Nirmala Carvalho

People from different denominations are behind the celebration, set for the feast day of Saint Thomas the Apostle, the country’s first evangeliser according to tradition. The event is designed to stress that Christianity is not a foreign religion in India, as Hindu extremists claim. For Father Joseph, “Any effort to undo this great civilisational contribution is tantamount to negating the very foundation of India itself.”

Six arrests were made immediately after the change passed by the state parliament. Under the new version of the law, any conversion by marriage will be considered forced and relatives will also be prosecuted. Fears of minorities: "One more weapon in the hands of Hindu fundamentalists to threaten us".

An inspector and two officers involved in the case have been suspended. Mariyamma was taken into custody in connection with the theft of 200,000 rupees, reported by a local parish. For Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayat, the police must investigate, “but life has to be protected.”

The case of two Muslims arrested in Uttar Pradesh on charges of converting 1,000 people to Islam has reignited controversy in India. The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, which brings together 13 major Hindu religious groups, announces a summit. It also wants a law prohibiting couples from having more than two children. The bishop of Lucknor Msgr. Mathias: "Fundamental rights that cannot be questioned".

She had been arrested with her son on suspicion of theft in a village in the southern state. Father Zackarias, former secretary of the Bishops' Conference commission against caste: "Deaths in detention are becoming more and more frequent. And the Dalits are the first victims".

The 84-year-old Jesuit arrested in October on terrorism charges for his commitment to the tribals. In addition to Parkinson's, he contracted Covid-19 in prison and needed intensive care. On "temporary release" for treatement, but the Indian security agency continues to oppose his release on bail.

Sister Prema Chowallur, who has been fighting human trafficking for years, is behind the initiative. “[R]idiculed and humiliated,” transgender people are “forced into prostitution. Our goal is to [. . .]restore their dignity.”

Abraham Tagit Sorang, 24, succeeded with the support of his local Catholic association. On the roof of the world, he placed a rosary in the snow. Now he hopes trekking can create jobs in the area which still has many untouched peaks. For the Bishop of Itanagar, he is an example for all young people.

Paul Alois Lakra, 65, was the second bishop of Gumla, a diocese created in Jharkhand in 1993. For Archbishop Barwa, his death “is a big loss for tribal people” to whom he was committed.

A preliminary study by the Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu involving fully vaccinated healthcare workers reduced infection by 65 per cent, even more among those affected by milder symptoms. For Card Gracias, “vaccination is an obligation for oneself and for others.”

Bishop James Thoppil of Kohima looks at efforts in his diocese. Although the Catholic Church lacks its own hospital, it is helping in other ways people who are sick or quarantined. In the diocese, a 50-hour chain adoration of the Blessed Sacrament ended today, the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In a new attack in the district of Rayagada, Hindu fundamentalists have devastated the homes of Christians, forcing them to take refuge in the forest. The testimony of Nori Konjaka, one of the victims: "They can destroy our homes, but not our faith in Jesus".