By Purushottam Nayak Raikia, June 19, 2020: A village in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on June 19 witnessed heartrending scenes at the funeral of a Catholic young man, who was among 20 soldiers killed in the India-China border clashes. Slogans such as “Bharat Mata ki jai” (victory to Mother India) andContinue Reading
June 19, 2020: The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has issued a report recommending a “binding agreement” between the United States and Pakistan, with the goal of encouraging Pakistan to improve its treatment of religious minorities. Laws against blasphemy in Muslim-majority Pakistan have led to death sentences forContinue Reading
By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jun 19, 2020: With a new 200-page document, the Vatican is encouraging Catholics to put their faith into action to promote integral ecology and care of creation, following the inspiration of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’. The introduction of On the Journey for Care ofContinue Reading
New Delhi, June 18, 2020: The Supreme Court of India on June 18 disallowed holding the famous chariot procession in Pune, a coastal town in Odisha, eastern India. “The Lord Jagannath rath yatra (chariot procession) and activities connected to it will not be allowed this year due to the coronavirusContinue Reading
London, June 18, 2020: At least 3.9 million early deaths are being averted worldwide every year by people being physically active, according to a new study published in The Lancet Global Health. “Research into lifestyle factors such as lack of physical activity, poor diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking, tends toContinue Reading
Rome, June 18, 2020: The Italian bishops’ conference has distributed another 10 million euros ($11.2 million) to the dioceses in northern Italy hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The money will be used for emergency aid to individuals and families struggling financially, to support organizations and institutions that are workingContinue Reading
Lucknow, June 18, 2020: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is planning to make available the locally-made Gauri-Ganesh idols in the markets in place of the Chinese-made on the occasion of Diwali this year. To realise the Chief Minister’s wish, the state’s Mati Kala Board has started working. Sculptors fromContinue Reading
By C V Joseph Bengaluru, June 18, 2020: The Bangalore Rural Educational And Development Society (BREADS) coordinates all development works of the Salesians in Karnataka and Kerala. Besides empowering marginalized children, adults and communities with education and access to their rights since 1993, it works with environmental concerns, and respondsContinue Reading
Valaur, June 18, 2020: Pastor Ramesh Jebaraj says he forgives the arsonists who destroyed his church in Tamil Nadu State, southern India. “We don’t suspect anyone in particular. People of all faiths come here to pray. Someone may have done it out of jealousy, but we forgive them” Pastor RealContinue Reading
By Purushottam Nayak Malkangiri, June 17, 2020: A peaceful rally of Christians in Odisha’s Malkangiri on June 16 demanded justice for a teenage boy hacked to death two weeks ago. Suspected religious fundamentalists on June 4 killed Samaru Madkami in Kenduguda, a village in Malkangiri district. More than 350 peopleContinue Reading
