Nirmala Carvalho

This is the strategy adopted by ultra-nationalist Hindu groups in various parts of the country. The latest incident took place in Uttar Pradesh, where 10 Protestant pastors were interrogated and detained by the police. Militants of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) paramilitary group incite villagers against Christian religious.

The faithful participated in the ceremony of consecration of Mgr Theodore Mascarenhas following native practice. "Pope Francis would be touched by the love Tribals have for Jesus Christ, by their warmth and their openness."

Fundamentalists tore down the building's cross. Celebrating a "purification" ceremony, they put up a large portrait of Shiva. Tribals had converted to Christianity in 1995. For local Hindu leader, "It is not about conversion. They realised their mistake, came back and we welcomed them." A saddened Card Gracias reiterates the Christian mission in favour of the marginalised, whilst Sajan George warns, "violence against minorities goes unpunished in the state".

Fr. Lino Fernandes presides at the funeral of two young men, belonging to the same family, who died from "poverty". Conditions of the tribal community worsened by lack of access to medical facilities. The Indian president praises the work of the Church, but state institutions do not help the priests in their mission. Like Mother Teresa, serving "the poorest of the poor."

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivky and 4 other people died in the attack: the small Moshe, their son, survived thanks to his Indian nanny. Today the structure has been restored: "This project is a seed of light and hope, reminding us how we can survive even in the most terrible of the challenges. Evil will not prevail".

The Indian State,scene of terrible anti-Christian persecution in 2008, today holds a Day of Remembrance in memory of the victims and to demand justice from the government. The Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar tells AsiaNews: "The testimony of victims has produced fertile seeds, which nourish faith and vocations." Card. Gracias: "The suffering of Christians in India, offered for peace in Iraq".

In an interview, the principal of a Jesuit school in Minya talks about "an anniversary that the world wanted to forget." Today, "the situation has improved" in the city, especially in the relations between Muslims and Christians. The Islamic community "reassures us of the need of our presence here."

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) officials issue new statements to that effect. The head of the paramilitary group says he wants "equality" for the people. For the leader of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), "it is ironic that the RSS should speak of equality, when it has always opposed the struggle for minority rights".

The women had visited a family of another religion. Some villagers called the police, claiming they had seen them "put pressure, laying siege to the house." The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC): "The Hindu nationalist forces want to spread a feeling of suspicion towards Christians."

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Jesuit order, AsiaNews interview Fr. Errol Fernandes SJ, an expert in the Scriptures and new media. Since his election Francis has been a "reviver, servant of the servants of God and messenger of peace." The papal trips in Korea, Sri Lanka and Philippines sign "of the pontiff's awareness that the Church of the future will be mainly Asian and African".

The young woman, 20, managed to escape and file a complaint with police with the help of the family. An imam at a madrassa (Koranic school) where she worked as a part-time teacher was among her attackers. Christian leader tells AsiaNews that the event was "regrettable and alarming."

Speaking to AsiaNews, an Indian doctor, member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, talks about the story of the baby born to a surrogate Thai mother who was abandoned by his Australian "parents" because he has Down. The lack of legislation is a problem for a practice that is "fruit of the culture of death."