Each time Father Shehzad Anwar visits Catholics living scattered in Quetta city on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, having a Baloch or Pushto-speaking guide is as important as carrying the Mass kit or having a car with a tank full of petrol.
The 36-year-old diocesan priest has learned the essential lessons in his pastoral ministry in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province dominated by ethnic Baloch and Pashtun people.
The ethnic Punjabi priest serves as a parish priest of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Loralai, a district famed for marble quarries, about 154 kilometres east of Quetta.
The mission in the mineral-rich and sparsely populated province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is extremely challenging and threatening, Father Anwar says.
It is not just because of long-distance travel in the hilly, rugged terrain. For decades, the region has been a battlefield plagued by terrorism, a separatist insurgency and heavy-handed military operations. Deaths from shootings and bombings are routine affairs.
A local guide saves priests like Father Anwar from uncomfortable situations such as grilling from security forces and even gun-toting extremist groups.
When religion is business in Japan
What I will describe is a scandal of potentially huge proportions, which the Japanese media is failing to cover, and the news is mostly spreading via Twitter.
Police in the port city of Kobe recently detained a pastor on suspicion of using illegal drugs. Yasuhiko Mori, after a life in organized crime, founded the Kobe Disciple Church in 2010 — part of the Jesus Japan World Mission (started in 1995) — with many branches nationwide including Tokyo, where he currently serves as head pastor.
The 64-year-old former yakuza, whose resume includes criminal activities of all sorts, was ostensibly responsible for providing spiritual guidance and support to members of the church, as well as organizing services, delivering sermons and leading Bible studies.
As much as we would like to think this story came out of a script for a movie, this is not the case.
Salesian Alumni organise Christmas exhibition in Kolkata Cathedral, Chief Minister and Archbishop attend
Kolkata, December 25, 2022 — Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Member of Parliament Abhisek Banerjee attended the mid-night mass at Cathedral of The Most Holy Rosary Kolkata, presided over by Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata, along with several civil and church dignitaries.
Other dignitaries present at the Christmas eve function were Vicar General Fr Dominic Gomes, ProVicar of the Cathedral Fr Franklin Menezes, and Kolkata Police Commissioner, Vineet Goyal.
Chief Minister inaugurated the crib and special exhibition on the life of Jesus curated by Don Bosco School Liluah Alumnus and Church Art Kolkata CEO Mr. Subrata Ganguly.
The 20 panels at the special exhibition, created by Church Art Kolkata, displayed in front of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary, narrate the story of the announcement of the Birth of Jesus till his Resurrection and the glorification of his Mother Mary.
Indian tribal Christians protest social boycott, violence
Indigenous tribal Christians forced to abandon their homes and villages due to social boycotts and violence have urged authorities to take action against the instigators in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Some 1,000 aggrieved Christians camped outside the office of the district collector in Narayanpur on Dec. 18 demanding action against local political leaders influenced by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other Hindu nationalist organizations.
Many among them including women and children showed their injuries sustained during the public beatings they were subjected to in the villages when they refused to give up Christianity
“At least 300 families from Narayanpur and Kondegaon districts in the Bastar region were driven out of their homes in the past two months,” Pastor Moses Logan, president of the Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society, said.
Francis to Honour Benedict With Papal Burial
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral service will be marked by full papal honours granted at the behest of Pope Francis, senior officials in the Vatican bureaucracy have suggested.
“It is clear that the Holy Father will ask that Benedict XVI’s funeral be like that of a pontiff still reigning from the throne of Peter,” Il Sismografo reported on December 29, as the Secretariat of State held meetings to discuss funeral arrange-ments.
“Obviously, the Holy Father has no other intention than — as Vicar of Christ, universal Shepherd of the Church, Bishop of Rome — to render the posthumous homage reserved for her eldest children,” the Vatican news aggregator explained.
Speculations over the pope emeritus’ funeral reached a fever pitch in Rome after the Holy See Press Office confirmed that “in the last few hours there has been an aggravation [in Benedict XVI’s condition] due to advancing age.”
“The pope emeritus managed to rest well last night, he is absolutely lucid and alert and today, although his condition remains serious, the situation is currently stable. Pope Francis renews his invitation to pray for him and to accompany him in these difficult hours,” the Holy See Press Office informed journalists in its latest update.
“The situation at the moment remains under control, constantly monitored by doctors,” Matteo Bruni, director of the press office, added. An insider said that Benedict XVI is suffering from aggravated kidney failure and had a recent modification to his pacemaker.
By December 29 morning, the pope emeritus’ condition was reported to have stabilized but was “gradually wearing out and fading away due to his advanced age,” even though he was not suffering from “any particular grave illness.” Benedict has not been able to speak but has remained “astonishingly lucid.”
US Commission ‘Outraged’ By Omitted Offenders of Religious Freedom
The United States has expanded its list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom.
Two new nations—Cuba and Nicaragua—were added to the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC). Two others—Vietnam and the Central African Republic (CAR)—were added to its Special Watch List (SWL). And one new organization was added to its list of Entities of Particular Concern (EPC): Russia’s mercenary Wagner group, due to its cited offenses in CAR.
“Around the world, governments and non-state actors harass, threaten, jail, and even kill individuals on account of their beliefs,” stated Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. “The United States will not stand by in the face of these abuses.”
His own watchdog, however, is unconvinced.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) tweeted its “outrage” over the non-inclusion of Nigeria and India. It is “inexplicable,” the independent bipartisan organization continued, given the State Department’s own reporting.
The sections on Nigeria and India were particularly lengthy.
“They each clearly meet the legal standards for designation,” stated Nury Turkel, USCIRF chair. “USCIRF is tremendously disappointed that the Secretary of State did not … recognize the severity of the religious freedom violations.”
Afghanistan — No. 1 on WWL, North Korea — No. 2, Eritrea — No. 6, Pakistan — No. 8
Iran — No. 9, Saudi Arabia — No. 11, Myanmar — No. 12, China — No. 17, Turkmenistan — No. 25, Cuba — No. 37, Tajikistan — No. 45
Nigerian mother charged with blasphemy for defending murdered Christian student
Rhoda Jatau, a Christian and mother of five, was charged with blasphemy in a Nigerian court on December 19 for forwarding a video defending a lynched Christian student.
During her arraignment on Monday, Jatau was officially charged with blasphemy, inciting a mob, and exciting contempt of religious creed.
She is being tried in the northeast Nigerian state of Bauchi’s high court. Bauchi practices a form of Sharia law, under which blasphemy is a crime punishable by execution.
Jatau, a 45-year-old medical worker, was arrested by Nigerian authorities on May 20 and has been held without the ability to communicate and without a trial for over six months, which is against both Nigerian and international law, according to religious rights advocates.
Jatau was arrested after forwarding a video of a Muslim denouncing the mob killing of Nigerian Christian college student Deborah Emmanuel.
Jatau forwarded the video defending Emmanuel via Whatsapp to her work colleagues at the Primary Healthcare Board of the town of Warji. Some of her co-workers reported the video and Jatau was subsequently accused of blasphemy.
According to local news source Light Bearer News, when news of Jatau’s actions reached the public many immediately called for her death. One Muslim group posted her photo online and called her “the one God has cursed.”
Catholic Church, Jewish community to bring 40,000 Christmas dinners to Mexicans in need
The Archdiocese of Guada-lajara, Mexico, has joined the Je-wish community to provide 40,000 Christmas dinners for the poor this Dec. 25 in an initiative called “10,000 Christmases in one.”
The event, which is being held for the fourth consecutive year, will bring food from 40 parishes and a shelter to those most in need in the Guadalajara metro-politan area.
Fr Javier Magdaleno Cueva, secretary chancellor of the Arch-diocese of Guadalajara, said at a press conference that this initia-tive seeks to “bring hope to those whose lives have been difficult or who have suffered that year.”
He also noted that the number of people who benefit from this event increases every year.
The first year, the organizers of “10,000 Christmases in one” set a goal of serving 10,000 people, and they ended up providing dinners to 13,000. By 2021, the projected number of beneficiaries was 20,000 people. However, they provided dinners to 30,000. This year, the estimated number of people that will be served by this initiative is 40,000.
Brazil lawsuit seeks to force church to cover pension, insurance for ex-priest
A Brazilian man who was forcibly laicized by the Church two years ago, meaning expelled from the priesthood, is now appealing to the secular Supreme Court in the world’s largest Catholic country, in effect seeking damages against the church he claims unjustly penalized him.
Although laicization is an internal church matter and thus normally considered beyond the reach of secular courts, an attorney for the ex-priest is arguing that because the Vatican has treaty agreements with Brazil, it’s obligated to abide by Brazilian guarantees of due process and a right to defence.
The lawsuit does not seek to compel the church to reinstate Alcimir Pillotto to the priesthood, but rather to force the church to reinstate his pension and cover his insurance costs. The case already has been dismissed at lower levels, but attorneys are now vowing to take it to the country’s Supreme Court.
Pillotto, who had been in charge of a parish in the city of Blumenau in Brazil’s Santa Catarina State in the southern part of the country, was expelled from the clerical state in 2020.
Saying Benedict XVI is ‘very sick,’ Francis calls for prayers for predecessor
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.