During a meeting of Chief Ministers of individual states of the Union on 5 September, the premier underlined the need for a policy of dialogue and not of racism with regard to the Muslim community. The bishops' conference and minority rights activists have expressed their satisfaction.
The current head of the Missioanries of Charity speaks to AsiaNews about the Blessed's message as a way to understand how to respond to the attacks of Hindu extremists.
Under pressure from fundamentalists, a bill is being debated that will ban followers of religions other than Hinduism from professing their faith in Tirupati. The archbishop of Hyderabad: we will oppose with all our might, the Constitution is on our side.
"Typical" of the fundamentalist mentality: this is how the Indian Church has described charges against the CIA and the US of wanting to "Christianise" India through NGOs. Their comments about Maoists are also seen as alarming: the state should intervene to avert a massacre of the innocents.
The 2006 Justice and Peace Sunday seminar took place yesterday; its topic was: "Towards a corruption-free society". From Mumbai Bishop Bosco Penha urges the faithful to keep eyes open to changes in society and educate the new generations to a new model of humanity.
From next year, school textbooks will present the problematic aspects of Indian integration: the massacres of Gujarat, of Ayodhya, and anti-Sikh clashes. Christians are enthusiastic about the idea.
Reacting to the macabre news, the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops' of India condemned the prevalent practice of selective abortions and launched an appeal to all the Church: a pro-life culture and respect for women are urgently needed.
Mgr Oswald Gracias has said the new laws are unconstitutional and the mark of a "totalitarian regime". The law punishes conversions with fines and imprisonment. But no penalty is foreseen for those who "return" to Hinduism.
The president of India's ruling party reiterates its strong opposition to 'laws on freedom of religion' passed in states run by Hindu fundamentalists. Minority leaders call on the central government to issue a white paper on the status of Christians.
At the end of a national conference on Catholic communications organised by the Bishops' Commission for Social Communications, Mgr Gracias said that it is essential that Christian cultural values permeate India's multicultural society.
This meeting is the first of its kind in the country. Participants include seven widows whose lost their husbands to violent persecution and over 150 pastors who are victims of it now.
More than 50 people left India for Hong Kong and the 4th Asian Youth Day, eager to find out what challenges Catholics in other countries face and to stir the one in which they live.
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