Pope Francis on December 28 thanked retired Pope Benedict XVI for his silent service to the church and asked the faithful to offer special prayers for his predecessor, who, Francis said, is “very sick.”
Speaking during his Dec. 28 General Audience, the pope said, “I would like to ask you all to say a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is supporting the Church: remember him, he is very sick, asking the Lord to console him and support him in this witness of love for the Church until the end.”
In a statement, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed that “in the past few hours there has been an aggravation” in Benedict’s health “due to advanced age,” but that “the situation at the moment is under control, followed constantly by the doctors.”
According to the statement, Pope Francis after his general audience went to the Vatican’s Mater Ecclesiae monastery to visit Benedict XVI. “We join him in praying for the Pope Emeritus,” it said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources with knowledge of Benedict XVI’s condition told he was “normal” as of a week ago, and they did not believe there was reason to think his life was at immediate risk. Elected in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI sent shockwaves around the world when he renounced the papacy in 2013, becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign, saying he lacked the physical and mental strength required to fulfil the demands of guiding the Catholic Church.
Since stepping down, Benedict has resided in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery in the Vatican gardens, receiving occasional visi-tors, including Pope Francis and new cardinals during a consistory, and writing various contributions to books and conferences, as well as letters to friends.
Apart from a handful of conversations with mostly German-speaking journalists, he has largely kept to his vow to live “hidden to the world,” though at times media attention to his rare public remarks and writings has tended to pit him against his successor.
Another Salesian College in Bengal made autonomous
West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu has handed over the letter of Approval of Autonomy for Salesian College in Sonada.
The event took place December 21 during the meeting of principals of 64 colleges affiliated to North Bengal University with the education minister.
College principal Father George Thadathil received the letter in the presence of North Bengal University Vice Chancellor Om Prakash Mishra, Inspector of Colleges Subrata Sanyal and Registrar Nupur Das (Officiating).
Salesian College established in 1933 in Shillong, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya was and translocated to Sonada in Darjeeling in 1938.
It is the third non engineering college in Bengal to become autonomous. Other two are St Xavier’s College Kolkata (1860) and Ramkrishna Mission College Narendarpur Kolkata (1960).
While thanking the West Bengal government for granting autonomous status, Father Thadathil, who is principal of the Salesian College Sonada and Siliguri for the past 22 years, said, “Being the first college in North Bengal to be autonomous, we now have the task of being trail blazer in higher education standards.”
The Salesian College, with its campuses in Siliguri since 2009 and Sonada in Darjeeling district is a government recognized, minority educational institution of the Catholic Church, managed by the Calcutta province of the Salesians.
Indian archdiocese’s centenary eclipsed by liturgy divide
The Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church remains a divided house as the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly launched year-long celebrations to mark its centenary.
Around 200 priests from the archdiocese concelebrated Mass led by Father Antony Narikulam, rector of the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, on Dec. 21. No bishops attended it.
Father Kuriakose Mundadan, secretary of the council of priests, delivered the message of the celebrations that entail year-long events, which were unveiled at a public meeting later.
The inaugural Eucharist was held at a college close to Mount St. Thomas, the headquarters of the Church and home to its head, Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry.
The archdiocese is the seat of the Major Archbishop.
However, the cardinal, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, and other prelates were conspicuous by their absence at the opening Eucharist.
Father Jose Vithayathil, the senior-most priest in the archdiocese, lit the ceremonial lamp to mark the occasion and special candles were lit across all the churches in the archdiocese.
Father Mundadan told UCA News that since Ernakulam-Angamaly was the first archdiocese of the church, its centenary also becomes the centenary of establishing the Church’s hierarchy.
“But celebrations were restricted to the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese,” Father Mundadan told UCA News when asked about the absence of bishops.
“We did not invite the top hierarchy as they were dead against our traditional mass and we planned the inaugural mass in our traditional format,” he added.
Apostolic Carmel Sisters celebrate Christmas with Transgenders in Bengaluru
The Apostolic Carmel Sisters organized a unique Christmas celebration with transgender community in Bengaluru, giving a message of gender equality and inter-religious amity.
The celebration held a week ago at the Apostolic Carmel Generalate in Jayanagar in collaboration with the Teachers Training Institute at the same campus attracted 57 transgenders, several teachers and general public.
The principal of the Sacred Heart Teachers’ Training Institute, Sr. Clarice welcomed the transgenders by offering them a rose. “Christmas is for all and the presence of trangender community has added more meaning to our celebration”, said the Apostolic Carmel nun who invited the special group this year.
According to 2011 survey in India, there are 487,803 transgender population in India. Bengaluru city alone has over 10,000 Transgenders among a 13 million population, most of them live by either sex work, begging or religious activities.
“We need to build a world of love including those who are rejected by the society”, said Fr. Joseph Naveen Kumar, the parish priest of the Christa Prabhalaya Church, Jayanagar who led a prayer of blessing on the occasion. Appreciating the initiative taken by the Apostolic Carmel Sisters to include transgenders for their celebration, he said this was in tune with the call of Pope Francis.
Giving up not an option for missionary: Arunachal bishop
Giving up is not an option for a missionary said Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao diocese in Arunachal Pradesh celebrating hisRuby Jubilee of Priestly Ordination here on 19 December 2022.
As a missionary, making others live gives meaning to one’s life, said the missionary Bishop who became a priest on 1982 and since then has been serving mostly in eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh.
Addressing his friends and past pupils who came from different parts of North East India, Bishop George said, “In our efforts to make others live, we will encounter challenges of all kinds but the moment we give up we lose the meaning of our life as a missionary”.
Recalling his initial days of his work among the youth of Arunachal Pradesh, Bishop George said, “When I first visited Arunachal Pradesh in 1980 I was kept under detention for 18 hours. I did not know then the church will grow to be what it is today”.
Among many collaborates of the Salesian prelate present was Father Mathew Pulingathil, the first Rector who received and groomed the young boy George for the Arunachal Mission among the youth.
Recollecting how the Salesian congregation entrusted the responsibility of guiding Arunachal youth with Deacon George at Bosco Bible School (BBS) in Tinsukia, Father Pulingathil said, “I believe that decision was not mine but God’s. I say this having seen the result of what has been achieved.”
Christians rendered homeless after unprecedented attacks in Chhattisgarh
Raipur, Dec 22, 2022: Hundreds of indigenous people who follow the Christian faith have been driven out of their homes in the Maoist-infested Bastar region of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
“At least 300 families who lived in Narayanpur and Kondegaon districts were ousted from their homes in the past two months,” says Pastor Moses Logan, president of the Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society.
The persecuted include women and children who were beaten up in public when they refused to give up their new faith.
“The persecution against Christian faithful has increased manifold in the past couple of months,” Pastor Logan told Matters India December 20.
He also pointed out many among the persecuted people are not Christians.
The attackers have destroyed Christian houses and forcibly taken away household items and other live stock. They also destroyed the Christians farms and crops.
“We used to face persecution earlier also but now it has reached a new height with people forced to give up their faith and those opposing such pressure are driven out from their homes,” Logan bemoaned.
Quoting from reports he gathered from his people ín villages, the pastor said, “At least 300 families were driven out from their homes and most of them have taken shelter in different places including government facilities.”
Church leaders in the state say organized violence against Christians has increased alarmingly as the state police and district administration remain silent spectators.
The police refused to register cases against the attackers, instead tell the Christians to make peace with their tormentors.
Taliban suspend university education for women in Afghanistan
The Taliban government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan, the latest step in its brutal clampdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women.
A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education confirmed the suspension to CNN on Tuesday. A letter published by the education ministry said the decision was made in a cabinet meeting and the order will go into effect immediately.
Girls were barred from returning to secondary schools in March, after the Taliban ordered schools for girls to shut just hours after they were due to reopen following months long closures imposed after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
Demand to end caste-based discrimination in Bangladesh
A rights body in Bangladesh has called for lifting the unwritten ‘ban’ on the entry of Dalits – the lowest outside the four main castes in the Indian subcontinent’s social order– into restaurants and eateries after a youth burnt his hand in a scuffle over the issue. The Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM) made the demand during a press conference held at the Bogra Press Club on Dec. 17 days after Mithun Bashfor, 23, suffered burn injuries at a local hotel in the Santahar municipal area of the northern Bogra district.
The next day, on Dec. 18, police arrested Masud Rana, 33, a Muslim youth for allegedly pushing Bashfor and causing him to fall on boiling oil, after a heated argument over serving him inside the restaurant. “This age-old rule, this racist treatment of a specific class of people who are in a minority is a violation of human rights.
Selling Christmas in Muslim-majority Bangladesh
Some 20 years ago when Mohibul Hasan began his textile shop in the Mirpur area of Dhaka, Christmas was largely unknown in Bangladesh but now it has become a season for brisk sales.
“If I sell 100 sarees a month, in the week before Christmas it would be around 300 sarees,” the 52-year Muslim said from his shop adorned with Christmas decorations in the capital of the Muslim-majority nation.
The acceptance of Christmas festivities in mainstream society shows a major social change in the country and it could help build a non-sectarian nation, say sociologists and Christian leaders.
“It is actually a social change and through it, the universality of Christmas is increasing and this change is very positive for us,” said sociology Professor Shah Ehsan Habib of Dhaka University. He said Christmas decorations have become normal in hotels, restaurants, or shopping malls during the Christmas season, which was not the case a decade ago.
“We now see different kinds of Christmas decorations because people like Christmas” in this country for its universal festive spirit, he said.
The city’s top five-star hotel, the Pan Pacific Sonargaon has celebrated Christmas every year for decades, said Mohammed Nefeuzzaman, its public relations manager.
“Christmas Day is celebrated in our hotel gorgeously. People of all religions celebrate this event together,” he said adding that they organize special programs and “the response has been great.”
Its lobby is decorated with lights of different colours, complete with Christmas wishes and images of a red-and-white-clad Santa Claus.
“Our most popular program is the Kids Carnival, which offers a variety of rides for children on Christmas Day,” he said. They organize magic shows, puppet shows and various rides, including horse rides.
Vietnamese converts bring others to Christmas
Nguyen Van Hai walked around watching hundreds of converts from other faiths making different styles of creches with colourful lights, pretty stars, evergreen trees, Santa Claus figures and other decorations in the compound of Rach Vop church in Soc Trang province on Dec. 18.
Those people, who have been attending courses in catechism for years to join the church, annually erect nativity scenes to decorate the church and celebrate Christ-mas.
“I am too old to put up creches but I am here to encourage people to make beautiful nativity scenes to mark Jesus’ birthday,” Hai, an 85-year-old convert, said.
Fourteen creches erected by groups of converts and children will be displayed around the church to attract people to visit the church and watch Christmas vigil performances. Groups that create the most beautiful creches will be given awards as a way to foster the tradition of making nativity scenes.
“I will invite my neighbours to visit the church on Christmas Eve so that they can see our creches and feel Christmas joy and peace,” the old man, who attends a course for catechumens at the church, said.