Santosh Digal

Sister Lizzy Chakkalakal heads Our Lady's Convent Girls Higher Secondary School in Kochi. In 2012 she provided the first house to a needy family. For her, “the birth of a culture of sharing and mutual care among local people" is more important than just providing housing.

Bartu Urawn, 50, lived in the village of Kubuaa. A group of 15 Hindu Adivasi bound him and threw him into a cold pond. "I will not deny Christ . . . I will continue to believe till my last breath,” he said. A report by the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum found that in 2016 at least ten Christians were killed for their faith.

The All India Catholic Union is the largest association of lay Catholics. A letter to the Prime Minister asks him to use his diplomatic channels in the Middle East. In December, the native of Kerala Salesian appeared in a video, visibly tried, stating his need for urgent care.

In India 10 women die each day for abortions beyond 20 weeks. Every year the number of abortions reaches nearly seven million. The reasons are primarily economic and social. Reduce selective abortions of girls; more prevention; grant protection to women who tend to resort to harmful practices.

Three Capuchin friars were ordained on Saturday; two deacons and Fr Digal, a Salesian, were ordained yesterday. Mgr Barwa, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, led both ceremonies. "I want to be a pastor for those who are in need," the Salesian said.

The Australian pastor was working for leprosy patients in Orissa. He was killed in 1999 along with his two small children. The Supreme Court "did not understand the murderous ideology of Hindutva". The political responsibilities of his murder covered up. Prime Minister Modi had spoken of "international conspiracy."

The archbishop of Mumbai reveals the Vatican willingness to open up the cause of canonization. He spoke with Card. Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Christians "have chosen to embrace death rather than deny Christ." Keeping the memory of the martyrs alive "for future generations who face the challenges of religious fanaticism."

Oxfam releases its report on inequality. It shows India below China and Pakistan. Overall, 1 per cent of the population owns 58 per cent of the wealth. There is no welfare state, and no health insurance for the poor. Corporate debts have been forgone, but nothing has been done in education.

Naba Kishore Patra is a catechist in the diocese of Balasore. Born and raised in a Hindu family, he married a Catholic woman, who introduced him to the Christian faith. Vincentian priests and nuns nurtured the seed of his faith. Now he wants "to work hard for the mission".

The campaign was launched on change.org. India has about 442 million children out of a population of 1.2 billion, but only 4 per cent of the Union budget is goes for them. “It is good, let us support it,” says Catholic activist.

Sister Prabhati Sual Singh took her vows together with six other sisters, joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Annecy. The newly consecrated comes from Kandhamal district, scene of widespread persecution by Hindu radicals in 2008.

The Indian religious will be ordained next May. Meanwhile, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament sent him to the Andaman Islands to serve the local population. “I pray to God every day so that he makes me able to break myself to feed others.”