The adoption of the new anti-conversion law has left the whole Christian community in Karnataka deeply troubled and tremendously hurt, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
The atmosphere in Punjab is still intense nearly two weeks after the alleged incident in which four masked men reportedly vandalised church property and set a car parked there on fire in Thakarpura village.
The Supreme Court of India has ordered the government to provide details of reported attacks on Christians across eight states.
A three-person special investigation team made up of three senior police officers has been formed to examine the church incident in Punjab.
On the intervening night of August 24–25, a Catholic church in the Daram village in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills area allegedly suffered vandalism from unidentified perpetrators.
Around 200 attacks on Christians were reported within the first five months of this year in India, but the country’s government claimed before the Supreme Court that persecution of Christians was based on “half-baked and self-serving facts and self-serving articles and reports…based upon mere conjecture.”
India marked its 75th anniversary of independence today with citizens displaying the national flag at their homes and businesses for three days nationwide as part of a government drive to kindle the sense of patriotism in every heart.
Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said that in order to defend life, advance intergroup peace and safeguard creation, our common home, "the multireligious and multicultural character of India and the spirituality of the country must be upheld."
Six Christian women were detained and imprisoned on grounds of coerced conversion in Uttar Pradesh. They were among the almost 100 Christians who were attending a birthday party at the residence of a local Christian family on July 30.
A Kochi-based pastor and his two companions were detained on suspicion of having ties to the trafficking of young girls.
The Dalit Christian Liberation Movement (DCLM) has encouraged the Tamil Nadu Catholic bishops to put the church's empowerment policy into practice.
I have dedicated my entire life to serving God in this location, thus I cannot flee in dread of the attacks.
