India

The Inter-faith and Ecumenical Commission, with religious leaders, organized a Christmas celebration on December 19 in Madras-Mylopre Archdiocese, India. "The birth of Jesus is for all humanity, not just Christians," Father Arul Jesudoss said.

Jajati Nayak died at the age of 72 after 55 years of service as a catechist in Odisha, the Eastern state of India, on December 17. Under his leadership, the faith life of the Christians of Kerubadi was strengthened and produced 9 Religious Sisters, including his daughter Sister Anjali Nayak, The Carmelite Sisters of St. Teresa (CSST) and 6 Priests, including his younger brother priest Dusmant Nayak.

‘Sadbhav Christmas’, an interfaith Christmas celebration with members from different Faith communities, was held at the Pilar Pilgrim Centre, Pilar Goa on 17 December 2022 for fostering Interfaith relations and communal harmony.

The report released by the American forensics firm Arsenal Consulting confirms that a hacker planted multiple “incriminating documents” in the computer of activist-priest Father Stan Swamy, over a period of a few years. The 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy was arrested in October 2020 on false charges of "sedition." He died in custody on July 5, 2021.

Eight families, consisting of around fifteen men, women and children, got attracted to Christian prayer and began practicing Christian way of life. The fellow villagers want then to return to their original tribal faith.

Besides the realization of how fearful the situation seemed, the sacredness of the ecology and the desire to treat it with due respect, are powerfully proposed by the film The Letter.

Appreciating the parents and the teachers of the children of Sunday school, Bishop Arockiayaraj of Trichy said, "Children are the future pillars of the Church; it is important to teach them and guide them in the catholic faith."

A key church leader in India said Christians are duty-bound to make Christianity's contributions to nation-building known to the common people of India.

The national convention of the Prison Ministry of India (PMI) appeals Government to reform the prisons in such a that incarceration must give every opportunity for prisoners to accept their own guilt and acknowledge the need for repentance and reformation. About 450 delegates participated in the three-day meeting.

Father Abraham Adappur, a noted Indian Jesuit thinker and writer, who boldly discussed cultural and social issues from a Catholic perspective passed away at the age of 96, on December 3.

As the year approaches Christmas, Christians in India continue to bear the onslaught of targeted violence for their faith. The year 2022 sees the greatest increase in the number of incidents of violence against Christians in India, compared to 505 incidents of violence against Christians in 2021 and 511 in 2022 through November.

The employees belonging to different religious traditions working in Christian institutions submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding an impartial investigation into the action taken against the head of their institution.

A marathon race, "Run Bhopal Run" was organized in Bhopal, India on November 28 with a view to creating awareness to save mother earth

About 110 members of the National Lawyers Forum of Religious And Priests(NLFRP) of India met from 25 to 27 November at Ranchi to discuss the “Prophetic Response of the Church to the cries of the People.”

Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata urged major seminary rectors to guide seminarians to reach out to families and villages with a missionary thrust for freedom in Jesus.

Addressing a national conference of major seminary rectors, Cardinal Oswald Gracias said that seminary training must be more synodal.

Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, Chhattisgarh praises Catholic women’s contribution to church and society.  

Vishwa Jyoti Communications, Varanasi, along with other cultural activists for peace and harmony from Mumbai, Kolkata, Allahabad, Bhagalpur and Ranchi, organized a cultural program named "Virasat ke Bol,” meaning “Vibes of Legacy of Fraternity,” in various cities and villages of Bihar, central India from 18 to 21 November 2022.

A meeting of the diocesan directors of the Commission for Ecumenism and Dialogue in the Telugu region was held at Bishop’s House, Vijayawada on November 16 -17, 2022 for promoting effectively the unity of Christians and for dialogue with people of other religious traditions.

An Indian Catholic priest’s short film ‘Carlo’, directed by Father Leslie Bosco Rego, won two awards - Best Short Film Award and the Best Line Producer Award - at the Global Taj International Film Festival (GTIFF) in Agra, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on November 17.