India

"If our parents have given us life on earth, the Church has regenerated us to eternal life in Baptism. We have become children in His Son Jesus ". "The Christian vocation is all this: living united to Christ in the holy Church, participating in the same consecration to carry out the same mission, in this world, bearing fruits that last forever".

The clergyman heads the Kripa Foundation, a Mumbai NGO dedicated to AIDS patients and drug addicts. For him, "In a world filled with violence and addiction, the Pope helps us see the face of God”. At the same time, "the Church needs to move away from old fossilised forms of Christianity and awaken to a more lively and joy-filled spirituality in the likeness of the Master Jesus.”

"He seduces us, knows how to caress our vanity, our curiosity and we buy into everything", that is "we fall into temptation". It is therefore "a dangerous defeat". "The Fathers of the Church, especially the Russian mystics, say: in times of spiritual upheaval, take shelter under the mantle of the great Mother of God".

Francis will be the third pope to visit the Council. The program, published today, includes an ecumenical prayer and meeting. The visit has the motto "Walking, praying, working together".

High alert issued in 13 states. The heavy rains mainly hit Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The updated toll speaks of 124 dead and over 300 injured. Bishops: "This is an opportunity for all of us to think and reflect seriously on the topic of climate change".

During the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis said that we must love "with facts, not words". Love must become "the constant element of our existence", with the elderly, the sick "even if they are in the last stage", and the unborn. "Life must always be protected and loved from conception to its natural end. This is love." The pontiff mentioned the beatification of Chiara Fey in Aachen and asked for prayers for the Central African Republic. He also greeted the members of the Neocatechumenal Way.

Pope Francis meets with 100,000 members of the Neocathecumenal Way, together with 16 cardinals and 90 bishops. Representatives of dozens of Asian countries were present in the rally. The pontiff comments on Jesus words: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28, 19). Benediction of crosses, handed in to 34 members sent on mission ad gentes. Some of Rome parishes’ communities are sent on mission to Italian capital peripheral areas.

Established in Spain in 1964 thanks to the collaboration between Francisco José Gómez Argüello Wirtz (Kiko) and Carmen Hernández, the Way was recognised by Pope Paul VI in 1974 as a product of the Second Vatican Council. Currently, it is present in 134 countries with 21,330 communities in 6,270 parishes.

Francis met the participants of an international conference organised by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. “Prayer is always returning to the first calling.” Poverty is “the perimeter wall of consecrated life” against vanity and pride. Patience means “Bearing on your shoulders”, like a Christian virtue, the “capacity to bear suffering”.

"The true shepherd holds vigil, is involved in the life of his flock, defends all the sheep, defends each one, confirms each one and if the stray or get lost, he goes to look for them and brings them back. He is so involved that he will not let even one go".

Rev Gyan Singh and fellow Pentecostal Rambhajan will be released this afternoon without charges. Villagers were "instigated to falsely accuse them of forced conversions." For Christian leader, the Constitution "consecrates the rights [of all confessions] and allows people to announce their faith”.

Winds reach 100 km / h. The most affected states are Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, where the administration has already announced compensation. Most of the victims died in the collapse of homes. Crops destroyed, cattle dead.