Christianity

Indian delegation meets Pope Francis, presents books on PM Modi's vision

Members of the Indian delegation had the honour of meeting Pope Francis at Vatican City, presenting two books, Modi@20BJP Spokesperson Anil K Antony posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Very blessed to meet Holy Father Pope Francis at Vatican City as a part of the Indian delegation. Presented two books 'Modi@20 , dreams meet delivery' and 'Mann Ki Baat @100, igniting collecting goodness' to His Holiness during my interaction with him."Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance and leadership, the books were offered as a gesture of cultural and diplomatic exchange during the interaction.The BlueKraft Digital Foundation, responsible for publishing the works, expressed pride in this significant moment. In a post on X, the foundation wrote, "A moment of immense pride for Bluekraft Digital Foundation as 'Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery' and 'Mann Ki Baat: Igniting Collective Change'--two seminal works reflecting the governance & leadership of PM Narendra Modi were ...

Indian priest George Koovakad elevated as Cardinal by Pope Francis

In a grand consistory held in the Vatican on Saturday, 51-year-old Indian priest George Jacob Koovakad was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis. The ceremony, held at the famous St Peter's Basilica and attended by clergy and dignitaries from around the world, witnessed the induction of 21 new cardinals from various countries. The ceremony began at 8.30 pm (IST) marking a procession with 21 cardinal-designated to the altar of St Peter's Basilica. Later, the Pope addressed the gathering and handed over the ceremonious cap and ring to the cardinal-designate, followed by a certificate accompanied by prayers. Hailing from the Archdiocese of Changanassery in Kerala, Koovakad's appointment brings the total number of Indian cardinals to six, further strengthening the country's representation in the Vatican. Political leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, heads of church, and the faithful across India have welcomed the announcement with joy and pride. "It is a matter of

Goa CM calls St Xavier's fest a 'time of spiritual renewal', extends wishes

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday extended warm wishes on the feast of St Francis Xavier, saying it is an occasion of spiritual renewal and urged people to pledge to build communities of love and brotherhood. The 45-day-long decennial exposition of the scared relics of St Xavier began in Goa on November 21. A large number of people gather in Goa on December 3 every year to celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of the coastal state. Sawant in his message lauded the theme -- 'We are Messengers of the Good News' -- for the solemn exposition. "We are fortunate to witness this practice of the decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier. This solemn exposition held every ten years is an opportunity to introspect on the teachings of the saint and an occasion of spiritual renewal and also a time to rekindle in the hearts of the laity the desire to be the messenger of the good news," he said. The chief minister expressed hope that the decen

Religious conversion to avail reservation a 'fraud on constitution': SC

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court has said religious conversions undertaken solely to avail reservation benefits without genuine belief amounted to a "fraud on the Constitution". Justices Pankaj Mithal and R Mahadevan passed the verdict on November 26 in a case filed by one C Selvarani and upheld a Madras High Court decision of January 24 denying a scheduled caste certificate to a woman who converted to Christianity but later claimed to be a Hindu to secure employment benefits. Justice Mahadevan, who wrote the 21-page verdict for the bench, further underscored that one converted to a different religion, when they were genuinely inspired by its principles, tenets and spiritual thoughts. "However, if the purpose of conversion is largely to derive the benefits of reservation but not with any actual belief in the other religion, the same cannot be permitted, as the extension of benefits of reservation to people with such ulterior motives will only defeat the social ethos of th

Decoded: Olympics 2024 opening ceremony backlash over 'Last Supper' parody

Olympics 2024: According to the ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, the scene was designed to reference pagan gods, aimed at celebrating community tolerance

Orthodox Christmas: Why some believers celebrate it 13 days after Dec 25

While much of the world has Christmas in the rearview mirror by now, people in some Eastern Orthodox traditions will celebrate the holy day on Sunday. Certain Eastern Orthodox churches, including those in Russian and other traditions, follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world for everyday use. Other Orthodox, including those in the Greek tradition and, now, some Ukrainian churches, celebrate Christmas on the same date as Western churches. Why are there different dates for Christmas? Technically, there aren't. All Eastern Orthodox agree that December 25 is the date of Christmas, or the Feast of the Nativity, as they call it. The question is whether December 25 falls on December 25 or January 7. That requires a little unpacking. The ancient church set its religious feasts based on the Julian calendar, but after more than a millennium, that calendar had ...

BJP relaunches 'Sneha Yatra' to connect with Christian community in Kerala

As the Lok Sabha polls are just months away, the BJP in Kerala resumed its 'Sneha Yatra' on Thursday -an outreach programme aimed at connecting with the Christian community in the state. The saffron party initially launched the initiative during this year's Easter. In a recent state committee meeting, the party decided to resume the yatra during the Christmas season. BJP state chief K Surendran visited Cardinal George Alencherry, the former head of the prominent Syro Malabar Church, at St Thomas Mount in nearby Kakkanad in the morning and conveyed Christmas greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also visited Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparbil of the Latin Archdiocese of Verapoly, and conveyed the wishes of the Prime Minister. Surendran later said in a Facebook post that it marked the beginning of 'Sneha Yatra' in the state. He also shared photos of his cordial meetings with the church heads. However, the church authorities and the BJP leadership were yet to make clear the

Pope allows blessings for same-sex couples if they don't resemble marriage

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to an exhaustive moral analysis to receive it. The document from the Vatican's doctrine office, released Monday, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn't confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage. The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman. And it stresses that blessings in question must be non-liturgical in nature and should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or even with the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding. But it says requests for such ...

Mob attack on Christians a part of hate campaign: Pak's top rights body

The recent mob attack on churches and Christian localities in Pakistan's Punjab province was a part of a larger hate campaign against the minority community, an independent human rights body has said, highlighting the involvement of radical Islamists and complicity of the police in the incident. On August 16, an enraged mob attacked scores of churches and Christian localities over blasphemy allegations against a Christian man in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district, 130 km from Punjab's provincial capital Lahore. They also attacked a Christian cemetery and vandalised the office of the local assistant commissioner. Till now, police have arrested over 200 people including the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists in connection with the mob attack "The attack on the minority community cannot be entirely deemed as random or spontaneous, with a suspicion that it was orchestrated as part of a larger hate campaign against the local Christians while the role of police and its ability

Former Pope Benedict XVI, whose resignation shook the Catholics, dies at 95

Benedict XVI passed away on Saturday at 9:34 AM in his residence, the official Vatican News agency said on Twitter

In court, Centre defends excluding Dalit Muslims, Christians from SC list

It told the Supreme Court the Ranganath Mishra Commission, which had recommended the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the SC list, took a myopic view of the issue and was 'flawed'

Devasahayam Pillai becomes first Indian layman to be declared saint by Pope

Pope Francis, 85, canonised Blessed Devasahayam during a Canonisation Mass in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Violence in the name of law

The government is increasingly devolving its authority over force, legitimising mob violence by non-state actors

World is watching, says Rahul on reports of 'persecution' of Christians

'In times of injustice, silence is complicity,' the former Congress president said

Amid pandemic, pope goes to Iraq to rally fading Christians

Pope Francis heads to Iraq on Friday to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution

Pope Francis says women can read at Mass, but still can't be priests

Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, while reaffirming they cannot be priests

US elections: Why Donald Trump still appeals to so many white evangelicals

Evangelicals who feel that "America is becoming a more difficult place for them to live," believe Trump hears their fears, takes them seriously, and responds

Sailor, soldier, spiceman, saint: Origin of Christianity in South Asia

An innovative mapping of the origins of Christianity in South Asia comes at a critical juncture of the Indian political discourse

'Jesus in Asia' explains the interpretations of Christianity in continent

His disciples travelled through the lands bordering the Mediterranean through the first century, venturing to Asia Minor and North Africa