Nirmala Carvalho

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) issues an appeal. Half of the world's slaves are in India, mostly Dalits and Tribals. Non-Hindu "untouchables" do not have access to the rights and benefits provided by Scheduled Caste (SC) status.

A special Marian year, beginning on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Family, has been called for by Monsignor Echevarría. The Mumbai community promises to double pilgrimages to shrines dedicated to Our Lady, and to bring prayer to the Virgin into the workplace.

Two different communities (one Protestant the other Pentecostal) were attacked by Hindu fundamentalist groups while celebrating the birth of Christ. Local police arrested the faithful and their leaders on charges of forced conversion.

About 30 people assaulted the Pastor and the faithful of a Pentecostal community, including women and children, with sticks and clubs. The fundamentalists accuse the Christians of promising money to convert tribal people in the area. Police deny the allegations: "No forced conversion in the area, the Christians are innocent."

A Christian "costs" 200,000 rupees, a Muslim, 500,000 rupees. Speaking to AsiaNews, the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said, "Hindu nationalist forces have targeted the poorest and most marginalised groups in of society" who "are already treated contemptuously by the majority community". For re-conversion backers, Christianity and Islam are "a problem" for India.

Tenzin Choedak, 33, had served nearly six years of a 15-year prison sentence. He was in bad physical conditions because of abuse suffered during interrogation and never treated. Before his arrest, he cooperated with the Red Cross.

Msgr. Anil Couto underlines the seriousness of the arson attack on a place of worship in the capital of India. President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC): "Failure of the central government and the local administration. The authorities must protect the places of worship."

The Archbishop of Mumbai comments to AsiaNews on the destruction of the church of Saint Sebastian in the capital: "The arson attack should be strongly condemned and that cannot be condoned. It threatens the development of our nation". The fire completely destroyed the altar, sacristy and choir. The chancellor of the archdiocese: "The fire was deliberately started, we found the cans of kerosene."

A young couple from different castes was murdered in a brutal manner because they got married. The principal behind the killing is the young bride's mother who ordered her sons to kill the two. Mgr Savio Fernandes bemoans the lack of "respect for life." He notes that parents should be "agents of change". For a member of the Pontifical Academy of Life, "there is no honour in premeditated murder of another human being."

The community of the Church of the Blessed Mother Teresa in Siadih, Jharkhand, celebrated the feast day with a procession. The group walked the main streets and hidden alleys of the parish, attracting non-Christians as well. The event showed that "people of different religions can live in respect, love, unity and harmony", the parish priest said.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) condemns the latest attack against a Christian community: "Religious fundamentalists are a threat to the rule of law." Instead of stopping the attackers, police arrest a Christian pastor.

In India, both communities are a minority. For Mgr Felix Machado, archbishop of Vasai, change begins in the school, which must be "an environment that teaches reciprocity, as well as respect for the natural dignity and freedom of every human being". He calls on Muslims to "use their own tools for the good of all and for building the nation."