Pakistan has banned 11 Christian television channels, after the country’s TV regulatory body declared them illegal in September. The move has left the country’s 2.8 million Christian residents with no public media presence, according to a report in express.co.uk. Observers have called the move a blow to religious freedom. The Pakistani Media Regulatory Authority had […]
The Society of Jesus has elected its first Latin-American leader since its foundation in 1540, a Rome-based Venezuelan whose past curiously parallels that of Francis, the first Jesuit pope. Like Jorge Mario Bergoglio, (Pope Francis)who steered his divided province through the 1970s Argentine dictatorship, Father Arturo Sosa SJ, 67, was Venezuelan provincial between 1996 and […]
A MacDonald’s opening at the Vatican and the red caps are certainly NOT lovin’ it! Opponents of what would be the first McDonald’s restaurant to open in a Vatican building within sight of St Peter’s Square has been boosted by a group of cardinals living above the proposed site. While local residents have been aghast […]
A Catholic school in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh is being investigated after three Hindu teachers complained against the school’s authorities for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. The administration of Dewas district in the state Oct. 7 ordered a probe by an education officer into the allegations against the Holy Trinity School. The teachers — […]
Soon, very soon, we shall have a new ‘Black Pope’, but will the new Jesuit Superior General be from India? A Jesuit priest has explained how the leadership election process works within the order. The Jesuits have a unique process for electing a superior general for their order, a process that “if you have not […]
Is Francis of Assisi relevant today? St. Francis was a strong voice in the nonviolent struggle for racial harmony and reconciliation. Francis lived in the political turmoil of the 13th Century “Holy Roman Empire,” locked in a culture of war as the empire united in a series of Crusades against Muslims, Jews and others labelled […]
All the top Jesuit priests are heading to Rome for the 36th General Congregation. Its main business will be to elect a new Superior General. (A long time ago, the head of the Jesuits was also called the Black Pope, perhaps because of the black robes they wore at the time, or because they seemed […]
Evangelization, renewal of families and care of the poor are part of the mission of a Filipino lay group called Couples for Christ (CFC) that visited Orissa, eastern India, in September. The Vatican-approved CFC lay movement began their unit in Orissa’s main Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese in 2013. Hector Poppen, leader of the CFC in India, along with […]
To make the liturgical celebrations more meaningful, active and participatory, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) has published “The Directives for the Celebration of the Liturgy”. The ‘Liturgical Directives’ was released by Oswald Cardinal Gracias, the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India and the President of the Federation of Asian […]
“For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many […]
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will lead the official Indian delegation to the Vatican for Mother Teresa’s canonization. The official delegation heading to Vatican on Sep 4 to attend Mother Teresa’s canonization includes BJP and Cong leaders, a Supreme Court judge, an eminent lawyer and secretary general of Catholic Bishop Council of India. […]
In the run up to what will be a defining moment for the Catholic Church in Calcutta, when the city’s celebrated ‘Saint of the gutters’ will be elevated to an ‘official saint’ of the Church, the city at large is going sentimental. People in Calcutta celebrated the birthday of Blessed Mother Teresa days before she is […]
