More than 50 people have been arrested in the wake of communal violence that included several vehicles and houses vandalised. The authorities imposed a curfew imposed in some areas of the city in Maharashtra. Hindu nationalists want to remove the tomb of a Mughal ruler. Rumours that a copy of the Qur'an was burnt sparked a violent a reaction by Muslims. Archbishop Gonsalves urges respect for everyone, and warns against spreading “rumours and false news.”
About 10,000 people visit Kachchatheevu to honour Saint Anthony in celebrations promoted by the Diocese of Jaffna and led by the bishop of Sivagangai. The latter calls on both parties “to work together to find a lasting solution to the conflict in the sea.”
The measure touches 10 places of worship along the path of a Hindu procession during which participants throw coloured powder at each other. This year's celebration coincides with Islamic Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. The authorities remain on maximum alert. Catholic priest laments that the Muslim community is “living in fear” of attacks by Hindus.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav makes the shocking statement at an event for Women's Day in Bhopal. Conversion becomes the equivalent of raping minors. Against the backdrop of “government apathy and indifference,” such remarks incite “the masses against the minorities,” laments Archbishop Machado of Bangalore, speaking to AsiaNews.
The death sentence has been carried out on Shahzadi Khan, a migrant from Uttar Pradesh, imprisoned for the death of a 4-month-old baby following a vaccination. The family did not want an autopsy and - after two months - accused her of murder. The video in which she is accused was allegedly extracted through torture. Her father: ‘The Indian embassy abandoned her’.
Court accepts to hear a complaint by some Catholic families in Tamil Nadu over caste segregation in burials for Dalits in the village of Kottapalayam. The diocese has until 15 April to respond. Fr Devasagayaraj told AsiaNews that such situations, unfortunately, persist in southern India. For him, “Christ and Caste can’t go together.”
Robert Naorem presented his collection, which uses the local tradition of hand-weaving to promote indigenous embroidery. He also offered a message of peace for the Indian state shaken by violence between Meitei and Kukis in the past two years. He calls for an end to clashes, and for everyone to get involved in development.
In June Beijing allocated over 5 million dollars in aid, equipment and assistance. India had previously invested billions of rupees in development projects. The accusation against Indian fishermen who use trawl nets: ‘If this practice continues, there will be no more fish left in our areas in the future’.
In a video that went viral in the state of Chhattisgarh, Aadesh Soni calls on thousands of Hindu nationalists to target Christian women and ‘erase all traces of their faith from the region’. The bishop of Raipur tells AsiaNews: ‘The local government is silent, if anything happens we will hold them responsible’.
While the pontiff remains in serious condition at the Gemelli Hospital, people of other religions are joining Christians to pray for him. “May the divine mercies surround Pope Francis for his speedy recovery,” reads a prayer by the secretary general of the Lotus Bahá'í Temple. Imam Yahya Pallavicini sends his best wishes from Islam’s holiest place.
A woman in Punjab spoke to AsiaNews about her journey and the hardships converts from Islam face. Since she chose to follow Christ, Naseem has endured isolation, death threats, and discrimination. Yet, despite economic obstacles and family objections, her unshakeable faith remains a source of hope. For activist Joseph Janssen, freedom of worship should be exercised without fear of persecution.
The local BJP government wants to implement the contested law that was approved in 1978, but that successive governments had since set aside. On 6 March the discussion in the Legislative Assembly in a state where Christians make up 30% of the population. The Arunachal Christian Forum protests: ‘This law is clearly against us, we demand its withdrawal’.
The new archbishop of the Indian metropolis delivered the homely at the Mass of thanksgiving with which he began his ministry this evening. “How often at the bedside of the sick we learn to hope,” he said. “We bring to the Lord, all our activities, our plans, our selves, our families, our parishes, our institutions”.
In the eastern Indian state shaken by violence that has claimed more than 250 lives in less than two years, Biren Singh has resigned to avoid a no-confidence motion. In recent days, the Supreme Court had asked for verification of the authenticity of an audio in which he is heard ‘claiming’ to have instigated the clashes between Meitei and Kuki. The association of tribal groups: ‘Delayed gesture, we will continue to demand a separate administration’.
The ruling party is expected to win a total of 48 seats out of 70. The AAP, in power until now, stops at 22, while Congress gets none. Turnout is expected to be 60.4% of those entitled to vote, out of a total of about 15.5 million voters. For the prime minister, another success in local elections, after the successes of recent months in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
Some 18 employees of Andhra Pradesh's main Hindu place of worship have been targeted for transfer to other government offices or voluntary retirement. The new state government is backing identity politics against the previous administration led by a Christian chief minister.
A small community of 5,000 Catholics in the Indian state will be able to celebrate the Eucharist in their native language. A sign of hope for the Indian State that has been wounded by violence for almost two years. The translation is the work of Fr Mark Aimeng, who more than forty years ago became the first local priest.
Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop emeritus of Mumbai, tells AsiaNews of the bishops' closeness to the victims of the crush during the great Hindu pilgrimage: ’Simple people died, who were seeking God's message. We pray for them. Let us work for our country and our people to ensure that there are no tears in the eyes of any Indian’.
Passing of the baton between the cardinal who had led the archdiocese since 2000 and the prelate designated as coadjutor by Francis last November 30. On 11 February the official installation. In a video message, Gracias' gratitude to the Church he led for almost 25 years. Rodrigues: ‘Coming after him I will have very big shoes to fill...’.
Francis picked the 51-year-old cardinal from Kerala, coordinator of apostolic journeys, to succeed Card Ayuso Guixot who passed away last November. This makes him the first Asian at the helm of the Vatican body. In his first statements, he focuses on the path of fraternity and the form of inculturation developed by Fr Roberto De Nobili in India starting in 1500. The Syro-Malabar Church shared with AsiaNews her joy of a fellow member given this task.
Bastar district village council's act of intolerance is upheld by the local high court following son's appeal for justice. He is not even allowed to bury him in his own land. Archbishop of Raipur: “Endorsement of such acts promotes lawlessness in the country.”
The strict imposition of the uniform on the girls in class X even on the last day of school has become a pretext to accuse the Carmel School that has been operating for 70 years in the Dhanbad district. The headmistress told AsiaNews: ‘Only 2% of the students are Christian, education in the service of all’. Former students' stance: “Grateful to those who made us what we are”.
In January, diocesan and religious ordinations were held in several villages, presided over by the archbishop of Imphal, Mgr Linus Neli. Meanwhile, in the parish of Tuibuang, new houses were delivered for those displaced by the violence, built thanks to the solidarity of Catholic communities from all over India.
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the apostolic administrator he appointed and the appointment of a new vicar, Archbishop Pamplany, for the community at the heart of the lengthy and bitter liturgical clash that has divided this Eastern-rite Catholic Church. In his speech to the Synod, the newly appointed Cardinal Koovakkad pointed out the primacy of charity to his fellow Syro-Malabar bishops.
In Maharashtra, the gesture of a Catholic couple who, because of financial problems, took their own lives on the day of their wedding anniversary wearing their wedding dress, has caused a stir. Fr. Jose Kurian told AsiaNews: ‘A story that in this Jubilee of Hope challenges us to be close to those who experience dismay in their lives’.
Originally from Tamil Nadu, he died suddenly at the age of 76. He wrote enriching texts on topics such as the relationship between faith and justice, inculturation, interreligious dialogue. Known throughout the world, he had been called by Pope Francis as an expert to the Synod, collaborating in drafting the Instrumentum Laboris. He also paid great attention to China.
In 2024, the northern Indian state recorded its worst sex ratio at birth since 2016. For Dr Pascoal Carvalho, female foeticides are “carried out clandestinely.” A campaign promoted by Prime Minister Modi in 2015 only temporarily curbed the trend.
A protest staged by ethnic Kuki-Zo against police reinforcements sent by New Delhi for taking sides and fomenting tensions in clashes with the Meitei was harshly repressed. Christian women were reportedly attacked with sticks and tear gas. The Archdiocese of Imphal goes against the current by opening the Jubilee of Hope, including among tribal groups.
A public appeal is made to President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi after at least 14 incidents of intolerance by Hindu radicals against Christmas celebrations were reported in various parts of the country. Christian leaders call for rapid and impartial investigations into a general climate that threatens religious freedom.
An Indian Jesuit from Goa, he is the superior of the community of the Vatican Observatory. He told AsiaNews that his “field of research is the origins of galaxies” billions of years ago, studying “the complexity and beauty of the universe”. Tools exist to find answers about “what exists outside the solar system”.
