Nirmala Carvalho

Yesterday the prime minister received a delegation led by the president of the Bishops' Conference (Cbci). In the letter, besides the ritual congratulations for the new mandate, all the concerns for Christians from the attacks in Manipur to the quota issue. Among the topics also Pope Francis' visit to India.

The Supreme Court ordered the northeastern Indian state to decide within six weeks. Dara Singh was given life imprisonment for the murder of Australian pastor Graham Staines and his two sons aged 10 and six. In his petition he says he has "repented", but for Christian representatives, the court’s decision “is really disturbing” for the community.

Interethnic violence that broke out in May 2023 between Meitei and Kuki displaced more than 60,000 people. The Archdiocese of Imphal has started building housing for those who lost everything. For Vicar General Fr Varghese Velickakam, “IDPs are hard-working people, and with an intense desire to live in dignity and peace.” Catholic priests from all over India are also mobilising to raise funds for the project.

An evangelical community that prayed in a private home battered and detained after Hindu extremists accused them of 'forced conversions'. In the district of Jabalpur, an investigation into book prices inflated by a publisher sent to prison only the leaders of the most renowned Christian schools, including a Protestant bishop and a Catholic priest.

A 'temporary' agreement came into force yesterday on the Feast of St Thomas, which had been indicated as an ultimatum by the Major Archbishop. On Sundays and feast days, at least one liturgy must be celebrated according to the unified rite decided by the Synod. But it will also be allowed to maintain the mode in which the celebrant is facing the people throughout the rite, as requested by the clergy and laity of the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly

Many women and children among the victims. There were more than 10,000 at the event of Bhole Baba, a former policeman turned preacher who gathers large crowds. At the origin of the chaos was a sandstorm but - according to witnesses - also the behaviour of the cleric's security service. Lucknow Bishop Gerard Mathias: "I pray for the victims and that such tragedies will not be repeated".

The murder took place in the rural village of Toylanka, where the conversion of a branch of a family to Christianity did not go down well with the rest. The victim was mortally wounded while working in the fields. Relatives even opposed her burial.

The death toll from tainted booze in Kallakurichi has reached 50, with about 100 people hospitalised. For Fr Devasagayaraj, the most disadvantaged were the most affected, especially Dalits who cannot afford more expensive drinks. Responsibility also lies with the state, which runs liquor shops through the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation.

The bishops - originally from the archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the epicentre of the schism - launched an appeal to avoid a schism, contesting the circular letter issued by the Major Archbishop requiring priests to adapt to the unified rite by 3 July. "A hasty choice and contrary to the spirit of Vatican II. Pope Francis asked us for unity through dialogue".

Some members of the Hindu nationalists flaunt the photo of the embrace with the pontiff to acclaim Modi. The opposition retorts: "Where were they when Christians were attacked in Manipur or Fr Swamy died of unjust imprisonment?". The Bishops' Conference on the invitation to visit the country: "Ready to welcome the Pope with enthusiasm".

The assault took place at night in a parish church in the Rourkela diocese. They were beaten with hockey sticks and iron bars, before being robbed of all the solid money collected for the school and hostel. In another incident of violence in Telangana, Muslims who were bringing livestock to the madrassa for the Eid festival were attacked.

A new ultimatum to the rebels by Major Archbishop Thattil and the apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese. The date chosen is that of the feast of the Apostle Thomas, to whose descendants Syriac-rite Christians refer. The harsh retort by Almaya Munnettam, the group that most vehemently rejects the liturgical solution adopted by the local Synod in 2021: copies of the circular were burnt in front of the bishop's csa.