The year 2023 has put the Indian Church on the global map for all the wrong reasons — sectarian violence, persecution, clerical abuse, financial irregularities, and a dispute over the liturgy. The ongoing sporadic violence in northeastern Manipur, where an unprecedented ethnic riot began on May 3 and claimed some 200 lives, stands out as a case of hostility against Christians. The violence has displaced more than 50,000, mostly Christian Kuki tribal people, who continue to languish in state-run relief camps as they lost their houses and belongings. They have practically been crippled after Church institutions, their strong pillar of support, were unable to back them owing to the unmindful violence. Churches and Church-run institutions, including schools, social work centers and seminaries, were razed either with bulldozers or by fire. Christians who make up 41.29 percent of the 3.2 million people in the tiny hilly state are from indigenous communities. The violence against them will remain as an indelible mark of “utter helplessness” as their women were paraded naked and gang-raped among other grave crimes under the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule. The state continues to be in a state of lawlessness and nobody knows when normalcy will be restored. The steady rise in persecution Persecution against Christians has

TIRUPPUR:  For the first time in their living memory, 60 Dalits from Rajavur village of Madathukulam taluk of Tiruppur district walked wearing footwear on ‘Kambala Naicken Street’ in the village late on Sunday.  By doing so, they broke the unwritten rule of the upper castes that barred Dalits from walking on the street with slippers. Scheduled Caste members are not even allowed to ride cycles on the street, sources said. All the 60 residents of the 300-metre-long street are Naickers, a Backward Caste community. Of the nearly 900 households in the village, 800 belong to dominant castes such as Gounders and Naickers.  Narrating the ordeal shared through generations, A Muruganandam (51), a villager, said, “Arunthathiyar community members were barred from walking with slippers on the street. SC members were given death threats and were also assaulted. Even upper-caste women issued threats, saying that a local deity would bring death to SC members if they walked with slippers on the street. We were avoiding the street and living under oppression for decades. A few weeks ago, we brought the issue to the notice of Dalit outfits,” another villager said. ‘Even after walk, dalits still in fear ’ “Late on Sunday, we walked through the street

Ahead of Christmas celebrations, a District Education Officer in Madhya Pradesh has said that “written permission” from the parents or guardian is necessary for students to wear Christmas-related costume in skits or fancy dress events. A circular — in Hindi — issued by the District Education Officer of Shajapur across schools reads, “Students should not be made part of Christmas-related events, including making them dress up or play roles like Santa Claus and Christmas tree without the written consent of parents, to prevent any untoward incident,” NDTV quoted the circular. The circular warns the schools to take actions aligning with the communication made, adding that, disciplinary action will be taken against the organisation if there are any complaints in this regard. District Education Officer Vivek Dubey said although most of the times events are held amicably, sometimes there are disputes and complaints, which are brought to him. Speaking to ANI, Dubey said, “Cultural programs are held in schools but the programs are a little religious and children of other faiths are also assigned religious characters to play which is not as per their own religion. Most of the time such events are held harmoniously but sometimes it leads to disputes and complaints come to us…” This article is

Christians in Nepal have been advised to be on alert this Christmas season following a few months of anti-Christian incidents in the Himalayan nation, Christian leaders say. “There is a sense of fear and insecurity rippling through the Christian community amid Christmas celebrations. We feel exposed to hostility for being Christian,” said Father Lalit Tudu, parish priest of Assumption Cathedral in the capital Kathmandu. “The right to practice our faith peacefully is threatened to some extent,” said the priest of the largest church in the country. Tudu said 12 parishes covered by the Vicariate Apostolic of Nepal in the Hindu-dominated nation are asked to take extra security measures during the Christmas season. “Local administrations and security agencies are supportive of providing extra security to organize” Christmas services, he added. Those attending services are asked not to bring any bags or packets as part of the security measures to avoid the possibility of sneaking in explosives. The cathedral has also installed security cameras on its premises. Christians have faced some violent incidents since August after a video went viral on social media, claiming to show members of an indigenous community eating beef in a village near Dharan town in eastern Nepal. Hindus form 80 percent of the some 24 million

Even though Christians make up less than 3 per cent of the population, Christmas in India is a significant event.” Churches hold services, Christmas carols are sung, and Christmas decorations adorn houses, streets, and marketplaces. However, most people overlook the fact that Indian Christians celebrate Christmas amid increasing hatred and hostility. Increased Hostility During Christmas Christmas is a time of increasing hatred and hostility for Indian Christians. The sequence of events around 2022 lends credence to such perceived fears. Ahead of Christmas, hundreds of Christian tribal people were displaced from their native villages in Chhattisgarh. This was not an isolated incident. Christian communities are regularly attacked during and after Christmas. One may recall, that a dispute over Christmas celebrations sparked the first wave of violence in Kandhamal district in 2007.” As we all know, the Indian Church is a ‘suffering Church’. Indian-Christian communities are akin to a tree cut down, their future uncertain, and their strength seemingly diminished. Is it possible for Indian Christians to remain hopeful in the face of hatred and hostility? The Anticipation Of Hope Advent is marked by the anticipation of hope.  In Isaiah 11:1, we find imagery of hope and renewal that speaks to situations of despair. It speaks powerfully into the Advent

Disturbing data released by the United Christian Forum (UCF) reveals a concerning rise in targeted violence against Christians in India, with 687 incidents reported in the first 334 days of 2023 alone. This unsettling trend continues a worrying pattern since 2014, solidifying India's position as the eleventh worst country globally for the persecution of Christians, according to the Open Doors World Watch annual ranking. Despite constitutional guarantees under Article 25, which affirms the right to choose any religion, India has seen an escalation in violence against Christians. The UCF, which operates a toll-free helpline (1-800-208-4545), reported 147 incidents in 2014, escalating to 687 by November 2023. Disturbingly, "Freedom of Religion Acts," colloquially referred to as "anti-conversion laws," exist in 11 out of 28 states, requiring individuals to seek government permission to follow a religion of their choice—a measure contrary to UN conventions. The UCF's data for January to November 2023 shows a troubling pattern, with an average of over two incidents per day across 23 states. The epicentre of this violence is concentrated in four North Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Haryana, where 531 out of 687 incidents were reported. Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 287 incidents. The UCF release states

Ranchi (AsiaNews) – A Christian man was lynched last week after he was accused of molesting a girl with learning disabilities. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of David Minz,” said Archbishop Felix Toppo of Ranchi, the capital of the State of Jharkhand. The 35-year-old Catholic was a singer who performed in the Nagpuri language and was known on social media thanks to his performances. According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the attack took place on 14 December in Tatkundo, a village about 30 km from Ranchi district, a police officer said. The girl's family had gone to work and when they came home in the evening, they did not find her. When they went to look for her in the village, someone told them she had been seen with David Minz. At that point, a manhunt began. When he was found, Minz was brutally beaten and later pronounced dead by doctors at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science. Upon hearing of the incident, Mandar police took immediate action, arresting family members – Somra Oraon, Jeetpahan Oraon and Sonu Oraon – on suspicion of murder, following a complaint from Minz's wife, police said. All three were remanded in custody until

Thousands of Christians paid their last respects to 87 indigenous Christians during a mass funeral on Dec. 20, eight months after sectarian violence rocked India’s hilly state of Manipur. The victims from the Kuki and Zomi communities were buried in separate places in Churachandpur district, where the strife started on May 3, claiming 200 lives. “We buried 87 people in two different places in two sessions,” Barnabas Simte, district president of the All-Manipur Catholic Union, told UCA News on Dec. 20. “The bodies included those airlifted from capital Imphal and those kept in the district hospital,” Simte added. The government airlifted 60 bodies of indigenous Kukis from Imphal on Dec. 14 as the authorities feared transporting them by road could fuel fresh tension. Their burial was sanctioned on Nov. 28 by the Supreme Court, India’s top court. According to government records, 175 bodies mostly of indigenous people were preserved in mortuaries. The top court ordered the government to hand over the bodies to their relatives and dispose of the unidentified bodies. On Dec. 18, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders in Churachandpur following fresh clashes ahead of the mass burial, hurting several people. The prohibitory orders “will be in place until February 18, 2024.” This, however, did not have any impact on

Delhi: A coalition representing several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working for tribal welfare in Tripura has strongly condemned the proposed rally by Janajati Suraksha Mancha (JSM) on Christmas. The rally aims to revoke the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status of tribal individuals who have converted to Christianity. The Joint Action Committee of Civil Societies (JACCS), an assembly comprising several groups, staunchly opposed the JSM rally scheduled for December 25, coinciding with Christmas, asserting that the rally's agenda directly contradicts the state's secular principles, the EastMojo reported. In a press release issued by JACCS, the committee clarified its non-partisan and secular stance. The committee, established in 2011, collaborates with NGOs and student organisations to advocate for the welfare of indigenous populations. The coalition comprises prominent bodies such as the Twipra Students Federation (TSF), United Tiprasa Forum (UTF), Tripuri Doctors Welfare Society (TDWS), Tipra Engineers’ Society, Tripura (TEST), Tripura Indigenous Lawyers Association (TILA), Borok People Human Rights Organisation (BPHRO), and Pantwi Sporting Society (PSS). Earlier, the Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch had condemned JSM's campaigns to delist the Christian tribals and the December 25 rally. “The indigenous people of Tripura have believed in Hinduism, Christianity and Animism for a long time but still live peacefully together without any clash among them on the religious ground.

Three people have been arrested in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand in connection with the lynching of a Catholic man, according to police. David Minz, a 35-year-old tribal Catholic was beaten to death on Dec. 14 for allegedly molesting a girl with learning difficulties in Ranchi district. Three people were arrested on Dec. 16, police said. “The Jharkhand government in 2021 passed a law to check mob lynching but still we hear about it,” Ratan Tirkey, a former member of the tribal advisory committee in Jharkhand, told UCA News. According to him, the allegations against Minz were a pretext to kill him. “Wait, till the investigations are over,” he said. It is part of a conspiracy against Christian missionaries and Muslims,” the tribal Catholic leader added. According to the state-run Press Trust of India news agency,  Minz used to sing in the Nagpuri language and many of his songs were hits on social media platforms. After being beaten with sticks, Minz was declared dead by doctors at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science. Three family members of the girl were involved in the crime and were arrested following a complaint by the victim's wife, police said. They were remanded till Dec. 22, police said. India has seen an unprecedented number of attacks against Christians and Muslims