A leading Catholic Church daily in Kerala has described the Waqf amendment bill as a crucial test of secularism in Parliament, urging MPs to support it. The editorial in Deepika daily comes as the union government prepares to table the bill for parliamentary consideration. The editorial calls the bill a test of secularism and warns MPs that failing to support it would mark them in history as endorsing religious fundamentalism. The paper added that the bill will also put an end to the injustices faced by thousands of Hindu, Christian, and Muslim citizens who have suffered due to the Waqf law. The editorial also recalled the recent statement addressed to Kerala MPs by Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) where the KCBC President Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos urged amending provisions in the Waqf law that validate claims over land which people of Munambam have lawfully possessed. Opposition parties have slammed the bill as "unconstitutional" and against the interest of the Muslim community.
The arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion has ignited a political controversy, with opposition parties criticizing the arrest and the Chief Minister defending the police action.
The pontiff, the first leader of the global Catholic Church from the United States, appeared for about seven minutes on Rate Field's jumbotron during the event, organized by the Chicago archdiocese and featuring several other local personalities, including Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky.
Union Minister George Kurian on Saturday said the much-awaited visit of Pope Francis to India is likely to happen after 2025, which has been announced as the 'Jubilee Year' by the Catholic Church.
The club did not directly confirm it, but welcomed the new pontiff after his election on Thursday.
American talk show host Rush Limbaugh has shocked the Catholic Church by accusing Pope Francis of preaching Marxism.
The Goa police have ordered the cancellation of the four-day event, which was advertised on social media under the banner of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Foundation.
'Senior Vatican officials were pleasantly surprised at the number of Indians who had come to witness the ceremony.'
The Church located near the Chest Diseases Hospital on the foothills of the Shankaracharya hillock in Dalgate area of the city here will officially be thrown open for the public on Thursday, but the prayer was held on Wednesday, officials said.
'The date of the rearranged fixtures will be announced in due course.'
Bharatiya Janata Party chief J P Nadda had a couple of days ago met a few top Catholic priests in Kottayam district of Kerala, sources said.
On May 7, 2025, the conclave to elect a new pope began.
The Kerala BJP has contradicted the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's justification of the arrest of two Keralite Catholic nuns, stating they were not involved in human trafficking or forced conversion attempts and promising to help them.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1936, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church died on Monday aged 88.
Catholics pay homage to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
The Web portal of the Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece, published an article (withdrawn later) that the Christian community holds many acres of land, far more than Waqf property.'
A shooter who opened fire at a Minneapolis Catholic School, killing two children, had 'Nuke India' written on one of the guns, according to video footage of the alleged arsenal used by him.
In yet another tragic incident of gun violence in the United States, a man opened fire during morning Mass at a Catholic school in the city of Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota, killing two children and injuring 17 others before turning the gun on himself, media repots said, citing law enforcement and hospital officials.
'They should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.'
'The idea of aligning with different political parties -- parties that are relevant at a particular period -- is opportunistic and unacceptable.'
Olympic ceremony's Last Supper sketch 'never meant to disrespect'
Pope Francis has died, the Vatican said on Monday. The Pope passed away on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, according to a statement from the Vatican.
Hours after the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament, 50 individuals embroiled in land disputes in Kerala's Munambam joined the BJP, hoping for a resolution to their claims. The residents, who have been protesting for 174 days, allege that the Waqf Board is claiming ownership of their properties. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar assured them of the party's support and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express gratitude. The BJP capitalized on the Catholic Church's support for the legislation, accusing the Congress and the Left of appeasement politics. The opposition, however, questioned the impact of the bill on the Munambam issue.
Going against the assurances given to the Kerala high court, the protesters agitating in front of the under-construction Vizhinjam seaport had on Saturday blocked the trucks carrying construction materials to the site.
The church's caretaker found that the main door was ajar and a few belongings and the ciborium were broken.
'We have come to the point in civilisation where emotion seems to be something you hide or you have to be discreet about, or to be ashamed of.'
The St George church in Navi Mumbai's Panvel area was attacked by miscreants on Saturday morning. The attack was caught on CCTV.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said he has directed the police to arrest within 48 hours the culprits who hurled stones at a catholic church in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
Did he assure the Pope that he would do everything in his power to protect churches and Christians in India from attacks?
A man sits with his eyes closed on a bench beside her grave. Another kneels at the foot of the grave in prayer. A bunch of paper slips and pens are kept on the window to write down prayer petitions
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.
BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that the arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh was due to a 'misunderstanding' and that they will be released on bail soon. He met with Archbishop of Trichur Andrews Thazhath to brief him that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister have assured the nuns would be released on bail.
They met with a warm embrace at the Outreach session of the G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy where they joined other world leaders to deliberate on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean.
The negotiations between the priests protesting against the the Synod's decision to introduce a uniform mass and a sub-committee comprising three bishops constituted by the Synod to find a way to solve the matter.
The mother of the Suryanelli gang-rape victim on Friday alleged that her family members had been restrained from attending the church by the Vicar of their parish in view of recent developments in the 1996 case.
A group of nuns, led by Sister Anupama, had fought on behalf of the victim nun who had accused Mulakkal of raping her multiple times.
'Somebody strong is playing a game behind the violence in Manipur.' 'It is a pre-planned attack on churches, Christian organisations and Christians.'
An official video showed the prime minister being welcomed at the church and him greeting priests and worshippers on the holy day.
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