Nirmala Carvalho

The saint is the patron of the Jesuit missions and pioneer of the spread of Christianity in Asia. Priest: "For Christians, it is important to get in touch with Muslims, to work together and discuss the problems of India." Stand firm in the teachings of the Catholic Church, do not give in to the controversy or compromise ones faith in search of dialogue at all costs.

Kevin de Souza, a teacher and director of the Opus Dei Centre in Mumbai, talks about the Strathmore School. Founded in 1958 at the initiative of Saint Josemaria Escriva, it was Kenya’s first interracial school. Later the order also set up the Kimlea Technical Training Centre for young rural women and girls and the Eastlands College of Technology. Half of the Kenyan population is under 25 years with unemployment at 80 per cent.

Mrs. Gladys Staines has worked for years in favor of lepers in Orissa. She transformed her home into a specialized hospital. She also founded a hostel and school for children. The Harmony Foundation, part of the legacy of Mother Teresa rewards "people who encourage the values of peace, tolerance and social justice."

During the final Mass at the National Eucharistic Congress, Fr Michael "felt Jesus touch me and heal me,” overwhelming him with peace “as never before." He “has been ill for a while, and largely retired,” noted one of the priest’s confreres. “After the Mass, I saw him rejuvenated and re-energised. The Eucharist healed him.”

Indresh Kumar, a member of a paramilitary group close to India’s ruling party, accuses Christians of having a secret deal with Naxalite insurgents. For the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, his “inflammatory and dangerous” words undermine “secular and multi-religious India."

Cardinals, bishops and participants at the NEC remember victims of the terrorist attack and their families. A cry to God "that rises from the depths." During the pilgrimage to the Marian shrine faithful will be praying the Rosary for the victims.

The National Eucharistic Congress will be held November 12 to 15. This will be the papal legate, along with four Indian cardinals, 71 bishops and 665 delegates. The memory of the encounter between Mother Teresa and Card. Toppo the testimony of two survivors of the massacre of Christians in Orissa in 2008.

Some 265 years ago today, Tipu Sultan, one of the greatest rulers of southern India, was born. The anniversary was marked by the death of a VHP leader during police crackdown against clashing Hindus and Muslim. For Christian activist, “When the two extremist groups clash in public, Christians are at risk”.

Annual Catholic Nurses Convention, October 31 to November 2 in Mumbai. The theme: "The challenges of care and compassion in service to life". "Our care is the continuation [of the work] of God who gave us life. We share the pastoral and evangelizing mission of the Church". Attention to the most vulnerable, the proclamation of the 'Gospel of Life' and its defense from birth to natural death.

The Rashtriya Sangh Swyamsevak adopts a motion calling on the Indian government to review national policies on population. In its view, the growing numbers of Muslims and Christians is creating a “demographic imbalance” that is threatening the “country’s integrity, unity and identity”. Census data show that Hindus are 79.8 per cent, Muslims 14.23 per cent, and Christians 2.3 per cent of the population. For Christian activist, extremists “are twisting the data to stir fears among Hindus about Muslims”.

Theresa Cheong is the president for Asia of the International Catholic Committee of Nurses and Medical Social Assistants. She teaches at a Singapore university. “Students should be taught a culture of life” against current societal trends towards a 'culture of death' that raise utilitarian and deontological questions. Nurses must follow medical programmes that reflect Catholic teachings.

Msgr. Felix Anthony Machado speaks to AsiaNews about importance of conciliar declaration on interreligious dialogue. Religion is not just a private affair, it is also inevitably a public reality. In Asia there is no other way to communicate except through respect for the person. The relevance of the message of "Nostra Aetate," in an age in which Christians live in conflicting societies but build bridges of friendship to overcome the boundaries of distrust between religions.