|
News Archive
The Shrine of Our Lady of Health at Vailankanni in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is one of the most famous Marian shrines in Asia. Here in the 16th century Our Lady appeared to a Hindu boy. The shrine, which attracts more than 1.5 million visitors every year, including many non Christians, is called the Lourdes of the East because of the miracles reported here. During the December 26 tsuanami disaster last year Vailankanni shrine in the area affected was a point of reference for Caritas and religious institutions as a centre of shelter and distribution of aid for the homeless victims of the giant wave.
BIJEPUR, India, MAY 4, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Some 600 Christian Dalit tribals converted to Hinduism in the state of Orissa, urged on by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the religious wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP promotes a nationalist and mono-religious ideology and is backed by fundamentalist movements opposed to the Catholic Church's social service and development programs. In recent years, episodes of violence have been witnessed against religious minorities, particularly aimed at "returning" Christian converts to Hinduism. Monday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad organized a ceremony overseen by Hindu religious men, in a school in Bijepur, in which 120 Christian Dalit families "embraced" Hinduism once again, AsiaNews reported. Groups of armed policeman and five public security officers stood by. Bishop Lucas Kerketta of Sambalpur, a diocese in the northeastern state of Orissa, pointed the finger at Hindu extremists, accusing them of taking advantage of the poverty and desperation of Dalit Christians. "These people are poor and uneducated and work for the most part as farmhands," he said. "Every day, the VHP tries to entice them with offers if money and clothes. "When
this tactic doesn't work, they get heavy-handed and use intimidation
and violence, threatening people with job loss if they continue
to practice Christianity."
KOCHI, India, FEB. 15, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Catholic shrine of Malayattoor, traditionally known as the place of retreat for Thomas the Apostle, is now officially an international pilgrimage center, the first in Asia. The papal nuncio in India, Archbishop Pedro López Quintana, on Sunday read a statement of the Holy See confirming the designation for the shrine located in the state of Kerala. According to tradition, Jesus' disciple took the Gospel to these lands and from his preaching was born the Syro-Malabar Church. Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, Syro-Malabar major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, made the official announcement of the recognition last April. The shrine, which is under his jurisdiction, has been the object of pilgrimages since the fifth century. The hilltop shrine is located in Malayattoor, where St. Thomas is believed to have spent many days in prayer. It is known as "Kurisumudi," or the mountain of the cross. A solemn procession to the foot of Kurisumudi and a concelebrated Mass led by Cardinal Vithayathil in the presence of the papal representative sealed the nuncio's declaration, according to the Indian episcopate's news service ICNS. The Church has three categories of shrines: diocesan shrines approved by the local bishop, national shrines approved by the episcopal conference, and international shrines designated by the Holy See. The Church in India considers it a great honor "that the Vatican has raised a shrine in the country to the status of an international pilgrimage center," Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Adayanthrath of Ernakulam-Angamaly told reporters. John Paul II
declared Malayattoor a national pilgrimage center in February 2004.
The growing numbers of pilgrims and the shrine's importance made
the Holy See raise it to an international center.
By Anto Akkara VAILANKANNI, India (CNS) Dec-30-2004-- Amid the stench of rotting bodies and decaying garbage, Thanjavur Bishop Devadass Ambrose Mariadoss spent several days at India's most popular Marian shrine to oversee post-tsunami relief efforts. Barefoot volunteers, with faces covered by surgical masks or even handkerchiefs, removed rotting bodies from mountains of debris: houses, shops, remains of thatched sheds, boats and animal carcasses strewn around the scenic beach in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health. The shrine, which draws 20 million pilgrims annually, remained untouched. More than 1,000 people, including hundreds of pilgrims, perished within a one-kilometer (.62 miles) radius of the basilica Dec. 26 when tsunamis triggered by a magnitude 9 earthquake deep in the Indian Ocean hit the coast. "The worst is over. We are gradually recovering from the shock," Bishop Mariadoss said Dec. 30. The same day, false warnings of another tsunami caused panic as people -- including the shrine's cooks -- fled to higher ground. Father P. Xavier, shrine rector, praised the efforts of several hundred volunteers who rushed to the shrine Dec. 26; he said government officials left the entire relief and rescue work around the basilica to the church. "We cannot even keep these rotting bodies for identification," said Father Xavier. Volunteers photographed each of the bodies, then buried them in common graves. The photos were pasted on a notice board for relatives to identify victims. The stench of rotting bodies was so strong that even on the basilica grounds dozens of priests wore surgical masks in their rooms while coordinating relief work and responding to anxious relatives of pilgrims missing in the tragedy. Basilica staffers, like others, functioned without electricity or running water. "This is an experience I will never forget in my life," said Jesuit scholastic John Michael, who with a dozen others traveled more than 100 miles from Madurai to join the lay youth volunteers from Thanjavur Diocese. "We have picked 15 bodies this morning (Dec. 28)," said a man identified only as Brother Michael, who wore a surgical mask and gloves. Later, another batch of church volunteers collected the rotting bodies in trucks for burial in a distant field where mass graves were dug with excavators. By the evening of Dec. 29, the church volunteers had picked up 800 bodies; government sanitary workers equipped with a half-dozen earthmovers helped. It was the final day of the search for missing persons. "The search for the bodies is over. But, we are glad that it has ended in joy instead of despair," Father Joseph Lionel, Thanjavur diocesan chancellor, said Dec. 30. On Dec. 29, church volunteers picked up a 35-year-old mother, unconscious and clutching the decaying body of her child. The mother was taken to a hospital for treatment. "The Holy Mother has worked wonders despite the tragedy here," said Father Lionel. In a Dec. 29 statement, basilica officials noted that about 2,000 pilgrims attending Mass were "miraculously saved" when the surging waves stopped at the gates of the shrine compound. The waves -- which rose as high as 40 feet -- hit hotels and houses on the same elevation just 330 feet from the shrine. Bishop Mariadoss noted that the local bus stop on the same elevation as the basilica was farther from the beach, but it was inundated. "It was a miracle that the water did not enter the church," reiterated Sebastian Kannappilly, a businessman from neighboring Kerala state, who had come to Vailankanni with his wife and daughter. Although his family was at Mass and was spared, his driver perished in the disaster. "How can we go back without his body?" Kannappilly asked two days after the tragedy, as he and the driver's relatives continued the search. With dozens rushing to Vailankanni in search of missing family members, church officials said they felt helpless. "I saw many people being washed away by the waves. We may never get to see these bodies again," said Father Xavier.
MATAHL, India, DEC. 13, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A group of extremists recently attacked the Catholic church of St. Francis of Assisi in Mathal, Diocese of Kottar, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The Indian episcopate told the missionary agency Fides last Thursday that a group of fanatics broke down the door, smashed windows, and destroyed the statue of St. Francis outside the church Dec. 3. Investigators found a rudimental handmade unexploded bomb inside the church. Police said Muslim fundamentalists were to blame. Days before the Catholic parish priest and community received threats, and anti-Christian slogans appeared on the church walls, signed by a group called Byath. According to the local press, Byath is the name of a local extremist group. The pastor, identified only as Father Perpetual, told the Fides agency how surprised he was by the attack as "in this area Hindus, Christians and Muslims have always lived peacefully side by side." Recently episodes of religious fundamentalism, of which the Catholic community in India has been a victim, prompted the bishops to appeal to the central government for more protection. The ruling Congress Party said that a law to halt interreligious violence will soon be presented to Parliament. The bill will include compensation for victims, speedier investigation to identify perpetrators of attacks on places of worship or individuals, and harsher punishments. Meanwhile, on Dec. 5, the state of Chhattisgarh was the scene of another attack against Christians. Naxalite rebels ransacked and burned down the Church of Matha Mary in the village of Pusnar, in Jagdalpur Diocese. Some boys entered the church and ran away with religious hymn books and the missal when they saw the pastor. Later, around 9 p.m., about 20 individuals entered the building after breaking open the door, threw straw inside the church, and set it on fire. The local bishop said the same church was attacked two months ago. In October, a group entered the church, took away the vestments and holy pictures, and then visited four Catholic families, robbing them of valuables. Bishop Simon Stock Palathra of Jagdalpur deplored the fact that "till today none of the criminals have been nabbed, even though the police know the attackers," reported AsiaNews. According to the bishop, the Naxali, who are responsible for the incidents, "do not want the tribals to become Catholic or Hindu. They want them "to retain their tribal culture as it suits them to rule over them." The Naxali
operate in central India and say they are using violence to claim
the rights of peasants who have been left landless.
GOA, India, DEC. 7, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The exposition of the relics of St. Francis Xavier "is an opportunity to rediscover our great missionary tradition," says the Catholic archbishop of Goa. Through Jan. 2, millions of pilgrims will be received at the Basilica of Bom Jesu, where the saint's tomb is located. The pilgrims are venerating the remains of this Jesuit, often regarded as "the greatest figure of Christianity in Asia after St. Thomas the Apostle." The exposition of Xavier's relics is held every 10 years. At present, more than 10,000 pilgrims arrive every day from Goa, other parts of India and even other countries, Archbishop Filipe do Rosário Ferrão told the Fides agency. The leader of the Church in Goa explained that the "whole community has prepared the best way possible," after he addressed a pastoral letter to the parishes, establishing in ad hoc commission to prepare the faithful spiritually for the event, and to encourage meetings, liturgies, and moments of prayer. This "event "has a special meaning for us," the archbishop said. "As the Pope says in 'Ecclesia in Asia,' the Good News must be proclaimed to Asia by bishops, priests, religious and lay people," he said Thursday, on the eve of the feast of St. Francis Xavier. "This is a privileged time to rediscover our missionary responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and the great missionary tradition of the Church in Goa." Goa, capital of the Portuguese empire of the East Indies, was where Francis Xavier (1506-1552) arrived in 1542. He left from there to carry out his great work of evangelization in other parts of India and the Far East. The archbishop highlighted the fact that the Spanish saint and missionary is a universal figure, much loved in India," Archbishop Rosário Ferrão said. "People in Goa whatever their religion, are deeply devoted to the 'Lord of Goa,' as St. Francis is called." Proof of this, he said, is "the ready collaboration offered by civil authorities and the presence of people of other religions. ... Many Muslim and Hindu pilgrims bear witness, attracted by the saint. We see people of all situations and walks of life and different religions are making this pilgrimage." The archbishop
noted that there is concern over "the recent episodes of violence
perpetrated by groups of Hindu fundamentalists. But it should be
said that most followers of Hinduism tolerate and respect other
faiths, in a spirit of genuine pluralism."
GOA, India, NOV. 18, 2004 (Zenit.org).- In the wake of violence by Hindu extremists and a recent fire at a basilica, security measures have been stepped up for the imminent exposition of St. Francis Xavier's relics. The exposition, from Nov. 21 to Jan. 2, is expected to attract 3 million pilgrims to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. The basilica, which houses the relics of the Spanish Jesuit missionary, will expose for veneration the remains of the great apostle of the East. St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) is sometimes described as the greatest figure of Christianity in Asia after St. Thomas the Apostle. In 1542, Xavier arrived in Goa, capital of the Portuguese empire in the East Indies. From here, he began his great work of evangelization in the country and in the Far East. The first exposition of the saint's relics took place in 1782. For a time, his body was exposed for veneration every year on his feast day, Dec. 3. From 1864 on, expositions were less frequent for security reasons. Later, the event was fixed once every 10 years. The relics were last exposed for veneration from Nov. 21, 1994, to Jan. 7, 1995. After a fire in the basilica last Oct. 21 (it appears to have been accidental), authorities decided for the first time to request credentials from visitors, even from "traditional devotees" seeking to occupy the premises overnight. "We will grant accommodation only to those pilgrims recommended by respective parish priests or with valid identity cards," explained Father Savio Barreto, rector of the Basilica of Bom Jesus, as quoted by the Indian bishops' conference and reported by SAR News. Over the years, hundreds of devotees have occupied the corridors, some during the entire novena period, bringing along kitchenwares such as kerosene stoves, food, bedding and spare clothes. However, after the recent fire -- thought to have been caused by a short-circuit -- the government security agency has urged the ecclesial authorities to prohibit the devotees from residing within the basilica complex. "This is a church event and we cannot stop devotees staying at the basilica," said Father Barreto. "By seeking a recommendation from the parish priest, we can be assured of, to an extent, the sincerity of the devotees," he added. "In any case, devotees will be thoroughly screened and registered, so that there is control on them and unwanted elements are kept away." The basilica has been equipped with closed-circuit TV cameras, with every pilgrim entering the cathedral expected to be frisked before entry. Ten companies from the Central Police Force have been summoned to buttress security in and around the complex. Plainclothes policemen and private church security volunteers will also be posted within and outside the cathedral. The district magistrate has prohibited entry of general traffic within the Old Goa Church complex during the exposition, with residents issued with passes for movement of their vehicles. Outside the church, pilgrims will find a variety of services in six buildings and tents. The Goa Tourism Office has organized accommodation in the Old City where the basilica is located. The local Church,
led by Archbishop Filippo Neri Ferrao, has planned an intense program
of liturgical and cultural events.
Vatican
Invites Hindus to Work With Catholics in Favor of Children VATICAN CITY, NOV. 8, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See invited Hindus worldwide to work together with Catholics to give concrete help to underprivileged children. The message was signed by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and sent for the feast of Diwali, which symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil. Many Hindus will celebrate the feast this year on Nov. 12. The theme chosen for this year's message, published today by the Vatican press office in English, French and Italian, is "Collaboration between Hindus and Christians with Special Regard to Children." The prelate explained in the text that Jesus asks us to be "like children" to enter "in the kingdom of heaven." He quoted from Mark 18: "Truly, I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." "During this season of Diwali, as you strive to overcome darkness through light, evil through goodness and hatred through love, I would like to propose to you, as one of your Christian friends, that we focus our attention on the evils in our society that afflict children," Archbishop Fitzgerald said. The archbishop pointed out some of these evils: "forced labor, forced conscription, breakdown of the family, trafficking in organs and persons, sexual abuse, forced prostitution, AIDS, the sale and use of drugs, etc." "What have children done to merit such suffering?" he asked. "Could not the dialogue between Hindus and Christians take concrete form by working together in support of underprivileged children, who are often the innocent victims of war and violence, inadequate food and water, forced immigration and the many forms of injustice present in today's world?" "I am fully aware that such cooperation between the followers of our two religious traditions already exists, but we could and should do more, as the problem is serious, indeed it is tragic," he wrote. The Vatican representative added that "your suggestions as to what could be done to give children their rightful place in society would be most welcome." He added: "Our
children are our future; they are the future of humanity."
BOMBAY, India, OCT. 20, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Some 300 tribal Christians were reconverted to Hinduism in the state of Orissa, during a public ceremony that ended with their receiving gifts of food and clothing. The news was confirmed by Bishop Alphonse Bilung of Rourkela, the diocese where the ceremony took place, to AsiaNews, an agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. "Although the media reported that 80 families were reconverted to Hinduism, the truth of the matter is that 336 people went back to Hinduism as a result of force and promises," the bishop explained. "Fundamentalist groups are telling lies and inflating the numbers of reconversions in order to scare the tribals. This way they can boast about the success of their drives," he said. Bishop Bilung contacted the priest in whose parishes the reconversions took place. He was told that on Sunday afternoon a large number of Hindus gathered at a place some 5 kilometers from the Catholic church. Tribals from three villages from over 100 kilometers away were driven in jeeps and trucks to the district of Sindurgh, where the reconversion ceremony took place. Tribal Christians "live among Hindus and rely largely on the Hindu majority for employment," Bishop Bilung said. "This is especially true in Rourkela's iron ore sector." The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, a law passed by the state assembly, bans forced conversions. However, it has been frequently used to threaten the largely illiterate tribals who can more easily be manipulated by Hindu fundamentalists, PIME's agency explained. Orissa is governed
by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which promotes a nationalist and
mono-religious ideology and is supported by fundamentalist movements
opposed to the social service and development programs promoted
by the Church.
NEW DELHI, India, MAY 24, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The bishops' conference in India reacted positively to news that a law aimed at "forced conversions" might be repealed in the state of Tamil Nadu. The law, in force since October 2002, obliges those who wanted to convert to another religion to ask permission from the local magistrate. It establishes severe sanctions, including imprisonment, for anyone who resorts to force or bribery to get another to embrace a new creed. The announcement of the desire to repeal the law, made by state Prime Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha, "is a positive sign that infuses new hope in the Christian community and in all religious minorities," said Father Babu Joseph Karakombil, spokesman for the Catholic bishops' conference. "When the measure was approved, there were many protests by religious minorities in Tamil Nadu and in the whole of India," the priest told the Vatican agency Fides. "We said at the time that this law was an attack on the fundamental right of every citizen to be able freely choose, profess and practice his own religious faith." He noted: "The new election results have seen the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party and of the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam, of which the prime minister of the state is a member." The latter, he said, "has understood that it has made some decisions that have made its government unpopular and has tried to repair it." This is why it has announced the "repeal of the law on conversions," Father Karahombil said. "Now we await the approval of the State Assembly, which will come easily." "Now we expect and request energetically that it also be removed in four other states of the federation in which a similar measure is in force: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Orissa," he continued. "We are confident of the support of large sectors of Indian society, of all the religious minorities, and also of progressive and liberal Hindus, who have opposed this type of measures from the beginning," the spokesman added. The anti-conversion law was presented after news arrived from several towns of Tamil Nadu of mass conversions of dalits and "casteless" to Christianity. On several
occasions, Indian bishops condemned the disposition, declaring that
it was discriminatory, unconstitutional and harmful to fundamental
liberties.
BIHAR 23/2/2004 - A criminal gang attacked the Catholic mission of Rampur, in the diocese of Bettiah, north of the Indian State of Bihar (eastern India), killing a parishioner and abducting another. The news was referred by MISNA sources in New Delhi, citing the Bishop of Bettiah, Monsignor Henry Thakur. The attack took place on Friday night. Based on a reconstruction by sources of the diocese, some unidentified gunmen first attempted to enter in the home of a farmer, Mr. George, when his neighbour Mr. Xavier intervened (last names of two victims were not referred). The assailants forced the neighbour to open his friend's door and managed to capture George. They then beat and shot dead 45-year-old Xavier. The gunmen then fled the scene, taking Mr. George with them, but not robbing his home. The motives of the assault are unknown, attributed however by Monsignor Thakur to common criminality, in particular abductions and extortion that infests Bihar, one of the poorest States of India, marred with serious social scourges. Today Bishop Thakur declared that the Church wants to send a strong message to those assassins to stop such atrocious crimes. The head of the diocese of Bettiah concluded by thanking the security forces for their promptness in getting on the tracks of the abductors and assured full collaboration of the Church in the search operations.
New Delhi (Fides) - While the Catholic Bishops of India meeting in Trichur Kerala to discuss the subject of "Church and Communication" warn of anti-Church propaganda and false information aimed at influencing public opinion, concerning episodes in various parts of the country confirm the concern expressed by Catholic communities and other Christians in India. The Global Council of Indian Christians has protested against Madan Dilaver, First Minister of Rajasthan a member of the Baratiya Janata Party, who recently threatened to shut down Christian orphanages and social institutions. The Minister openly demanded the closing of Catholic structures including an orphanage which cares for 6.000 children, homes for the homeless and hospitals for lepers. The Minister justified his demand by falsely accusing these church structures of being involved in anti-national activity and more particularly, human organs' trafficking. The All India Catholic Union AICU has called on the Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee to take serious measures to stem growing religious intolerance in various states including Bihar, Assam, Maharashtara. AICU laments that Christians are subject to harassment, physical violence and threats and that intolerance heightens during elections as seen in Madhya Pradesh and Rajastan. Christians in Orissa state are also concerned. Bishop Lucas Kerketta of Sambalpur told Fides of reports of Christians stoned, church personnel harassed, places of worship desecrated. According to the local Church, very often what are referred to as "incidents" are instead deliberate attacks organised by Hindu extremists groups propagating the Hindutva nationalist ideology (one nation, one culture, one religion). Concerned, the Bishops are urging Christians elected as members of Parliament to intervene. At a recent meeting with Christian MPs Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi, highlighted the present situation and re-appearance of anti-Christian violence during elections in five of India’t?s states. At the meeting a proposal was made to set up a National Catholic Education body for more effective co-ordination of the numerous schools, colleges and research centres run by the Church. Many Catholic structures are situated in rural areas to serve the poor, providing free assistance including education.
Calcutta (Fides Service) Dec. 9 2003: The complete Bible has been translated and published in Bengali thanks to the Xavier Publications House in Calcutta. The Bengali Bible was presented to the press at the Jesuit Communications Centre in Calcutta on 14 November. The ambitious achievement is the fruit of 35 years of dedicated work by Indian Jesuit Father Christian Mignon (aged 83) and Bengali speaking author and poet Sajal Banerjea. Our aim from the beginning was to render the Bible in spoken modern day Bengali, Father Mignon told Fides adding that they wanted ?o present the text in words that Jesus would have used today had he been born in Bengal. We worked to keep a simple, sober style accessible to all, said co-translator Banerjea formerly a teacher at St Francis Xavier School in Calcutta. We did all we could do avoid language that was too literary as well as the temptation to make a literal translation. Our purpose was to render the next natural, limpid and pleasant, he added. The Bible has a preface, notes and also historical and geographical information on Palestine in Bible times to render it more comprehensible for believers and anyone anxious to read the Sacred Scriptures today. This Bengali edition of the Bible is in three volumes and sells for 100 Rupee. Bengali is a member of the eastern branch of the Indo-Iranian family of languages. It is spoken by about 215 million people and has a literary importance. India has more than 1.600 different languages and dialects. The official languages are Hindi and English but India's Constitution recognises 18 local languages including Bengali. The Bengali alphabet derives from Brahmi, and the language is derived from Sanskrit. Bengali was used by the famous Indian poet Rabrindanath Tagore, who adapted it to the expressive needs of poetry and prose.
Vatican, Nov. 17 (CWNews.com) -- In a meeting with Catholic bishops from India, Pope John Paul severely criticized that country's traditional caste system. Discrimination against certain castes is "a serious obstacle to the evangelizing mission of the Church," the Pope told the Indian bishops, who were on their ad limina visit. He insisted that Christians must reject "the unjust system of divisions among castes, which denigrates the human dignity of entire groups of people." The Pope praised the Indian Church leaders for the "many initiatives that have been undertaken by the bishops to overcome the injustice" of the caste system." He encourage the bishops to pursue these efforts, saying that the remainder of any vestige of caste-consciousness among Christians in India should be a cause for keen concern, since it would betray "a threat to true spirituality." The "customs and traditions that perpetuate and reinforce" the caste system must also undergo thorough reform, he said. Alluding to the mounting tension between Christians and Hindu fundamentalists in India, the Pope remarked that Catholics should work to increase understanding and respect among different faiths.
PANAJI, India (CNS) Oct. 27, 2003 -- The Goa and Daman Archdiocese still sends priests overseas as missionaries, as it has for centuries, but the situations these priests face have changed greatly. Goa, on the west Indian coast, was a Portuguese colony from 1510 to 1961. During that time it supplied priests the world over, especially to former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Angola, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. In recent months, the archdiocese has sent more than a dozen priests to Europe and the United States at the request of the Vatican. Father Antonio Joaquim Loiola Pereira, secretary to Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, said at least 70 priests in the archdiocese have served long stretches overseas, with another 30 serving shorter assignments. He said 54 bishops -- including 25 still living -- have been of Goan origin. They have served in Africa, Europe and Asia.
BHUBANESHWAR, India, NOV. 26, 2003 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- The Catholic community in the east Indian state of Orissa is in shock following a new wave of violence by Hindu fundamentalists against the Church. A group of men on motorbikes belonging to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal fundamentalist movements have attacked churches and assaulted a nun, authorities say. On Nov. 21, the Hindu militants torched a Catholic church in Deogarh, west Orissa. The attack came after various acts of vandalism. The previous day, gangs wearing saffron-colored clothes -- saffron being the symbol of Hindutva ideology -- demonstrated in front of the residence of the district governor and started a bonfire to burn bibles and other Christian books. They then went to Rajamunda village where they broke into a church and raped a nun serving at the parish. The local Church has strongly condemned the violence, calling for a police investigation. Local security forces say the motorbike gang is sowing terror in the area. Days earlier the gang went to Amulpani village to question the conversion of four Hindus who had become Catholics. From this village they proceeded to Jhareikela, where they sacked the home of a Protestant pastor and destroyed Christian books. Police are investigating. Subash Chouhan, representative of the fundamentalist movement Bajrang Dal, has publicly denied that his activists were involved in the attacks. But the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) has protested against the violence and called for police measures to protect minorities from attacks by Hindu fundamentalists. "We are concerned for the safety of Christians in Orissa state which seems to have learned from Gujarat how to terrorize religious minorities," said Sajan George, GCIC chairman, who called for the intervention of the National Commission for Minorities and the National Commission for Human Rights. Orissa state has a population of 36 million, mostly Hindu. It is ruled by the nationalist Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, which strongly opposes the conversion of Hindus to Christianity or Buddhism. Orissa and
the states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have passed a law obliging
those who want to change their religion to obtain written permission
from the local magistrate. Religious minorities, including Christians,
oppose the law. Indian
Bishops Hear Pope Condemn Caste System VATICAN CITY, NOV. 17, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II told a group of Indian bishops that the Church has the duty to foster conversion of hearts to overcome every form of racial, sexual or religious discrimination. "Indifference and class struggle must be turned into brotherhood and committed service," the Pope said today. "Discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex or ethnic origin must be rejected as totally incompatible with human dignity." At the same time, the Holy Father firmly condemned the caste system when he met with the bishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Madras-Mylapore, Madurai and Pondicherry-Cuddalore, at the conclusion of a series of five-yearly visits by the prelates of India. "It is not enough that the Christian community hold the principle of solidarity as a lofty ideal; rather it must be seen as the norm for human interaction which, in the words of my venerable predecessor Pope Pius XII, has been 'sealed by the sacrifice of redemption offered by Jesus Christ on the altar of the cross to his heavenly Father, on behalf of sinful humanity,'" he said, quoting from the 1939 encyclical "Summi Pontificatus." "Being successors of Christ's apostles, we have a primary duty to encourage all men and women to develop this solidarity into a spirituality of communion for the good of the Church and humanity," John Paul II explained. "We cannot hope to spread this spirit of unity among our brothers and sisters without genuine solidarity among peoples." "Like so many places in the world, India is beset by numerous social problems," the Pope observed. "In some ways, these challenges are exacerbated because of the unjust system of caste division which denies the human dignity of entire groups of people." "Ignorance and prejudice must be replaced by tolerance and understanding," John Paul II said, repeating the words he expressed during a homily in Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi, on Feb. 2, 1986. "At all times, you must continue to make certain that special attention is given to those belonging to the lowest castes, especially the Dalits," he exhorted the bishops. "They should never be segregated from other members of society. Any semblance of a caste-based prejudice in relations between Christians is a countersign to authentic human solidarity, a threat to genuine spirituality, and a serious hindrance to the Church's mission of evangelization," the Holy Father said. "Therefore,
customs or traditions that perpetuate or reinforce caste division
should be sensitively reformed so that they may become an expression
of the solidarity of the whole Christian community," he added.
"It is the Church's obligation to work unceasingly to change
hearts, helping all people to see every human being as a child of
God, a brother or sister of Christ, and therefore a member of our
own family." The
India of Blessed Teresa Is Also the India of Christian Martyrs by Sandro Magister VERSIONE ITALIANA ROMA – On Sunday, October 19, John Paul II will elevate Mother Teresa of Calcutta to the honor of the altar. The government of Delhi has instituted an annual national prize in honor of the Blessed. But behind this glowing ecumenical facade, news releases are painting another picture. On October 7, anti-Christian hatred in India claimed its latest victim: Fr. Sajeevanand Swami, 52, a native of Kerala, priest of the diocese of Bangalore. Eighteen years ago, Fr. Sajeevanand founded an ashram, a hermitage, in the countryside of Bellur, near Kolar, in the Indian state of Karnataka. He had given the ashram the name of Satyadeepam, “True Light,” and led a monastic life there. He also carried out agricultural activities with the village’s farmers, and this led to clashes with the granite diggers. One of them, with a band of his men, assaulted the priest and massacred him. Six of the assailants have been arrested. But Indian Catholics are convinced that there could be more general movements behind this murder. Sajan Geroge, the director of the Local Council of Indian Christians, told the Vatican news agency Fides: “Some falsely attribute the death of the priest to a dispute linked to property rights. But there are many Hindu fundamentalists in Kolar behind the murder. The government should do more to protect minorities.” One is reminded that, during the past six months, Fr. Sajeevanand had received repeated threats from members of Sangh Parivar, the group that joins the strands of Hindu extremism. His killing, in effect, is the latest in a series of aggression, destruction, and murder aimed against Christians in India in recent years. Last September, groups of fanatics were up in arms against churches and convents of Catholic nuns in the state of Goa, the former Portuguese colony reunited with India in 1961, where Christians make up 30 percent of the population. Every Christmas Eve, Hindu gangs customarily assault the churches, which are filled with the faithful. One of the murders that still makes a great impression is that of the Australian Protestant missionary Graham Stewart Staines and his two sons, Philip and Timothy, ages 10 and 7, in January of 1999. The author of the crime, Ravindra Kumar Pal, better known by the name of Dara Singh, was sentenced to death last September, together with twelve of his accomplices, who were given life sentences. But on October 10 he appealed the sentence, backed by important supporters and widespread popularity. But little is known and said about all this. Even the central Church authorities are taciturn on the matter. What happened in the Vatican last September 6 is a proof of this silence. John Paul II received for their ‘ad limina’ visit the Indian bishops of the ecclesiastical regions of Delhi, Agra, and Bhopal: almost half of the territory of India with about half a billion inhabitants, of whom Catholics make up 0.19 percent. In his speech – the only one published by the Holy See press office – the pope made reference to “a year, the one just past, of uncertainty, conflict, and suffering for many in India.” He didn’t say another word. But if the Vatican press office had also published the speech delivered to the pope by the archbishop of Delhi, Vincent M. Concessao, in the name of the other bishops, one would have known better what is happening to the small Catholic minority in India. In indicating the “growth of fundamentalism” to the pope, Archbishop Concessao read from the text: “We have had martyrs who have lost their lives and those who have been brutally beaten up and imprisoned and at times have to live under constant threat and danger of being attacked particularly in the remote rural areas of our dioceses where they are very poor and few in number. Where anti-conversion laws have been passed, like in the region of Bhopal, evangelization has become extremely difficult and even human development work is looked upon with suspicion. Nay, there is even a movement spear-headed by a political leader who is doing his best to reconvert Christians to Hinduism. It is called in Hindi ‘Ghar Wapsi’ which means ‘get back home’. [...] False accusations of forced conversions are leveled against the Church and the hate campaign goes on even in remote areas of our dioceses.” On September 7, “L’Osservatore Romano published the speech by Archbishop Concessao to the pope in English, in small print and with a bureaucratic title: “The Complimentary Address of the Archbishop of Delhi.” There was nothing to call attention to the contents. An analogous silence on the part of the central Church authorities concerns the dramatic situation of the Catholics in a country bordering India: Pakistan. On October 14, it was a secular Italian newspaper, “Corriere della Sera,” that described the situation in a report from its correspondent Goffredo Buccini. Among what was written: “In Rawalpindi, Islamabad, or Lahore, Christianity has its original power: it is under siege and full of obstinate courage. ‘We know that we must die one day, and we are happy to die in Christ,’ says Jamila, a nurse at the Christian hospital of Taxila. Jamila Nobel was five months pregnant when Islamic terrorists launched three grenades in front of the chapel, in the most exposed corner of the square. At 7:48 on that August 9th, 2002, she and the other nurses were returning calmly to work after their morning prayers. Four of them were killed, twenty-six were wounded by the shrapnel, and Jamila lost her baby.” And again: “Nurses, priests, social workers, women, children: more than sixty Christians have fallen under the gunfire and the bombs of Islamic extremists in the past two years. Eighteen died in the most serious attack, in October 2001, in Bahawalpur. Then there are the four dead and forty wounded in Islamabad, the seven killed in Karachi, five in Murree, and the massacre in Taxila. The last priest killed, on July 4 of this year, was named George Ibrahim. He taught at the Catholic school in Renala Kot, 300 kilometers south of Islamabad; he had been threatened by the Muslim teachers after the Punjab region had given back the previously nationalized school to the Catholic Church. ‘We are hostages,’ sighs Anthony Lobo, the bishop of Rawalpindi. But they’re also stubborn. ‘The Sunday after the massacre in Bahawalpur, there were twice as many faithful at mass. I couldn’t believe it’.” Indian diocese preparing to exhibit relics of St. Francis Xavier Goa, Sep. 08 (FIDES/CWNews.com) - The general public will be able to view the relics of the great Spanish missionary St. Francis Xavier at the end of next year in Goa, India, the Fides news service has reported. The exposition of the relics was announced in a decree signed by Archbishop Raul Gonsalves that reads: "In keeping with the ancient tradition of a solemn exposition of the relics every ten years, we announce that the relics of the saint will be exposed from November 24, 2004 to 2 January 2005." Father Olavo Pereira, director of Goa's diocesan Centre for Social Communications, says the event will be "an opportunity for spiritual renewal and growth for everyone: a means to obtain from God, through the intercession of St. Francis, grace and protection from the many evils which assail us." The Goa archdiocese will set up a special commission to organize the event and arrange assistance for the vast number of pilgrims who are expected to travel to Goa from all over India as well as other parts of the world. St. Francis arrived on mission in Goa in 1542 and he died on an island near Macao in 1552. The first exposition of the relics was held in 1782 and was repeated every year on December 3, the feast of St. Francis Xavier. But the tradition stopped in 1864 for security reasons; it was later resumed every ten years. The last exhibition, the 15th, took place from21 November 21, 1993, to January 7, 2004.
New Delhi, Sep. 03 (CWNews.com) The federal Supreme Court in India has ruled that there is "no fundamental right to convert" to another religion, and that the government can impose restrictions on conversions in the public interest. The Indian high court made this ruling while dismissing an appeal by Christian groups challenging provisions of the Freedom of Religion Act in the eastern Orissa state. The topic of religious conversion has been a very sensitive one in parts of India. Hindu activists have charged that Christian missionaries are exerting undue influence, particularly on impoverished tribal groups, in order to secure their conversion. Christians respond that they never put pressure on people to convert, and argue that the Hindu zealots are actually seeking to curtail their work for the welfare of the needy. The topic has been especially sensitive in Orissa, where religious violence has flared frequently in recent months. It was in Orissa that the Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons were burned to death in 1999 by Hindu bigots who accused them of encouraging conversions. Later Father Arul Doss of the Balasore diocese was also murdered in Orissa, on the same charge. Under recent amendments to the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, a would-be convert must submit a declaration to a local magistrate, testifying that the conversion was on "on his own will." The magistrate in turn would forward the declaration to police to ascertain any objection "to the proposed conversion" before permission for the conversion would be granted. Christian groups had pointed out that these provisions infringed upon the fundamental freedom of belief guaranteed under Indian's constitution.
New Delhi (Fides Service) - In recent years there have been over 500 attacks on India's Christians and Christian structures. Christians in India are persecuted by fundamentalist ideological nationalism. Several extremist groups preach and practice violent Hindutva ideology demanding "one people ,one nation, one culture" threatening ethnic and religious minorities. Fundamentalists accuse Christians of using their social services to convert people, for their part Christians and other religious minorities say the government gives them little attention or protection. Meanwhile the government recognises "the constitutional right of Christians to pray" and the fact that "many Christians carry out praiseworthy work. Running more than 17,000 schools and colleges all over India, providing valuable education, and assisting the 250 million Indians (40% of the population) who are undernourished and live below the poverty line. Some states of the Federation, for example Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have approved a Religious Freedom Bill stipulating that a person wanting to change his or her religion must first obtain permission for the local magistrate, giving rise to loud protests from the Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The Bill - said Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandez of Gandhinager in Gujarat, violates fundamental human and constitutional rights". "The Christian community - says the Archbishop - has never created social tension, instead it has always spread a message of brotherhood, equity and harmony working for the development of the people of every community. Forced conversions are totally repudiated by our Churches." Explaining the reason for the protest Archbishop Fernandez said: "We believe conversion is a gift of God which cannot be subject to the scrutiny of a civil official. To request the permission of the civil authorities for religious conversion means abdicating from the personal responsibility of every individual for the eternal salvation of his or her soul. In this case every person must abide by the voice of the soul, not temporal rules". The Christian community points out that, the rumours of conversion obtained deceitfully, are not confuted by the demographic profile of Christians. Although there have been Christians in India for two thousand years today they are only 2.34% of the population. If they were guilty of fraudulent conversions then they would be at least double this number, say local sources. The Bishops recall that the Greek word for conversion metanoia is used in the Bible to describe not conversion of religion or citizenship, but simply turning from evil to good. Archbishop Vincent Concessao of New Delhi says: " It is a contradiction to say someone can convert someone else. Only God can touch the human heart and sow the seed of faith. All we can do it to share the Good News we have received" Mother Teresa was an example of this great service of announcing God's love and sharing it with all. PA (Fides Service 31/5/2003 EM lines 43 Words: 527) Church
in Gujarat Copes Amid a Growing Hindu Fundamentalism ROME, MAY 28, 2003 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- The Catholic Church in the state of Gujarat is facing hard times, but its leader seems undeterred. "We are not afraid," said Bishop Thomas Macwan of Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, in an interview with the Fides new service. "Our mission is to bear witness to Jesus Christ even during persecution." "The anti-conversion bill approved in Gujarat is unconstitutional," he said. "We, the local Catholic Church, together with Hindu and civil organizations, will appeal to the Supreme Court. Our faith is strong. Our work is for the good of the country." The bishop explained how the local Catholic Church lives its mission facing the challenges posed in India's multireligious society. "Religious fundamentalism is growing in India," he said. "From the large cities it is spreading out to villages. Since the country was divided in 1947, into India with a Hindu majority and Pakistan with a Muslim majority, there has always been concern for the future of religious minorities." He continued: "At that time, the Constitution designed a secular state. Today, instead, fundamentalism is growing for political reasons and it is used to create electoral consensus. For years, Hindus, Muslims and Christians lived here peacefully side by side. In recent decades things appear to have changed. "For example, in Gujarat, in order to gain political advantage, certain political groups instigate Hindus and Muslims to fight each other. The Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP], which governs the federation and the state of Gujarat, supports the ideology of a mono-religion state but this principle is contrary to India's Constitution." According to Bishop Macwan, there are also signs that denote the growth of fundamentalism -- for example, the anti-conversion movement which has already taken hold in some Indian states and the numerous attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in recent years by Hindu extremists. "Recently, three states -- Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat -- approved a paper on religious conversions which in Gujarat is sold as the Religious Freedom Bill," the bishop said. "According to the government, the paper serves to prevent cases of forced conversion, but we have asked the government to show us just one case of forced conversion. "This is a practice which goes against Christianity and against Jesus Christ. Every citizen must be free in conscience to change his or her religion. The paper approved in Gujarat says that the pastor or the priest must go to the district magistrate to ask permission to administer baptism." He noted: "This is contrary to Article 25 of the Constitution which lays down the fundamental right of every person to profess and propagate freely his or her own religion. When the rules and norms of the decree are promulgated we will appeal to the Supreme Court against its unconstitutionality," the bishop said. Recently, Bishop Macwan had a meeting with Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, where, in December, the BJP was confirmed in government. "The Chief Minister assured me that the Religious Freedom Bill is not against us and that I need not be concerned," Bishop Macwan said. "This is the start of dialogue but it will not prevent us, the Catholic bishops' conference, with other Christian churches, Hindu associations, and civil organizations, from appealing against the bill." The bishop went on to describe the situation in Gujarat. "Clashes between Hindus and Muslims, which started in February 2002 after the train incident at Ghodra, left deep scars on society," he said. "People who used to live in harmony and tolerance started sacking and killing indiscriminately. Today in Ahmedabad these two communities are fatally divided into ghettos living on opposite banks of the river. "This division feeds barriers and prejudice: For the Hindu, every Muslim is a terrorist. Today there is a wall of hostility where only yesterday there was an atmosphere of harmony." And the Catholic Church in this situation? "The Church here is small but flourishing," the bishop said. "We have the spiritual support of the universal Church. We are not afraid of threats. God sends us to bear witness to the Gospel and we will carry on our mission despite persecution. "In Gujarat,
the Christian community amounts to 0.42% of the population; Catholics
are 150,000 in all. But our faith is strong and deeply rooted. We
have schools, social and health care centers -- non-confessional
institutions known for the high quality of service and profound
sense of dedication of the Catholic personnel, as all non-Christians
who make use of these services confirm." Church Works For Triumph Of Truth About Violent Discrimination Against Dalits "Untouchable" And "Invisible" For India's Caste Society New Delhi (Fides Service) - "We are here as persons interested in Dalit problems and looking at the position of the Catholic Church there is a need to plan concrete strategies in this direction" said Bishop Chinnappa of Vellore at a meeting organised by the Commissions for Social Communications of the Indian Bishops’ Conference in Bangalore, 20 and 21 May. The Church in India (2 % of a population of one billion) is two thirds Dalit. And Dalit in all India are 240 million, said Professor Valerian Rodrigues of Mangalore University. Life for Dalit peoples is precarious: untouchable, invisible, they are denied access to land, school, temples, they do the meanest jobs, they have no right to police protection: the men are often beaten, the women are raped or killed in total impunity of the attackers. The Dalit are a sort of social shock absorber on which all kinds of violence can be exerted, they are no economic weight for the community. Speaking of the theme "Dalits Culture and Communications: Present Scenario and Response" Professor Rodrigues who is head of the department of political science, illustrated to those present - social activists, Dalit leaders, social thinkers and media persons - challenges faced by the Dalits in India today; growing poverty and marginalisation and threats to their specific culture and identity. Speaking on Dalits and Media Rev. Isaac Kathiruvelo said that the Church should be an agent of change in the eradication of untouchability and attack the caste system for the hierarchy it breeds. He recommended that Pastoral Letters of Bishops in their dioceses should be on caste discrimination of Dalits and how it can be eradicated. The consultation suggested that seminary and religious formation course be based on Dalit perspective to better understand and tackle Dalit issues and also that there should be proportionate participation of Dalits from hierarchy to laity in the Church (at present among 164 bishops only 7 are Dalit). The consultation selected slogans like "Caste Christians in No Christian", "Education of Dalits is Birth Right" to be used on stickers and posters. The Commission for Social Communications, promoter of the event, stressed in a closing address the valuable role of the Catholic media to promote Dalit culture and development. PA (Fides Service 26/5/2003) Ideological
Nationalism Of Extremist Groups Strikes Missionaries. New Delhi (Fides Service) - Christian missionaries in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, are threatened and impeded in their mission to evangelise. A local Catholic priest, Father Matthew Vattakunnel, denounces that an authentic intimidation campaign against missionaries is being waged by activists of ideological nationalism. Among several alarming episodes the priest recalls that on Easter Sunday two militants of the Movement of Gonds entered two Catholic churches in the village of Deori and desecrated crucifixes and other Christian symbols. A group of fundamentalist leaders in the area - local sources tell Fides Service - told over 30 Catholic rural families they must renounce their faith. Missionaries are accused of obtaining conversions by fraudulent means among the Tribals in the area. "But how can a priest remain silent when people ask him to speak about Jesus Christ?" asks the priest. Father Anthony Rocky, director of the Office for Social services in Jabalpur diocese, says: "I stopped going to villages to see for myself the state of people’s living conditions after I received threats. The villagers have also be warned not to have anything to do with us and they are now afraid." To counter the growing phenomenon of fundamentalist ideological nationalism which exploits and transforms into violence India's rich cultural heritage of the ancient Hindu civilisation in Gujarat the Jesuits have started the Act Now for Harmony and Democracy ANHAD movement. Head of the movement, Father Cedric Prakash explained that a number of organisations have united to eliminate social violence and to protect the secular nature of India and its Constitution. The movement aims at creating awareness at the cultural and social level, promoting respect for the civil freedom of Indian citizens. ANHAD in Hindi means 'no limit': "We want no limits to be set for tolerance, dialogue, liberty and harmony" say the organisers. Gujarat state was also recently the centre of attention for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indian which voiced concern over a local law in which subject conversion to a civil magistrate. The Bishops say the law violates freedom of religion guaranteed by India’s Constitution, as an inalienable right of the person. The Bishops wrote: “It is unacceptable that the government should appoint a state official to control the conscience of a private citizen” and they call for the withdrawal of law out of respect for India’s nature as a pluralistic and multicultural country. Disapproval at the anti-conversion law was also voiced by the All Christian Council, which represents all the Christians in India. The Council has appealed to the Federal Supreme Court, contesting the constitutional validity of the anti-conversion bill. PA (Fides Service 22/5/2003) Missionaries
Oppose Infanticide and Selective Abortion in India BOMBAY, MAY 20, 2003 (ZENIT.org).- Missionary and local government sources, especially in rural areas, report that the infanticide of girls continues to be practiced in India, particularly where there is no access to selective abortion. When John Paul II received an honorary doctorate in law by Rome's La Sapienza University on May 17, he raised his voice in defense of the "right of the unborn to come into the world" and the obligation to protect "newborns, especially girls, from the crime of infanticide." In India, 43 out of every 1,818 newborn girls are eliminated at birth every year, according to data provided by MISNA agency and other missionary and local government sources. The custom of the dowry is among the principal reasons for this action. A laborer who daily earns the equivalent of half a Euro (close to $.58 in dollars) must give the sum of at least 970 Euros ($1,140 U.S. dollars) for his daughter's marriage. According to the sources quoted above, newborn girls are buried alive or killed by other methods, such as asphyxiation. "Infanticide is more prevalent in rural areas. However, access to abortion leads to selective abortions," Bombay missionary, Father Carlo Torriani, explained over Vatican Radio. The phenomenon has its origin in the fact that "in India a male child is much appreciated because, according to the Hindu religion, it is the first-born son who must carry out the funeral rites, and because the marriage of daughters calls for a dowry, something which is often a great burden for the family," the missionary added. This is why the abortion of a female fetus is also very frequent, "facilitated recently with the identification of the fetus in the pre-natal period," he said. In order to put a stop to this situation, the government has called on manufacturers and sellers of ultrasonographic equipment to provide information on the purchasers and places where it is used. However, to date there is no data on the results of this measure. "Moreover, in the Delhi area it has been detected that the percentage between males and females continues to diminish," Father Torriani said. In addition, education is being provided, such as in schools and on television, which shows that "girls are useful, that women are necessary for society, in order to form people in respect for the birth of girls." Catholics in India, who constitute 2% of the population, also contribute to the formation of public opinion in this area. The only state of India in which there is virtual equivalence between men and women is, in fact, Kerala, "where there is a very high presence of the Catholic and Christian minority," Father Torriani explained.
GANDHINAGAR, India, APRIL 6, 2003 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes of Gandhinagar doesn't mince words about the new Gujarat state law on religion. "This law is contrary to every form of democracy," he said. The archbishop was referring to a document on religious freedom approved March 26 by the state government without any discussion in the Assembly. Under the law, anyone who wants to change religion must first request permission from the civil authorities. The law provides for heavy fines or prison terms for conversions effected by force or fraudulent means. It follows a similar law in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Archbishop Fernandes attributes responsibility for the document to India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which won recent elections in Gujarat. The archbishop noted that there have been no cases of forced conversions or conversions obtained with fraudulent means. "This law violates basic human rights and constitutional rights, freedom of conscience and religious freedom," he said. "We believe that conversion is a grace from God, which cannot be subjected to the scrutiny of any civil government," the archbishop added. "Asking for the permission of the civil authorities for religious conversion means abdicating from the personal responsibility of every individual for the eternal salvation of his soul," he said. "In this case, every man must respond to the voice of his soul and not to temporal rules." The new Gujarat government already warned in February of a "discriminatory censure" by police, only of Christian communities, families and institutions. That warning prompted a strong protest from the Indian bishops' conference. The bishops' fears are motivated by recent episodes of violence against Christians and other members of religious minorities. The bishops fear the aim is to shut Christians in a ghetto and limit their influence. An Ecumenical Celebration Of Christian Faith In Christ INDIA,
14 NOV 2002: Indian
Churches will celebrate 'Masihi Mahotsav', Festival of Jesus Christ
from 15 to 17 November in New Delhi. The ecumenical celebration
is being jointly organised by the National Council of Churches in
India (NCCI), Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). A three day programme is expected
to bring about thousands of people from all around the country as
well as some guests from abroad. Speaking on behalf of the organising
committee and the convenor of Masihi Mahotsva ev. Richard Howel
of EFI said that the purpose of the ecumenical celebration is to
celebrate God's faithfulness to Churches service to the nation.
The seminars conducted during three days of celebrations would highlight
the Church's service in nation building It is expected that the
ecumenical celebrations would bring about a new vision, nation and
society by strengthening the youth in nation building, by enhancing
women's participation in Church and society, by Solidarity with
the Dalits, by networking among Christian denominations and people
of other faiths. Women rally and youth rally along with seminars
on dalit (lower caste) issues will be some of the important features
of the ecumenical celebrations. A United Christian Service will
be held on Sunday at Colombus school grounds in New Delhi. The participants
of the seminar would be both local and national. Participants from
other nations will attend as only observers. The Ecumenical Consultation
held in Nagpur on December 13-14, 2001 resolved a have a national
consultation on nation building in Delhi, which would be an ecumenical
consultation with NCCI, EFI and CBCI jointly organising it. This
idea was further discussed in an ecumenical national consultation
held in Delhi, YMCA on March 21-22nd, 2002 and again on April 15th
at YMCA, Delhi. The Evangelical Fellowship of India was founded
in 1951 as a national alliance of evangelical Christians. As a central
network of evangelicals and a service organisation it builds capacity
to enable the Church to make disciples of Christ and promotes the
Church's participation in nation building. It's membership includes
forty-seven Protestant denominations and related congregations,
and eighty-eight Church related organisations and thousands of individual
members. EFI is the most inclusive fellowship with membership from
most Protestant denominations and organisations of India. (By Ephraem
Jacob) (CO) Papal Envoys Named to Celebrations in India, Nigeria VATICAN, Nov 11, 02 (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II has appointed two Vatican prelates to serve as his special envoys to observances being held in India and in Nigeria later in November. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the prefect of the Congregation for Evangelization, will represent the Pope at a celebration in Ernakulam, India, marking the 1950th anniversary of the arrival of St. Thomas the apostle. The celebration in India will also commemorate the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Francis Xavier. Cardinal Sepe will be accompanied by the papal nuncio in India, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, at the observances November 16 and 17. Catholics consider including Sanskrit in prayers Patna, Oct 21, Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church said Monday they were considering adding a Sanskrit word to liturgical prayers to make Christianity more acceptable to Hindi speakers. A synod of arch-bishops and bishops from India and Philippines, which began Sunday in Patna, was studying a proposal to include the word "Sachidanand" in liturgical prayers. "The word 'Sachidanand,' meaning the Trinity of Gods, also conforms to the Christian precept of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," said B.J. Osta, the archbishop of Patna. In India, Christians generally say prayers in English or in literal translations into local languages. Osta said the church was also considering publishing a Hindi-language magazine and setting up a press to publish liturgical books in Hindi. The three-day meeting was called to find ways to make Christianity more amenable to Hindi-speakers in the wake of a number of attacks on Christians and their churches. Vincent Concessao, the archbishop of Delhi, expressed concern about the "deplorable" attacks on Christians, saying they went "against the virtues of love contained in Christianity." Christian Group Against Hindu: "Fundamnetalists Converting Tribals With Force" Christians launch harsh accusations against Hindus for forced conversions by fundamentalists in various Indian States. The 'All India Christian Council' (AICC), Ecumenical Council of Christian Churches, yesterday sent a letter to the deputy chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Tarlochan Singh, to report cases of forced conversions to Hinduism. According to the AICC, the Hindu fundamentalist 'Sangh Parivar' movement has engaged in a 'ghar vapsi' (return home) campaign. The project apparently foresees the intimidation of Christian villagers for their conversion to Hinduism. In some cases weapons and brutal methods were supposedly utilised. Always according to the AICC, this practice remains unpunished also due to the lack of intervention by local security forces. The conversions reportedly occur in the central Indian territories inhabited by tribals, from Rajasthan to Gujarat and all the way to West Bengal. In the letter addressed to the deputy chairman of the NCM, the secretary-general of the AICC, John Dayal, expressed deep concern over the fact that the Commission has so far maintained silence on these events. Two weeks ago Singh had written to New Delhi? Archbishop Vincent Concessao, accusing some Christian missionaries of recently converting some Sikh resident in various villages of Punjab (northern Indian State) and Jharkhand (east India). The prelate promptly rejected the accusations and any knowledge of such practices. (BO) Catholic Women Reject "Two-Child" Norm for India NEW DELHI, Jul 8, 02 (CWNews.com) -- A Catholic women's group in India has criticized suggestions that the government should counteract the widespread practice of sex-selection abortion by encouraging parents to have 2 children per family. The Women's Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has remarked that the promotion of a two-child policy would be "absolutely contradictory, for it is precisely the two-children norm ,coupled with the preference for the male child, that is responsible for the killing of the female fetus or child." That statement appeared in "Magnificat" a quarterly newsletter published by the Women's Commission. A national Census last year showed a steep decline in the ratio of female to male newborns in India. The preponderance of baby boys is particularly acute in several regions, where there are less than 800 girl babies born alive for every 1,000 boys. The unnatural ratio reflects a tendency to procure an abortion when a prenatal examination shows that the child is a girl. In India-- where Hindu traditions tend to favor males, and dowries for the marriage of daughters can be steep-- many parents opt to have only male babies. That preference has endured despite a legal ban on sex-selection abortion. Arguing that government programs will not solve the problems posed by the routine abortion of female children, the Commission says that "the age-old bias against girls should change." For this purpose, the magazine urges all the 146 dioceses in India to arrange special celebrations on the "Day of the Girl Child," which the Indian church celebrates on September 8: the nativity feast of the Virgin Mary. Since 1997, the CBCI has emphasized that feast, hoping to counteract the bias against women and girls in India. Magnificat strongly endorsed that celebration. "Does not God have a special plan for each and every child to be born?" the magazine asked. "Are we not interfering with God's plan for the world by eliminating millions of girl children?" Pope
Remembers India's Persecuted Christians in His Prayers Amid Violence,
VATICAN CITY, JULY 4, 2002 (Zenit.org).- As news arrived of anti-Christian violence in India, John Paul II prayed, in his missionary intention for July, "that Christians in India not be impeded from professing their faith publicly and from freely proclaiming the Gospel." India's 18 million Catholics comprise only 1.8% of the population. Yet, the Hindu majority country has had disciples of Jesus for 2,000 years, noted Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, in an interview with the Vatican agency Fides. Christians "have contributed enormously to the development of education, social services, the promotion of the marginalized," the cardinal said. "This Christian testimony of life and service has led many people to the faith." "India has always been a country open to all creeds; however, five years ago militant groups of Hindu fundamentalists began a campaign to turn the country into a totally Hindu state, just as Pakistan is a Muslim state," the cardinal continued. In this context, "the minority groups, Christians in particular, are the object of persecution and oppression; Christian missionaries and personnel of the local Church have been killed," the cardinal said. The archbishop of Bombay also alluded to the "anti-conversion laws" in force, which in many states have had a restrictive effect on pastoral ministry and social services. "In three Indian states the police must be informed when there is a conversion, to verify if it took place in full liberty," the cardinal explained. India's Supreme Court is now debating the rights of minorities. "We trust that a decision will be reached that guarantees the secular tradition of this great nation, and that citizens of all creeds will be able to live in harmony," the archbishop of Bombay added. According to tradition, the Christian roots of India date back to the preaching of the Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew, who first brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to the area of Kerala. Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians are among the religious orders that have played an important part in the country's early missionary history. An archdiocese was erected in Goa in 1558; it had two suffragan dioceses. The Archdiocese of Bombay was created in 1886, when the number of Catholics reached 1 million. According to the data provided by Cardinal Dias, the Church is flourishing in India and has numerous vocations, despite the persecutions. Today there are 23,000 priests. Christians in India are involved in many services. They are responsible for 20% of primary education; 10% of the teaching of illiterates and of communal health care; 25% of the care of orphans and widows; and 30% of the care for the handicapped, AIDS sufferers and lepers. The Indian Catholic community is characterized by its devotion to the Eucharist. In Bombay, for instance, 80 of the 115 parishes have eucharistic adoration all day. Devotion to the Virgin Mary is widespread too. Last Feb. 11, on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, which was celebrated in Vailankanny (the "Lourdes of the East") at the Pope's request, 40,000 pilgrims went to that Marian shrine on the shore of the Gulf of Bengal. Cardinal Dias recalled that, when the Pope went to India in 1999 to promulgate the postsynodal apostolic exhortation "Ecclesia in Asia," he said: "The first and second millennium belonged to Europe and Africa; the third millennium belongs to Asia." "The prayer
of all Catholics worldwide can support India's Christians to carry
forward their mission of love," the archbishop of Bombay concluded. India's Declining Christian Population June 24, 2002 (Parishioner's account) According to the Government of India 2000-2001 Census the Christian population of India stands at 2,100,000 or 2.18% of the total population. In 1951 Christians formed 2.5% of the population. Since 1951 the Christians have lost nearly 4 million members "due to various factors including migration, low fertility and extremely low growth rates". Also, some have converted or re-converted to Hinduism especially from the so-called tribal or dalit ("untouchable") castes who are given preferential treatment only as Hindus of such categories. This loss of Christians is sad, but also frustrating is the fact that Christian bodies are forever parading such figures of declining Christian populations to various Hindu fundamentalist organizations (who falsely propagate that the Christian community is growing by leaps and bounds through "forced conversions") as though this is something to be proud of. The Violence Continues GOA, June 14, 2002 (Parishioner's account)-- The Goa Diocesan paper "Renovacao" ( June 1-15, 2002) reports that during the attacks by Hindus on Muslims in the state of Gujarat, Christians were also attacked by Hindu fundamentalists." The Sanjeli Mission run by the SVD was destroyed and the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Hosts (in the tabernacle) were desecrated and destroyed. The Indian Missionary Society compound in Dhudhia was ransacked and 60 school children in the hostel under their care were chased out and the proerty looted. In some areas of (neighbouring) Madhya Pradesh priests and some people were attacked by a group of RSS supporters with lathis (clubs) and stones." . Elsewhere the paper reports that more than 20 churches have been destroyed in the violence in which more than 2000 people (mainly Muslims) have been killed. The violence is still going on. Hindu Extremists Vandalise Church Karnataka: 18 Apr 2002: Fifty-some Hindu extremists broke into a Church in the Indian State of Karnataka, committing atrocious acts of vandalism during Sunday mass. As referred by MISNA sources, the episode occurred last Sunday in Moodubhadri, near Mangalore, port city of Karnataka (State of South West Deccan with capital Bangalore). Chanting various slogans, the extremists stormed the New Life Church while the pastor D.P. Menezes was saying mass and they destroyed the furnishings, as well as shattering the windows and glass. Before leaving the scene, the group damaged the vehicles of the pastor and other members of the community, parked outside the building. The episode was firmly condemned in the past hours by the Global Council of Christians of India (GCIC - a lay organisation based in Bangalore), stating that an attack of this type risks to reinforce the "cultural nationalism" the Hindu extremists uphold. GCIC director Sajan George therefore called on S. M. Krishna, head of the local government of Karnataka, to take prompt and efficient action to reassure the minorities present in the State and avoid a repeat of the tragedy of Gujarat, where the recent clashes between Hindu and Muslims left hundreds dead. India's
Radical-Hindu Problem NEW DELHI, India, (Zenit.org).- The recent riots by Hindu extremists in the Indian state of Gujarat that left hundreds of Muslims dead were just the latest in a series of conflicts that have also affected Christians. For Husain Haqqani, a Pakistani and former adviser to Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, Hindu radicals have a lot in common with the Muslim extremists in the Islamic world. Writing in the March 6 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Haqqani pointed out that the link between religion and nationalism among Hindus. The National Volunteer Movement (RSS) "has repeatedly asserted that Indian Christians should adopt a nationalistic version of their faith and sever links with foreign churches and missionaries," Haqqani writes. He warns that India's leaders should not encourage such extremism. Nor should the problem be ignored, he says, as happened with the Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan. The campaign to build the Ram temple, the cause of the latest conflict, is being manipulated by some politicians who see it as an easy way to get votes by appealing to religious sentiments, Haqqani contends. Tampering with textbooks One area where Hindu extremists are trying to extend their influence is in the education system. Six thousand Indian schools with 1.2 million children and 40,000 teachers are being taught a Hindu-extremist version of history, according to the January bulletin of the Christian news service Compass Direct. This "saffronization" -- the name comes from the color of the robes worn by Hindu priests -- of education is occurring primarily in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh through textbooks published by the Sanskriti Jnan. The textbooks contain "innumerable references that could hurt not only the sentiments of Christians and Muslims but even our neighbors -- Sri Lanka, Burma and Nepal," said historian Arjun Dev, quoted by Compass Direct. The driving force behind the new textbooks is Vidya Bharati, the RSS academic wing that runs thousands of schools in both states. Compass Direct reported last Dec. 7 that the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India charged the government with "tampering the history textbooks for schools." The National
Steering Committee on Textbook Evaluation, established in 1992 by
the Congress Party government, said of the books now being used:
"Much of this material is designed to promote bigotry and religious
fanaticism in the name of inculcating knowledge of culture in the
young generation. That The problem is not confined to schools, but reaches up to universities. "We must become antennae of cosmic energy," professor Indu Prakash Misra tells his graduate students. "Astrology is the path to the purest truth," he says. Astrology is the newest degree at Lucknow University, a state-run school formally known for its engineering and science programs, the Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 28. India's national government affirms that the changes are part of an effort to familiarize students with the country's culture. "We want to have an Indianization, nationalization and spiritualization of education in India,"says R.K. Goel, president of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, a lobbying group in New Delhi. But this policy, warns Lucknow professor Roop Rekha Verma, "is against the basic guiding principles of our constitution." During the three years that the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have been in power at the national level, they have persistently pushed Hindu values, "cutting against the grain of secular rule that runs through India's modern history," contends the Wall Street Journal. By contrast, the Congress Party had, for a half-century, ruled India by strictly secular criteria. Quotas were set up to ensure that all religious groups shared in government jobs, and laws gave leeway for the religious customs of minorities. This has now changed. Some of the moves seem relatively harmless, such as the naming of nuclear missiles after weapons and animals taken from Hindu mythology, or the burning of Valentine's Day cards. But this period has also seen a big rise in attacks on Muslims and Christians. Hard-line response The recent violence was sparked when a mob set fire Feb. 27 to a train carrying World Hindu Council (VHP) members returning from a visit to Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Hindus consider it the birthplace of one of their most revered deities, Lord Ram. In 1992, militant Hindus demolished a 16th-century mosque that occupied the site, vowing to replace it with a temple to Ram. The destruction prompted one of India's worst bouts of nationwide religious rioting between Hindus and the country's Muslim minority, which left 2,000 people dead. Hindus comprise 81% of India's 1 billion people, Muslims 12%. After the recent massacres, Hindu leaders sounded a hard line. Harish Bhai Bhatt, leader of the World Hindu Council, said the killing of hundreds of Muslims was necessary in order to teach them a lesson after the Feb. 27 train burning, the New York Times reported March 5. "Now, it is the end of toleration," he said, a revolver on his hip. "If the Muslims do not learn, it will be very harmful for them." The failure of police to protect Muslims from rampaging mobs has led some to charge that local Hindu officials allowed the riots to happen. A Muslim member of parliament, Shabana Azmi, said the state government wanted the rioting because it believed this would "consolidate the Hindu vote bank," reported the New York Times. Violence against Christians has also surged this year, with attacks reported weekly, the Washington Times noted Feb. 25. Recently, a mob of about 70 men attacked a group of children attending a catechism class in a church near Mysore, in south India. In other similar incidents, two church workers and a teen-age boy were shot at while praying; two missionaries were beaten while they were bicycling home; and a Christian cemetery was vandalized in Port Blair, in the Andaman Islands. On March 2, RSS activists set upon two Catholic priests while they were on their way to a police station to report on an attack on a Church-run school in Khurda, according to the SAR news agency. The day before, a mission station run by the Divine Word Society in Sanjeli, Gujarat, was ransacked and set ablaze by RSS and VHP activists. In a press statement Feb. 20, the Catholic bishops' conference expressed deep regret and distress over the recent attacks on Church personnel and institutions in various parts of the country. Conference spokesman Father Donald D'Souza urged the groups behind the attacks to respect the Indian Constitution and to work for peace and harmony. Whether such a plea can quell the ferocious violence gripping the subcontinent remains to be seen. Hindu Fundamentalist Violence Doesn't Spare Catholics India Swept by Wave of Interreligious Attacks NEW DELHI, India, MARCH 5, 2002 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- Recent outbreaks of religious fundamentalist violence in India haven't left Catholic communities unscathed. On March 2 in Khurda village, Gujarat, two priests and two lay Catholics were attacked by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists when they were on their way to the police station to report an attack on a Church-run school on Khurda. RSS is India's leading Hindu radical group. Divine Word Mission Father Nicholas Martiz and an Ashram Parish priest, Father George Bhuriya, along with two laymen, were attacked by an armed group of RSS supporters. Father Martiz was taken to a hospital with head injuries. The other men received minor injuries. Earlier in the day an eight-member RSS group descended on the Church-run Mahatma Gandhi school terrorizing the students and staff and demanding that the building be closed in observance of a national strike. The strike
was called by Hindu political parties to protest the Feb. 27 train
tragedy in Ghodra, Gujarat state, when Hindu-Muslim clashes led
to the death of 60 passengers who were burned alive. Rioting in
recent days Also on March 2, about 60 kilometers from Godhra, RSS activists torched a Divine Word Mission station in Sanjeli. Meanwhile, India's Christians encourage people of good will to unite in order to isolate fanatic fundamentalists and to restore peace. A March 1 statement by the All India Council called for this "madness to stop." For their part, the Catholic bishops of India, meeting in Jalandhar, called on the government to adopt measures to prevent the violence from spreading. Archbishop Cyril Baselios Malanchuaruvil, president of the bishops' conference, said Monday that the bishops "held a day of fasting and prayer for all the victims of the violence." They also went on pilgrimage to the Golden Temple, the Sikhs' holiest place, as an expression of the conference's theme this year, "The Church in Dialogue." Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, in India for brief visit, also addressed the bishops' conference today. India Catholics Protest Efforts to "Hinduize" Schools NEW DELHI, Dec. 9, 2001 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) has criticized the country's government for its attempts "to tamper with history textbooks for schools." The bishops have said the revisions of textbooks reflect serious flaws in the government's education policy.
India Catholics Hail Clamp Down On Forced Conversions NEW DELHI, Nov 26, 01 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has hailed the announcement by the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh that the state will clamp down on forced conversions-- whether they are arranged by Hindus or Christians. "The Church does not believe in forced conversion as it is a contradiction. However, if the government is serious in its announcement, it could prevent forcible 'reconversion' of tribal Christians," said Father Donald De Souza, the CBCI deputy secretary. "Apparently, the announcement seems to be targeting (Hindu) groups who are forcing tribal Christians to give up their faith." The government's announcement was made by Digvijay Singh, chief minister of the Madhya Pradesh state. That state has recently seen several incidents of "ghar vapasi" (homecoming) ceremonies in which tribal Christians in remote areas of the state have been forced by Hindu zealots to denounce Christianity and return to the Hindu fold. ALARMING IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS IN INDIA Provisional results from this year's national census in India have indicated that there are now only 927 girls for every 1,000 boys in the birth to six years age-group. This represents a decline from 945 girls for every 1,000 boys in 1991. A traditional bias for male children and an emerging preference for smaller families, together with the availability of pre-natal sex identification, is thought to have led to a high incidence of sex-selection abortion in India. This is despite a law passed in 1996 which banned the use of ultrasound technology for the purpose of sex determination. [Reuters, via Yahoo! News, 5 April] It was reported in this digest last week [4 April] that sex-selective abortions in China have contributed to a similarly alarming imbalance between the numbers of boys and girls. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010405/hl/india_2.html 6.7 MILLION ABORTIONS PERFORMED EACH YEAR IN INDIA It has been
estimated that there are 6.7 million abortions performed each year
in India. Sheela Mane, secretary of the Bangalore Society of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology, also claimed that female infanticide was rife in
India. The government acknowledges that two million female PRIEST
SLAIN AS VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN INDIA SYRO-MALANKAR
CATHOLICS CELEBRATING JUBILEE VATICAN CITY, NOV. 20, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Successors to the evangelization begun in India by the Apostle Thomas met with John Paul II today in the context of their Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome. In this way, pilgrims of the Syro-Malankar Catholic Church of India and other places hoped to express this Christian community's closeness to Peter's successor. The gesture was significant, as this Church had once severed its relations with Rome. The Syro-Malakar Catholic Church is celebrating its Jubilee through Tuesday. It began Sunday. The highlight of the celebrations will be a Mass celebrated Tuesday in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The pilgrims are accompanied by Metropolitan Archbishop Cyril Baselios Makancharuvil of Trivandrum. The Syro-Malankar Catholic Church is the "Church of St. Thomas," as it began with the apostle's preaching. There are four religious congregations in this Church, which is rooted in India: the Order of the Imitation of Christ, the religious of the Imitation of Christ, the Daughters of Mary, and the Kristia Sanyasa Sabha (Christian Religious Congregation). The Syro-Malankar Church, of the Antioch rite, regained full communion with Rome in 1930. It retains its special liturgy in the local tongue, Malayalam. The Pope stressed the importance of the anniversary of this Christian community's return to communion with the See of Peter and the universal Church, saying: "Seventy years ago, Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Ivanikos, Bishop Mar Theophilos and their companions entered into full communion with the See of Peter, because they were profoundly convinced of the truth of the words found beneath the dome of the Vatican Basilica: 'Hinc una fides mundo refulget.' 'From here the one faith shines forth to the world.' "They understood that 'the Church is one, the Church of Christ between East and West'; and they knew that, in entering the communion of the Catholic Church, they 'did not at all intend to deny their fidelity to their own traditions.'" The Pope asked the Syro-Malankar Catholics "to invoke God's love
on the Christians of the Oriental Churches, that in new and deeper
ways they may 'discover the fact that they are all walking together
toward the one Lord ... and, thus, toward each other.'" DELHI'S
NEXT ARCHBISHOP WANTS INTERRELIGIOUS TALKS NEW DELHI, India, NOV. 13, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Delhi's next Catholic archbishop is set to take on the RSS campaign to oppose Christians by holding an interreligious dialogue and correcting the impression that Christianity is a foreign religion, The Hindustan Times reported today. RSS, or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is an extremist Hindu group and an ideological parent of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. "It's a well-planned strategy that they [RSS] have launched, but thankfully only a small fraction of society is affected by their misinformation," Archbishop Vincent Concessao told the Times. "They are spreading falsehoods about the Church, that it is out to convert people," he told the Times. "Nobody can become a Christian easily. They are accusing of us of doing exactly what they are up to. All their attempts to forcibly convert Christians to Hinduism have failed. They know that forcible conversion is a contradiction in terms -- their victims return to Church services within a week of reconversion." Archbishop Concessao says that RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan's call to "Indianize" churches speaks of his ignorance of Christianity, the Times said. "The Church is at home in every culture," he told the Times. "Christianity is at home in India. The Pope is acknowledged as the leader of the communion of churches. He does not interfere in the domestic politics of nations." RSS "brainwashing," he stressed, would be countered with effective public relations by the Church. Born in Putur in South Canara district of Karnataka in 1936, the archbishop entered the priesthood in 1953 and came to Delhi as a diocesan priest in 1962. He had, till recently, been the archbishop of Agra and had earlier served as an auxiliary bishop in Delhi in 1997-99. He will be installed as archbishop of Delhi on Nov. 19, the Times
said. He will succeed Archbishop Alan de Lastic, who was killed
in a road accident in Poland last June 20. CHRISTIANS REJECT HINDU CALL FOR "PATRIOTIC" CHURCH IN INDIA NEW DELHI, 4-Oct-2000 (CWNews.com) - Christians have rejected a call by the chief of the most powerful Hindu extremist organization in India asking the government to set up a "sarkari" (government-controlled) indigenous church in India on the model of the "patriotic church" in China. "It is advisable to have a totally Indian church like the one in China and all foreign churches and missionaries should be asked by the government to pack up and go," said K. S. Sudarshan, chief of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - National Volunteer Corps) addressing a convention of its 20,000 volunteers in New Delhi on Monday. The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches following only bishops appointed by the Pope. Father Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said on Tuesday that if the statement attributed to the RSS head is true, "the freedom-loving people of this country will come forward to oppose such a move. The Church will certainly resist (the call for) indigenous Christian church and throw out foreign missionaries." "There is nothing surprising about such a call from the RSS which has malice in its heart toward other faiths," said John Dayal, vice president of the All India Catholic Union and convener of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights. The call, Dayal said, is "in keeping with RSS's fascist ideology of 'One Nation, One Culture, One People' and shows its cultural illiteracy of Christianity." The RSS chief's advice has provoked strong reaction from Christians across the country. The Catholic Sabha (Council) of Bombay pointed out that "having peacefully existed in India for two millennia, Indian Christians do not need direction or advocacy from the RSS." They said, "The choice of faith and spiritual leadership is an individual's basic right and will remain so as long as India is a democracy." WAVE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIANS CONTINUES IN INDIA NEW DELHI, SEPT 10, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Despite the Indian government's efforts to calm the country's Christians, the attacks on fear-ridden Christian communities continue, Fr. Victor D'Souza reported. The priest is diocesan administrator in New Delhi. He spoke, following the assault last Monday on Fr. Susheel's residence in the town of Ganaur, in Haryana. Some 20 unidentified men recently raided the priest's residence, and savagely beat Mr. Chandrapal, the house's guardian, who died in hospital as a result of his injuries. The Indian Episcopal Conference has also expressed concern over the constant attacks on Christian institutions throughout the country. Within the past few weeks, the home of a priest was looted in the district of Jhadol, Rajasthan; a nun was attacked in Orissa, and Catholic places of worship have been profaned. One of the most recently reported incidents was cited by SAR News. On the night of September 5, vandals desecrated a statue of the Blessed Virgin at Sacred Heart Church. The perpetrators aleggedly entered church grounds in the early morning hours, breaking windows and throwing filth onto the statue. Fr. Robert Miranda, the bishop's spokesman, condemned the incident and appealed to the authorities to take immediate action to arrest those involved in the vandalistic act. Police are investigating. ZE00091007 |