombay High Court in western Maharashtra state on July 19 asked the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) “not to use the land designated as a burial ground in the city development plan for any other purpose.”
The court order came in a plea filed by a group of Christians in the city.
“It is a major victory for the Christians who live in the suburban civic body limits,” said Melwyn Fernandes, the lead petitioner in the case.
Fernandes, a Catholic activist, told UCA News on July 21 that the local Christian community has been facing a severe shortage of burial grounds after many of its designated cemeteries “were encroached on by builders and influential people with the backing of politicians.”
Land is very expensive in Mumbai and the city and its suburbs are prone to illegal encroachments by land sharks.
The megacity of some 21 million people on the coast of the Arabian Sea houses the most expensive real estate projects in the country and attracts millions of immigrants from across the nation.
“I filed an application under the Right to Information Act, a special law empowering citizens to seek information from the government, to get details of burial grounds meant for Christians,” Fernandes said.
Indonesian priest faces ‘smear campaign’ over power row
Pro-government media outlets in Indonesia have accused an activist priest of turning local villagers against a state-sponsored geothermal project in Christian-majority Flores Island, which the priest denounced as “fabricated.”
Online portal Infopertama.com published a report on July 25 that alleged Divine Word priest, Father Simon Suban Tukan, has been behind protests by villagers against the power project at Poco Leok in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara province.
The report accused the priest, the chairman of Divine Word’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC-SVD) for being the organizer of a women’s march against the project last month.
It ended after police reportedly charged in and beat up protesters, leaving several injured and one person hospitalized.
The report on the Bahasa Indonesian language site said that all protests against the project including the women march “were instigated” by Father Tukan.
It alleged that some of the women were willing to go topless as a form protest against the power project.
The report quoted Raimundus Wajong, a resident who supports the scheme, saying that Father Tukan “recruited Poco Leok residents to reject the project.”
Last week, another outlet, Suaranusantara.co, accused the priest of “provoking residents to reject the project” and “damaging people’s lives.”