A convent was gutted in a fire accident February 22 in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur.
All three sisters in the Daughters of St Francis de Sales convent managed to come out of their rooms when the fire broke out at 00:15 am. The convent was situated at Laii village in Senapati district.
“It is fortunate that there was no loss of life,” Father Solomon Thezii, chancellor of Imphal archdiocese, told Matters India.
The convent was in an isolated area. However, villagers rushed to the convent hearing the noise and prevented the fire from spreading to an adjacent school.
Kerala policeman praised for saving man from mob
Unknown persons become heroes overnight through their self-less service to humanity or their quick action to save someone from danger.
One such person is Kiran Shyam, sub inspector of Aruvikkara in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district.
His brave act that saved a person from an angry mob has brought him accolades and stardom.
53 anti-Christian incidents registered in 45 days
As many as 53 incidents of violence against Christians were registered in the first 45 days of 2022, says an ecumenical group based in New Delhi.
The United Christian Forum on February 15 said the incidents were recorded by its toll-free helpline number launched seven years ago. The 53 incidents were recorded as on February 14.
‘There has been a steady rise in incidents of violence against Christians,” says a press note from A C Michael, the forum’s national coordinator.
The helpline number (1-800-208-4545) aims to help Christians in distress, especially those who are not aware of the law of the land and the system. It guides people on how to reach out to the authorities, besides providing the way to legal remedies.
The helpline registered 505 cases last year.
A press release from the forum says its data is not exhaustive as many case have not been reported.
However, the helpline recorded 127 incidents in 2014, 142 in 2015, 226 in 2016, 248 in 2017, 292 in 2018, 328 in 2019, 279 in 2020, and 505 in 2021.
Michael narrated a mob violence in 2021. A group of radicals interrupted the Sunday service by loud abuse and physical assault at Wajidpur, Tendui, Gaya, Bihar.
“On July 11, 2021, a group of 20 attacked around 90 people praying together in a house. The victims sustained injuries and warnings that they should not conduct religious gatherings. The pastor fled the house to save his life. It took three months to file a complaint with the various government officials in the area,” Michael added.
Christians form just 2.3 percent of India’s population, according to the 2011 Census.
The forum released the data as elections are underway in five Indian states. None of the political parties in the fray has guaranteed protection for minorities, the forum regrets.
“We appeal to the government and all political parties as they contest elections in various states to ensure rights of all minorities within the framework of the Constitution of India,” the forum says.
Indian archbishop calls for protection of Christians
A Catholic archbishop in southern India has appealed to the provincial government to protect Christians, their places of worship, religious symbols and sacred structures.
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore said the Feb. 15 demolition of a statue of Jesus and Stations of the Cross at Gokunte in Kolar district of Karnataka state “had not only affected the sentiments of the Christian community but also the people of other faiths.” “It was heartbreaking to see hundreds of people shedding tears,” Arch-bishop Machado said in a press statement on Feb. 17. A dispute over the possession of the land was pending in Karnataka High Court but officials went ahead with the demolition even before the court could pass a final order. The archdiocese had also filed a petition in the high court challenging the demolition of the Christian structures on Feb. 19.
Archbishop Machado noted that in the past two years the state had “seen demolitions occurring at six such places on the hills and systematic attacks on churches across the state.”
These religious places were patronized and maintained as places of devotion in Bangalore and its surroundings for decades, he said. “We only fear that many more such harsh, orchestrated and insensitive attacks are sure to happen in the coming days,” the prelate added.
Archbishop Machado hoped and prayed that the government will protect Christian places of worship, religious symbols and sacred structures.
India government destroys 20-foot Jesus statue in Christian village
Officials have destroyed a 20-foot-tall statue of Jesus that has been standing in a village in India for 18 years.
The local administration said the statue was built on land reserved as an animal pasture, and claims its destruction was ordered by the High Court. However, Christian leaders from the region say the case was still pending.
The statue was destroyed on early Tuesday in Gokunte village in Karnataka state, in south-western India.
“We demolished the statue based on the High Court order. After seven to eight hearings, the High Court had ordered the demolition of the statue as it was constructed on government land. We had issued a notice to the church regarding the demolition. We had to submit the compliance report to the High Court on Wednesday and hence it was demolished,” said a local official.
Father Theres Babu, who is also a lawyer, said that the demolition letter was never shown to them.
“The government has been repeatedly saying that the demolition letter was issued. We have been asking her to show the demolition order. It is not clear if it was a judgement. But [the government official] never show-ed us the order. She has been claiming that the government advocate has sent her an email, saying that the High Court has given an order and based on that she went ahead and demolished the statue,” Babu told journalists.
Hunger Watch Survey reveals alarming food insecurity in India
The recent Hunger Watch Survey reveals an alarming state of food insecurity and economic distress in India.
The study was conducted by the Right to Food Campaign India along with a number of associated organizations and the results were released February 23 at the Press Club of India, New Delhi.
According to the study, close to 80% of those surveyed report-ed some form of food insecurity. A staggering 25% reported severe food insecurity for six months after the devastating second wave of the corona pandemic.
The survey also revealed that more than 60% were unable to eat healthy or nutritious food, or could eat only a few varieties of foods in the month preceding the survey.
The survey says that about 45 percent respondents reported that their households ran out of food in the month preceding the survey. A third of the respondents reported they or someone in their household went to bed hungry.
Other findings are:
As many as 66% said their income decreased as compared to the pre-pandemic period.
Overall, 40% households with working members, and 31 percent of the total Hunger Watch-II sample reported that current incomes are less than half the pre-pandemic levels.
The report says, close to 45% households had some outstanding debt. Around 21% respondents have a total debt of more than 50,000 rupees.
Young professionals quit jobs to become priests
Fr John Purakkattuputhenpura was among several young professionals who are being ordained Catholic priests this year as the Church in India struggles with clergy abuse and other scandals.
These young men have ignored negative reports about priesthood to leave their lucrative and promising careers. All that mattered to them was their inner call, says Father John, who joined the seminary while working as a software engineer (iOS developer).
He was among the 12 deacons who are being ordained priests this year for the diocese of Palai.
Bishop Joseph Kallarangattu of Palai ordained John January 14 in his native parish St Thomas Church, Cheenkallel under the Syro-Malabar diocese.
Sr Lissy Maruthanakuzhy, a special correspondent of Matters India, spoke to Father John. “My course was Electronics and Instrumentation which had a lot of job opportunities in India and overseas. Many of my colleagues are now working abroad. Unexpectedly during campus selection, I was the only one selected. Again it was May 16. God kept his promise. I believed God was giving me the opportunity to reflect and prepare myself for my future.” “ As long as a human being is in need of God, Catholic priesthood is relevant. Jesus said, “Do this in memory of me.” Only a priest can do it. A priest is the heart, and mind of Jesus in the world. People love priests. What they hate are the actions that do not go along with the priesthood.”
Man lynched by villagers over blasphemy allegation, say Pakistani police
A mob lynched a man because he had allegedly burnt pages of Muslim holy book the Quran in central Pakistan, and dozens of people have been arrested, police and officials said on February 13.
Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered action against the mob and any police who acted an onlookers to the killing.
“The lynching will be dealt with full severity of the law. We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands,” he said in a statement.
A government spokesman said more than 60 people suspected of involvement in the lynching have been arrested, adding that more suspects were being identified through social media videos shot by the villagers in Tulamba, Khanewal district.
The mob gathered at a mosque on Saturday night after the son of its prayer leader announced that he had spotted the man burning pages of the holy book, police official Munawar Hussain told Reuters.
People stand beside the body of a man who, according to police, was lynched by a mob, in Tulamba Village, central Pakistan, on February 13, 2022.
Police arrived to find the man unconscious and tied to a tree, Hussain said, adding that the mob also attacked the police.
“The villagers armed with batons, axes and iron rods killed him and hanged his body from a tree,” Hussain said.
He said that evidence so far gathered by police suggested the dead man, identified as Muhammad Mushtaq, was in his 50s and appeared to have had mental disabilities.
China rewrites Bible with Communist principles: Christian watchdog
A US watchdog has said the Chinese government is currently rewriting the Bible to align it with Communist principles and values. Speaking to Faith Wire, spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Todd Nettleton said the new translation would “really support the Communist Party.”
“This is a project that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced in 2019. At the time, they said it would be about a 10-year process … to release a new translation of the Bible.
“He explained that the Chinese government’s goal is for people to understand their ultimate goal is to be a “good communist.”
In a recent Facebook post, VOM shared an example of several verses in John 8 changed according to the Chinese government. As the biblical story goes, Jesus forgives an adulterous woman despite the Pharisees’ calls to stone her to death. However, in the CCP’s translation, Jesus ends up stoning the woman, admitting he is also a sinner.
John 8:7-11, according to the CCP reads: “Jesus once said to the angry crowd who was trying to stone a woman, who had sinned, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.’ When his words came to their ears, they stopped moving forward. When everyone went out, Jesus stoned the woman himself, and said, ‘I am also a sinner.’”
Two Catholic priests arrested by Myanmar junta
Myanmar’s military regime has arrested two Catholic priests who were on their way to help internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Shan state.
Father John Paul Lwel and Father John Bosco, who belong to the St. Therese Little Way Missionary Institute, were arrested by junta soldiers and the Pa-O National Army, an ethnic armed group, at a checkpoint on February 21, said local church sources. Senior clergy from Pekhon Diocese confirmed that the two religious priests have been arrested but said the reason for their arrest was not yet known.
Church officials are trying to contact authorities for the release of the clergy. Two car drivers and a young student were also arrested with the priests.
The arrest of the clergy came even as fighting between the military and people’s defense forces (PDFs) intensified in Mobye township in Pekhon Diocese, where junta forces have deployed airstrikes, armored vehicles and heavy weapons. Thousands of people including Christians have been displaced due to the ongoing fighting.
Pekhon Diocese covers southern Shan state and is one of the worst-affected areas along with Loikaw Diocese in Kayah state due to the escalating conflict between the military and the combined rebel forces of the Karenni Army and newly emerged PDFs since May 2021.