Ranchi, March 3, 2020: The Church believes in an inclusive society, said Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi archdiocese. He was also the secretary-general of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). Bishop Mascarenhas told The Telegraph, “The present chief minister (of Jharkhand) is a nice person and we are hopeful that the Church would be able to continue its services in the state smoothly. There’s a lot of work to be done.” He added that everyone, irrespective of religion, acknowledges the “contributions of the Church in the fields of education, health care and social transformation” and hoped it would continue. Christians go back a long way in Ranchi. Though a small band of Christian missionaries belonging to the Protestant Church had reached Ranchi in 1845, the Roman Catholic Church started functioning in the region three decades later in 1885. Christian organisations have since been running educational institutions and medical facilities in the state. Bishop Mascarenhas said there were some Church-run institutions that were famous. “But there are also many small ones in rural areas, especially those that spread education among rural children and youths irrespective of religion,” he pointed out. “They do excellent work.” He said the Church believed pluralism was the hallmark of Indian society. “India

Across four days they were scheduled to distribute Christian literature and spread the message of the Bible. It has been alleged the men were stopped by a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, Ponniah, who seized the texts and accused the men of converting people by force. He then alerted local authorities to the presence of the men. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported the men were then severely beaten by police. Officers apparently took a bamboo baton to one member of the group, Pastor Barnabas, who sustained injuries to his back and legs. Nine pastors were allegedly beaten by the police for spreading Christian literature (Image: AFP) The pastors were there to give out Christian literature and talk about God (Image: Getty) Ponniah, who had first reported the men, then registered a police report against the nine Christians. He was supported by members of a local Hindu nationalist group. The group was taken to prison, but released later following intervention by human rights activists. It is reported that Pastor Barnabas is receiving treatment in a private hospital nearby. Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s Chief Executive, Mervyn Thomas, said: “The failure of the police to conduct their duties in an impartial manner makes them complicit in ongoing violations of the right to freedom of religion

The statue depicting Jesus was removed from Mahima Betta cemetery along with other statues. Local people appreciate the Christian community, but external groups accuse the faithful of forced conversions. The archbishop claims the freedom guaranteed by the Indian Constitution: government and local authorities inertia "unbelievable". A statue depicting Jesus was removed from the Mahima Betta cemetery in the village of Doddasagarahalli (Karnataka) yesterday. The archbishop of Bangalore, Peter Machado criticizes the local authorities for bowing to the claims of groups outside the village, who accuse the faithful of having made forced conversions. In reality, the people of the village confirmed that there is peace and friendship between Christians and other religious communities. We publish below the statement issued by the archbishop. In Karnataka there are more and more episodes of intolerance by Hindu fundamentalist groups. In recent months, radical groups demonstrated against another statue of Christ in Kanakapura. Mahima Betta in Doddasagarahalli Village, Devanahalli Taluka, is the burial place of Christians of the area, situated on 4.5 acres of land, allotted by the Government of Karnataka for burial. This place was graced with 12 feet Statue of Lord Jesus Christ and other smaller statues. During the weeks before Good Friday and Easter, the Christians

Christian leaders in Karnataka condemn the act of police and revenue officers for removing 14 crosses and a statue of Jesus Christ from the three-decade-old burial place in Doddasagarahalli village on allegations that Christians were infringing the government land. Church officials denied the allegations of Christians encroaching on government land or engaging in religious conversions and said that the police acted according to the right-wing Hindu groups who would have pressurized the officials to remove religious pieces from the burial land in Mahima Betta hillock. According to Father Cyril Victor Joseph of the archdiocesan media commission, the 4.5 acre burial land has been used by Catholics for almost three decades with no objections from local people and that the land was legally given to the Church by the government. "We have documents to prove the ownership," he told UCA News on March 4. "It is unfortunate that officials pulled down the statue and crosses without even allowing to hear us." Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore said that "The forceful removal of the statue of Lord Jesus from our legally allotted burial ground" was "unacceptable and has greatly shocked" Christians in Karnataka. The statue removal "is a blow to the communal harmony of the people in

A court in Karnataka, southern India, on March 5 denied bail to the public relations officer of a Catholic hospital arrested for hurting Hindu religious sentiments. The police arrested Simon George, the PRO of Sanjo Hospital in Mandya town, three days ago. “The court has not given the reasons for denying bail,” Father Josekutty Kalayil, who takes care of the legal matters and spiritual needs of the hospital, told Matters India over phone on March 5. Earlier, the priest had expressed confidence that they would get bail for George saying the allegations against him were baseless. The 100-bed, which has received reviews such as “well maintained hospital at affordable price,” is managed by the Medical Sisters of St Joseph, a Syro-Malabar congregation based in Kothamangalam, Kerala. Kalayil said the case was connected with the admission of an elderly person with high blood pressure on March 1. The next day, as he was about to be discharged the man asked George, who visited the room as part of his routine job, why a copy of the Bible was kept there. George answered that it was Christians’ holy book and those interested could read it. The man called his son, a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the

Hindu extremists beat up hospital staff. Arrested official was denied bail. This is another attack on Catholic institutions. Christians help those who attack and abuse them. Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a radical Hindu group, on Monday stormed the Sanjo Hospital, Mandya district (Karnataka), and beat up Simon George, a public relations officer, and Sister Nirmal Jose the hospital administrator. The extremists claim that the two denigrated Hindu deities. Instead of helping the victims of the attack, police took Simon George into custody. He applied for bail but the court turned him down. For Fr Josekutty Kalayil, who takes care of the hospital's legal affairs, the incident stems from the hospitalisation on Sunday of an elderly Hindu with high blood pressure. Just before he was discharged, the man asked why there was a Bible in his room. Simon George, who was doing a routine tour, replied that he could read it if he was interested. This was followed shortly afterwards by the attack. According to Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), the hospital was attacked because it is run by Christian religious, even though it serves everyone, regardless of faith or caste. "Christian missionaries who work in the

A group of six radicals attacked a family in Chhattisgarh when they did not find the evangelists they were looking for and destroyed a year's food supply the family had stored. The incident took place on February 20, when Podiya Tati was away from home. The radicals targeted Tati for attending a church service far from his home instead of taking part in the village's festival. When the radicals did not find Tati at home on the day of attack, they beat his mother, Jimmey and wife, Hung, instead. The two were hospitalized and may take several days to be discharged. After beating the family members, the radicals destroyed a year's food supply that was stored in the house, their personal identification documents and a borewell that was recently installed to store water. The radicals warned that family that they would come back for Tati and would kill him when he returned. On February 21, Tati registered an FIR against the six assailants in Kirandul police station. Three attackers were summoned twice but were never arrested and were given bail in a couple of days. Now the assailants walk freely and the family fears to return home but also have nowhere to go.

Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee along with 6 senior opposition leaders have demanded the release of political detainees in Kashmir, especially Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti A day after former finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir Altaf Bukhari launched his new regional political outfit JK Apni Party, National Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee along with 6 senior opposition leaders demanded the release of political detainees in Kashmir, especially the three former Chief Ministers of J&K, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, HD Deve Gowa, Sitaram Yechury, D Raja, Manoj Kumar Jha, Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie have issued a joint statement on Monday in this regard. Slamming the central government, the opposition leaders said, “in the government of Shri Narendra Modi, democratic dissent is being muzzled by coercive administrative action, which has threatened the basic ideals of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as enshrined in our Constitution” “Nothing exemplifies this more starkly than the continuing detention, on flimsiest of grounds, of three former Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir — Dr Farooq Abdullah, Shri Omar Abdullah and Smt Mehbooba Mufti — for over seven months. There is nothing in the past records

People I have known for ages and counted as my friends are vertically divided. Our only hope of success is that our two great leaders suddenly begin to realise that India with its diversity will be destroyed if they insist on taking the suicidal path they have chosen Today, I grieve for my country as never before! The prospect of a resurgent India, respected in the comity of nations, is slowly fading in the sudden flurry of Hindutva forces yearning for a Hindu Rashtra! Read Also: Great betrayal & abdication, writes Gurbachan JagatPolice failed us again, and nothing much will change, writes Rahul SinghAshis Nandy: It’s very difficult to go back to pre-violent days after you’ve once participated, killed, writes Aditi TandonMedia-manufactured hate in times of riots, writes Pamela PhiliposeKnitting old bonds, writes Ira Pande I remember my first journey beyond Indian shores. It was in the January of 1980 and it was to Japan. On a Sunday morning, I went to church in Tokyo, accompanied by two other guests of the Japanese government. An Indian couple passed us on the road. I exchanged greetings with my countrymen — just a nod and a smile — and this attracted the attention and also the

Violence against Christians in India hit a new level on March 4 when Hindu extremists ran their motorcycles over a key evangelical leader after beating him, sources said. Armed with bamboo rods and a thick metal chain with a heavy lock on it, the 10 Hindu nationalists in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh state beat Isaac Paulose, 48, and then ran their five motorcycles over him, fracturing one of his ribs, said Uttar Kumar Deep, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church, Sehore. Paulose, an elder at the church and Madhya Pradesh coordinator of the New India Evangelistic Association, was attacked shortly after dropping his 5-year-old son off at school that morning, Pastor Deep said. Paulose was in his car when a Hindu nationalist on a motorcycle stopped him and told him to get out, he said. “Unaware of his intentions and without a slightest of suspicion, Isaac stepped out,” Pastor Deep said. “Suddenly others joined the biker, and all of them began to beat Isaac with bamboo logs and a chain.” Paulose’s wife, Elizabeth Isaac, said he was stopped no more than 300 meters from their home. “The moment he stepped out of his car, the others joined in, and they began to beat him,” Isaac said. “Accusing him