Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has slammed what it called attempts by vested interests to divide the Christian community. A statement issued by the Bishops’ Council claimed that there are political leaders, who want to get a firm grip on Kerala society, and are attempting to divide the community. Moves by such political leaders need to be condemned, the statement added. There have been allegations open as well as subtle that the church leadership and the faithful are divided over issues. Recently BJP state president K. Surendran made some remarks that are aimed at creating the divide, the bishops added. Mr. Surendran claimed that Christians in the State did not heed the voice of church leaders and voted for the BJP, the statement said. This article is originally published on https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kcbc-slams-bid-by-political-leaders-to-divide-christian-community/article68355353.ece

While urging the President of India Droupadi Murmu to rebuild the places of worship that had been demolished during the ethnic clashes between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, All Manipur Christian Organization (AMCO) alleged that the displaced Meitei Christians are not allowed to exercise their faith, which is their fundamental right according to the Constitution of India. The AMCO is the apex Christian body in Manipur submitted a memorandum to President Murmu on June 26. Since the beginning of May 3, 2023, more than 300 people have lost their lives in Manipur, most of these victims are Christians from the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. More than 20 thousand from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country. Presently, Manipur stands divided into segregated districts that are completely Meitei-inhabited or completely Kuki- Zo. Now it is impossible to cross from a Kuki area to a Meitei area, and vice versa, without entering makeshift borders that are controlled by heavily armed soldiers. While the Meitei community has access to the only airport in the state, the Kukis must resort to 16 to 18 hours of driving to access an airport in Mizoram. The Christian organisation also sought the

A Catholic priest in India says “crisis, conflict and violence are becoming the way of life” in the country, after it suffered a rebuke in the U.S. State Department’s 2023 religious freedom report issued this week. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. government is concerned about the increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship of members of minority faith communities in India. “Christian communities reported that local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities, or stood by while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on conversion charges,” Blinken said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term earlier this month, but his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to achieve outright parliamentary majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house. The BJP has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. The BJP has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. Since it took over the national government in 2014, religious minorities have complained about increased harassment. Jesuit Father Prakash Louis said civil society organizations have in India been raising their voice against the violence unleashed on the minority

The trend of a weaponized government and citizen mob violence against India’s Christian minority has only grown worse in recent months, and believers continue to live in fear that they will be the next victims. Last week, multiple house church prayer meetings were cut short by police raids, resulting in several arrests. The accusations were predictable — the arrested parties were “forcing” the conversions of Hindu citizens, although no evidence exists to support the arrests. In Northern India, a small group of believers in a rural area, the Meitei, are facing intense discrimination to the point that they are being threatened with mass execution. During the last several months, hundreds of their churches have been burned, and many families have lost their homes. Their community demands the immediate halt of their practice of Christianity, or these consequences will only get more extreme. In both cases, appeals are being made to the government on behalf of the persecuted, though it is unknown if they will result in any meaningful change or protection. On June 26, a memorandum went to the Indian president demanding intervention in the case of the Meitei believers, asking for the government to stop the mass displacement taking place. On June

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concern over the rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and the demolition of homes and places of worship belonging to minority faith communities in India. Speaking at the release of the annual State Department report on international religious freedom, Blinken noted that while these issues are escalating, efforts to protect religious freedom continue globally. The report highlights that senior US officials have persistently raised issues related to religious freedom with their Indian counterparts throughout 2023. Blinken remarked, “In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities. At the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom.” In India, ten out of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions across all faiths. Some states impose additional penalties specifically targeting forced religious conversions for marriage. The 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom indicated that members of religious minority groups have questioned the government’s capability and willingness to protect them from violence, investigate crimes against them, and ensure their freedom of religion or belief. The Indian government has previously dismissed the US State Department’s annual human

The United States offered rare criticism of close partner India in a report published Wednesday on religious freedom, while also voicing alarm over rising bigotry worldwide against both Jews and Muslims. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the annual report and said that the United States was also facing its own sharp increase of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in connection to the Gaza war. "In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities," Blinken said. The US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, Rashad Hussain, faulted efforts by Indian police. In India, "Christian communities reported that local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities, or stood by while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on conversion charges," he said. The United States for decades has sought warmer ties with India, seeing the fellow democracy as a bulwark against China, with President Joe Biden embracing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who recently secured a third term. Despite the public criticism in the report, few expect the State Department to take action on India when it drafts its annual blacklist of countries over religious

Tribal Christians in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh silently marched through the streets, protesting hardline Hindu groups' increased hate campaigns and violent attacks on their people. “We had to come to the streets as our prayers and plight have not been heard even after repeated complaints to the authorities,” Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, told UCA News on June 26. They silently walked through Motibag town in Raipur district on June 24 with placards. Slogans on the placards read: “Stop violence against Christians,” “We want justice,” and “We will not tolerate insults in the name of religion.” Pannalal said the hardline Hindu groups falsely accused Christians of religious conversion, pronounced them guilty, and punished them on the spot. “Christians have been beaten up in front of policemen who are supposed to protect them,” the lay leader said. A tribal Christian leader who did not wish to be named told UCA News that on June 12, four Christian families were violently attacked by a Hindu mob in Jagdalpur town. They were told to renounce their faith within ten days. Two of the victims lost consciousness during the attack, and three others, including one with a broken leg, were admitted to a hospital.Tribal Christians

Pastor Sanjay Kumar and his wife, Sunita Devi, were among the 13 arrested. A Christian leader – who remains anonymous – told UCA News that they had been attending house prayer meetings when police arrived. The authorities had reportedly been alerted by "local villagers suspecting conversion activities", according to the outlet. “More than a dozen Christians are being accused of religious conversion even though there isn’t a single person whom they converted,” pastor Sanjay said. He believes there has been a rise in Christian persecution following the country’s general election, where Modi’s party lost seats in Uttar Pradesh, reducing their majority in parliament. Uttar Pradesh is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is India’s most populated region and makes up 80 seats in the lower house of parliament, called the Lok Sabha. The BJP won 62 of the seats in the 2019 general election but was reduced to 33 in this year's election on 4th June. “The rise in persecution against the Christians stems from this electoral defeat,” said the church leader. “We cannot even pray

A recent report from World Inequality Lab titled, ‘Towards Tax Justice and Wealth Redistribution in India’, has laid bare the stark economic disparities that plague India. The findings are sobering: nearly 90 per cent of the country’s billionaire wealth is concentrated in the hands of the upper castes, highlighting a deep socio-economic divide. Billionaire wealth dominated by upper castes The analysis in the report unveils a staggering 88.4 per cent of India’s billionaire wealth is controlled by upper castes. In contrast, while Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) together form a significant part of India’s workforce, their representation among enterprise owners remains disproportionately low. This discrepancy is not limited to the billionaires; the All-India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS) for 2018-19 indicates that upper castes hold nearly 55 per cent of the national wealth. This concentration of wealth also highlights the persistent economic inequalities rooted in India’s caste system. Caste influences financial demographics Caste continues to play a critical role in determining access to essential resources such as education, healthcare, social networks, and credit — all crucial for entrepreneurship and wealth creation. Historically, Dalits faced prohibitions on land ownership in many regions, severely curtailing their economic progress. This disparity extends beyond billionaire rankings. The ‘State

A woman in the southern region of Chhattisgarh was brutally hacked to death on June 24 by fanatic Hindu relatives following a dispute over her Christian faith. The incident, which shocked the entire Christian community of Chhattisgarh, occurred in the Toylanka village of the state’s Dantewada district. In a complaint to the district’s police chief, relatives of the deceased, Bindu Sori, alleged that her family had been harassed and threatened by other relatives ever since they became Christians four years ago. The new complaint also alleges that despite Sori’s family’s previous complaints to the local police station, no action was taken against the harassers. This time around, the fanatic relatives and other villagers started a fight with Sori’s family over land, claiming they had no rights to the fields now that they were Christians. The relatives warned Sori’s family that there would be dire consequences if they worked in the field during the coming monsoon season. As the rainy season started, the Sori’s family went out to plow and sow the field. Enraged, the fanatic relatives attacked them with arrows and axes. The tractor driver and others managed to flee, but Sori could not. Two men caught her, attacked her with axes, and killed her. The