'The problem is not lack of evidence, but the unholy alliance between political parties and church authorities.' 'If you are raising a voice against the priest, you and your family will suffer.'
In a press release, the congregation accused the victim, her five fellow nuns and four others of conspiring against the bishop.
Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam, meanwhile, 'rejected outright' the NCW's recommendation
The Jalandhar bishop of the Roman Catholic church was grilled by the SIT for 7 hours on Wednesday.
The specter of how the Munambam issue was exploited during the November by-elections is proof of the price Kerala is paying for its emergent politics. Controversies become the stuff of slow-burn and brinkmanship. The former promises mileage; the latter searches for an advantage, notes Shyam G Menon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met the top priests of various churches in Kerala, giving a push to the Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts to reach out to the influential minority community in the southern state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, sources said.
Devasahayam Pillai, who embraced Christianity in the 18th century, on Sunday became the first Indian layman to be declared a saint by Pope Francis during an impressive canonisation ceremony at the Vatican.
The 54-year old Mulakkal was arrested by Kerala police after intense interrogation in Kochi over the last three days.
"I think often of persecuted peoples: the Rohingya, the poor Uyghurs, the Yazidi -- what ISIS did to them was truly cruel -- or Christians in Egypt and Pakistan killed by bombs that went off while they prayed in the church," Francis says in a new book, Let Us Dream: The Path to A Better Future, published on Monday.
The bench observed that if a hasty investigation was conducted, the accused would be allowed to go scot-free.
Netto said that Christians in various parts of the country, especially in Manipur and north India, were being subjected to "cruelty and violence by dark forces" and alleged that there was no effective intervention against it by the authorities.
'Even if they try to silence us, even if they kill so many of us, we won't give up.' 'We won't give up doing the good work we are doing for society.' 'Because we love this country.'
As the controversy over Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt's remarks refused to die down, the chief minister said the Kerala society as a whole has not agreed with the Bishop's statement and expressed hope that he would "respond", sensing the stand of the public on the issue.
Father Uzhunnalil, 58, who hails from Kerala, was abducted in March last year by the terror group.
"I am on the side of the bishops' conference," Francis said.
A recent interfaith marriage of a Muslim activist of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's youth wing DYFI, has stirred up a political storm after the relatives of the Christian bride alleged "love jihad", with a senior left party leader supporting the charge, only to retract his statement later.
Father Tom is safe and efforts are on for his release as early as possible.
She alleged that she has been isolated and humiliated by fellow inmates of the convent.
The bishop, in his order, alleged that though Puthiyaparambil was appointed as vicar of a local church, he didn't accept the appointment and suddenly left after publishing a note on social media.
In narrating the Maria story, Vatsala Mendonca, in the tradition of Margaret Atwood's A Handmaiden's Tale, Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street and Arundathi Roy's The God of Small Things, places the protagonist challenges within the context of class and caste and religious and, most of all, patriarchal conflicts and ultimately finds strength and hope, inspiring readers to pursue their dreams and carve their own paths.
With elections elsewhere in India showing that multi-pronged contests usually work to the BJP's favour, the party can gain if it hangs on stubbornly. In the meantime, any additional support helps. That is why the archbishop's comment attracted political traction in Kerala, observes Shyam G Menon.
The Tamil Nadu Bishops Council's decision to support the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress alliance in the upcoming elections will vitiate the political atmosphere in the state, reports R Ramasubramanian.
The school, situated in Junwani, some 60 kilometres from the district headquarters, is run by Jabalpur Diocesan Education Society of the Roman Catholic community, he said.
There are communal organisations among all religious groups, but the ultimate goal of religions and such outfits is different, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan of the Kunnamkulam Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, told reporters in Thrissur.
The synod of Syro-Malabar Church has alleged that scores of women from Christian community from Kerala were being lured into the trap of Islamic State and used in terror activities. The VHP welcomed the Church statement.
They alleged that the police probing the case was trying to sabotage the investigation.
The Kerala priest was released recently after more than one-and-a-half years in captivity in Yemen.
'If this (victory) remains a beautiful memory in a dark moment or if instead it becomes a symbol of rebirth depends only on us.'
'All those who participated in the agitation were branded as anti-nationals.'
The protest led by the nuns and Catholic reformist forums in Kochi in September had led to a public outrage and demands for action against the bishop.
The Additional Sessions Court Judge read out to Mulakkal, who was present in the court, the charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including the punishment for offence for rape as it commenced trial proceedings in the sensational case.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala is aiming to use the PM's visit as a springboard for its outreach campaign aimed at bringing youth and minorities into its fold.
Nuns doubt Bishop Franco still wields power in the diocese.
Bishop Mulakkal, a senior member of the Roman Catholic clergy in India, was arrested last year following allegations by the nun that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her at the Kuravilangad convent between 2014 and 2016, a charge denied by him.
After two years of muted festivities due to COVID-19, crowds thronged churches across the country this Christmas on Sunday for special prayers as people celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.
The nuns -- Alphy, Anupama, Josephine and Ancitta -- were served notice by the superior general of the congregation, Regina Kadamthottu, urging them to take up their assigned responsibilities as befitting members of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation.
'I truly believe that I have to do everything in my power to make sure that kids are protected and safe,' Megan Peterson, who has filed a case against the Ottacamund diocese and Bishop A Amalraj, tells Ritu Jha/Rediff.com
According to police, no visible injury marks were found on the body of the priest.
'There is no one who will be able to have a dignified life, when your brother and sister of another community are not being treated as human.'
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