Pope Francis proposes 'popularism' to counter populism
- Apr 16, 2021
Archbishop Antony Anandarayar of Pondicherry and Cuddalore says he will do what is needed to eradicate all forms of caste-based discrimination in the archdiocese.
A bishop in India has caused controversy by re-instating three priests accused of attacking their bishop, despite the fact their cases are still ongoing in the criminal courts.
Indian Christians marked the annual Black Day on August 10, marking the 70th anniversary of a government decision to deny Christians and Muslims access to benefits offered to other citizens of the same caste background.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), evoked the Black Lives Movement, he has called for equal rights for India’s marginalized Dalit community.
Archbishop William D’Souza says Pope Francis’s “Church of the poor and for the poor is one hundred percent exemplified in the Archdiocese of Patna,” as it marks its 100th anniversary.
Five Christians in jail in India for the past 11 years after being accused of murdering a Hindu holy man have been released on bail, years after two police officers admitted the men were falsely accused. Two other Christians accused of the crime were released earlier this year.
About one fifth of the entire population are members of “scheduled castes” – known as Dalits, and formally known as the “untouchables” – and one priest says that despite laws meant to help them, they still face a “permanent stigma.”
Despite guidelines supporting Dalit Christians – from the class formerly known as “Untouchable” – not every Church leader is working in their defense, according to one Indian bishop.