Christians persecuted

Francis calls for closeness to Chinese Christians on the Day the Church celebrates the feast of Mary Help of Christians venerated at the Sheshan shrine. A special thought "for the pastors and faithful who suffer": may they find "consolation and encouragement in the communion and solidarity of the universal Church".

The guard, Muhammad Alam Khan, was hired to protect the school. After his arrest, investigators are looking for a motive. A few years ago, the school was shut down due to terrorist attacks by the Taliban. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was shot in the same area in 2012 by the same group. Over the past year, attacks are up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that borders Afghanistan.

Over 5,000 faithful at the opening of the Marian place of worship. An occasion of joy for a community still scarred by the 2008 anti-Christian pogroms unleashed by Hindu fundamentalists. A way to heal the wounds and traumas especially for the little ones.

While the country is in an uproar over the former prime minister’s legal problems, another girl is kidnapped from her home in Faisalabad and raped for seven days by men known in the community. Local Muslim notables are pressing for the family to drop their complaint. For NGO Voice Pakistan, “The protection of underage Christian girls has become the main problem of religious minorities.”

Child protection agencies target another Christian welfare institution, the St Francis Orphanage in Sagar. Founded more than 150 years ago, it serves orphaned and special needs kids. During the raid, its church was desecrated, documents destroyed and mobile phones and computers seized. For the past three years, orphanage administrators have been trying to renew their licence to operate. Court orders upholding the status quo have been ignored.

India’s military has restored order in the wake of clashes that left more than 50 people dead, deeply scaring the local population. “What began as an inter-ethnic clash hastily developed an inter-religious dimension in the polarized atmosphere that the majoritarian Hindutva regime at the national level has created. Several Kuki churches were destroyed or damaged,” said the archbishop emeritus of Guwahati speaking to AsiaNews. In border states, “Confidence-building measures should be adopted. No community must be made to feel hoodwinked or bypassed.”

Mussarat Bibi, 46, a school employee, was accused of intentionally burning pages of the Qurʾān, despite being illiterate. A Muslim gardener was also accused in connection with the case. Last week, a Muslim religious leader was lynched by a mob. For human rights activists, all these cases show how the law is being abused.

Majority Meitei want Scheduled Tribe status fearing immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Protests by hill tribes opposed to the demand has resulted in serious violence and, according to unconfirmed reports, casualties. The state government imposed a curfew and shut down the internet. Mostly Christian tribal communities fear losing their land, the bishop of Miao told AsiaNews.

Catholic priest expresses gratitude to Muslim community for conducting “an in-depth investigation” before condemning the Christian woman. He hopes that “a culture of peace and religious harmony” will always prevail. The accused in the case after was charged under the black law over a legal dispute.