Nirmala Carvalho

Members of various religions donate blood in one of the cities most affected by the new COVID-19 surge that is bringing the country to its knees. Some people accuse the government of hiding the true number of deaths. “People are dying in the streets,” said Father Mathew. “People are burning bodies of the dead everywhere.”

She takes care of migrant workers left penniless by the lockdown, far from home. For her work, the Archdiocese of Bombay acknowledged her defence of life by giving her the Lily and Rose Award. The pandemic has led to “alarming levels of vulnerability, indignity and exclusion.”

India’s Supreme Court put on hold the arrest of two nuns and a nurse working at a hospital in Ashta run by the Sisters of St Joseph. However, the facility remains closed after a woman and her baby died last December. Hindu extremists have put pressure on a facility that has cared for thousands of people.

The Hindu pilgrimage is taking place without social distancing and with few people wearing masks while schools and shops are closed. For Father Mathew, the government’s hypocrisy is evident.

In Raikia parish, Father Purushottam Nayak led the liturgy in the presence of Antita Pradhan, widow of one of the martyrs of persecution in 2008 in Odisha. The cause of beatification of the victims is ongoing.

Delhi and Rome agree on compensation decided by international court. More than US$ 290,00 have already been paid out. The two marines will go on trial in Italy. The fishing boat’s owner will also be compensated.

Rajendra Dwivedi is in prison for comparing on his blog the salvation of Jesus and what is revealed in the Vedas and Upanishads. For Sajan K. George, of the Global Council of Indian Christians, “The accusation of hurting religious sentiments is the new mantra for right-wing nationalist forces who seek any pretext in their offensive against religious minorities.”

Despite the pandemic, various Christian denominations come together again as a sign of hope for the whole city. For Archbishop Thomas D'Souza, “we should not be in despair nor give up.”

The Indian metropolis struggling with the new peak of infections from Covid-19. The cardinal presided over the rite streamed live online from the cathedral without the faithful in attendance. "Today is the day of repentance, but also of forgiveness". The virtual blessing with the relic of the True Cross donated by the city of Brescia.

A study by Pew Research Center indicates that India has 75 million more poor people, with the middle class losing a third of its members. “The regression started with the announcement of demonetisation,” said Jesuit Irudaya Jothi. The “lockdown was a death knell for an already bad economy”. At Mumbai’s St Catherine's Home, “Rising poverty and hunger can be seen by the long lines outside the gates” of the establishment.

Thousands of Myanmar refugees, including policemen, have fled to neighbouring India. In Manipur, state authorities have been forced by public opinion to rescind an order to turn back refugees. Some 3,000 Karen fled to Thailand because of air strikes, and are stranded at the border.

The Carmelite Monastery in Mumbai celebrated Sister Mary Joseph Radha. She was baptised in secret in the archbishopric’s chapel after encountering Christianity in school. “Among millions of people Jesus chose me to become Catholic,” she said, “and now, 50 years later, my heart is filled with gratitude”.