Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a Christmas morning service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in Delhi, joining a large congregation. The service included prayers, carols, and a special prayer for the Prime Minister. The Vice President also extended Christmas greetings.
On Christmas Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Christmas morning service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi along with a large congregation of Christians from Delhi and north India.
The Delhi Traffic Police has announced that it has made "adequate" arrangements to manage crowds and ensure safety during Christmas celebrations in the national capital. Deployments have been made near churches, malls, and markets, and a drive against drunken driving will be carried out until New Year. The police have also advised commuters about traffic diversions and restrictions in certain areas due to expected heavy crowds.
An official video showed the prime minister being welcomed at the church and him greeting priests and worshippers on the holy day.
'Mob fury has become very common these days. And these attacks are all planned very well.' 'In all these attacks, you see that they have a very clear cut plan to make the victims as the oppressors and the guilty.' 'The attackers escape and they face no consequences as they have the backing of some political leaders.'
Midnight tolling of bells, decked up Christmas trees, long row of candles and carols sung in unison marked Christmas celebration across the country, as the faithful thronged churches to offer prayers and exchange gifts.
Christmas was celebrated across the country on Saturday, but the festivities were low-key for the second year in a row due to Covid, with churches and other events witnessing lower footfalls, people avoiding large get-togethers and the administration in some areas imposing certain curbs.
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 fire sent flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the Paris sky as stunned Parisians and tourists watched on in sheer horror.
'The idea of aligning with different political parties -- parties that are relevant at a particular period -- is opportunistic and unacceptable.'
Euphoric scenes were witnessed when Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint.
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.
Active citizenship through peaceful protest is a powerful tool, says Merril Diniz, who was part of a peaceful march that was struck down by police and CRPF personnel, while protesting against church attacks in Delhi.
'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.'
"The police is being forceful," said Father Dominic, who joined the protests.
On this joyous occasion, rediff.com wishes all its readers 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,' as we a take a look at pictures of Christmas festivities from across the globe.
Good Friday was on Friday observed across the country with special prayers in churches and the faithfuls observing fasts as a way of renunciation of earthly comfort to mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The Kerala priest was released recently after more than one-and-a-half years in captivity in Yemen.
The court declined to increase the number of people or allow use of other floors of the mosque for offering prayers as sought by senior advocate Ramesh Gupta on behalf of the Delhi Waqf Board, but allowed them to move an application before the SHO for the same.
As Christians took to streets of Delhi over recent attacks on churches, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday promised to step up security at their religious places amid his assertion that any discrimination on the basis of religion will not be tolerated.
A tweet by the Press Information Bureau said the states which have imposed lockdown in all districts include Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland. The other states are: Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Ladakh, Tripura, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Haryana, Daman Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka and Assam.
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