Nirmala Carvalho

All catechumens are adults who prepared with lay catechists for over a year. For Mgr Felix Machado, conversions are "a sign of a vibrant faith that knows no fear." This year, Holy Week falls in the middle of India's general election. Yet, Hindu fundamentalists inspire no fear. Baptising and being baptised are "our constitutional right to religious freedom," said the prelate who just a month ago met Pope Francis.

According to the 2012 report on Prison Statistics in India by the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), the percentage of Dalit, tribal, Muslim and Christian inmates is higher than the national average. For Christian activist, "states are targeting minorities."

Farmers indebted after a violent hailstorm that destroyed 1.9 million hectares of farmland. Bishop of Pune tells AsiaNews: "Problems can not be solved with economic packages alone: social and spiritual support needed".

The archbishop of Mumbai celebrated a Thanksgiving Mass to mark the first anniversary of the beginning of the Petrine ministry, which he calls "a year of grace for the whole Church, for India and for the world." The prelate also remembers Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and "his immense love for the Church."

The chief minister of Gujarat and leader of the nationalists (Bharatiya Janata Party) has chosen the seat of the sacred city to take part in general elections 2014. According to Lenin Raghuvanshi, it is an attempt to "show Varanasi as the birthplace of the Hindu fundamentalism". He tells AsiaNews : "The city is steeped in pluralism and secularism. Its people struggle against all forms of religious extremism".

Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC ) comments to AsiaNews. Of the nine defendants, the court charged only three, acquitting the other six . "Minimizing this violence violates all constitutional guarantees".

An Indian Jesuit, Fr Errol Fernandes, looks back at the first year of his pontificate. The Holy Father "has caught the imagination of people all over the world no matter what faith they might profess" because he has great respect for them and "is willing to learn from anyone and any situation."

Father Peter Raposo is doing a PhD at the Ohio University Athens, the largest Catholic university in the United States. In an essay he investigated the role of priests and their credibility in the eyes of the parishioners. "People seek spiritual leaders able to communicate the true values of the Gospel

Lino Fernandes SFX, of the parish of Blessed Mother Teresa Siadih, will visit 45 families divided into 25 villages. In each he will officiate the sacrament of Reconciliation, will make the Way of the Cross and will teach catechism. "Evangelizing - he explains - means being involved in the development of every human being.

The president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) calls on the central government to give the children of victims of anti-Christian pogroms in Kandhamal (2008) the same privileges in government hiring as it does for the children of Hindu-Muslim riots (2002).

Sajan George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC ) sounds alarm as group of extremists damage a prayer hall under construction and threaten eight Christian families. Police arrest two people, but dismiss case as "family dispute".

The goal, he told AsiaNews, is to promote 'carbon fasting' among the faithful. Starting on Ash Wednesday, the Church will suggest every day a useful activity to cut fuel consumption and protect nature and the environment.