An influential Hindu orga-nization in India’s conflict-ridden Manipur state has called for an escalation in protests against the state administration, which Chri-stian leaders warn could jeo-pardize ongoing peace initia-tives in the region. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), the top body of the majority Hindu Meiteis, ended a 48-hour protest on May 24. The protest demanded an apology from the state governor, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, for what they called an “insult to the identity of the state” to appease their rival, the Kuki-Zo tribal people. “The Meiteis are targeting the governor, practically challenging federal rule. They want to restore a popular government under their leadership,” a local Church leader told on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety, on May 27. In the latest protest, Meiteis held Bhalla responsible for insulting the state by concealing the state name – Manipur – written on the Manipur State Transport bus that carried media persons to cover a local flower festival – the Shirui Lily festival – in Ukhrul district, a tribal dominated area. They also decided to escalate their protest and called for a “civil disobedience campaign” against federal rule under Bhalla.
Consistory to reflect on Church’s mission to communicate God’s love
In a letter to the Cardinals ahead of a late-June Consistory, Pope Leo XIV calls for a deeper reflection on the themes of “Evangelii gaudium,”
