MINORITIES: CHRISTIANS-2012 - Indian Social Institute

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persons participating in the seminar include Supreme Court advocates Anil Naurya, Sister Mary Scaria and National Integration Council member Dr John Dayal. In his inaugural address, Bishop Couto said that Catholic church was aware of the impact of corruption on national life, and particularly the marginalised and the poor, tribals and dalits. The church recognised corruption both as a crime under the Indian laws and a sin in the eyes of God. "Religious communities of all faiths must come together to raise their voice against it," he said. (Times of India 21/10/12) 2 tribals acquitted of Vasai priest murder (7) MUMBAI: The Vasai session court while acquitting two tribal youths who were arrested for killing retired Vasai priest Father Peter Bombacha in 2010 for want of evidence, pulled up the Thane rural police for its shoddy investigation. Bombacha (75) was found murdered at his first-floor residence, where he stayed alone, at Barampur in Vasai (W) on April 29, 2010. The ground floor of the premises housed a chapel, where people prayed in the mornings. Bombacha had 13 stab wounds on his body and a pair of scissor was stuffed into his mouth. On November 1, 2010, the Thane rural police's local crime branch arrested two tribal daily wage labourers, Subhash Kakad (20) and Rajesh Kakad (20), from Vikramgad. The police claimed that the two, who had begun construction work in the prayer hall four days before the murder, killed Bombacha while cleaning out the house. According to the cops, Subhash stole holy vessels—a brass chalice and monstrance, which he assumed to be made of gold to fund his wedding. Rajesh was accused of aiding the murder. Defence counsel Santosh Khale told the court that the police claim that the gold-plated brass monstrance and chalice were missing from the prayer centre was false as the panch witnesses had mentioned that monstrance was present after the murder. The police in their chargesheet had said the holy vessels were found buried near Subhash's house. Further, the defence argued that unlike the police claim that the victim used to lock the front door and never allowed anyone inside the flat without his consent, Bombacha had made three duplicate keys and given it to the church officials. The defence also said there was no proof that on the day of the murder, Bombacha had thrown the keys of his flat to the accused from his window, as was alleged by the police. Judicial magistrate R M Joshi expressed surprise as to how the police had failed to obtain the fingerprints of the accused, if they had opened the door with the keys thrown by Bombacha. The defence informed the court that the cellphones of the accused too had not been examined by the police. Relatives of the accused continued to use the cellphones even after their arrests. The police had filed the chargesheet in January 2011. A total of 23 witnesses were examined. The court acquitted the two youths for lack of evidence and not proving the murder charge. The accused were released from jail on Saturday after spending 23 months in the Thane Central jail. (Times of India 22/10/12) ‘Invoke Goonda Act against Davangere church attackers’ (7) BANGALORE: The Bangalore unit of the Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike has asked the government to invoke the Goonda Act against those responsible for the recent attack on a church in Davangere. Office-bearers of the vedike, Nagari Babaiah, Ananda Kumar, Rev. Fr. Manohar Chandra Prasad and K. Hyder told presspersons on Saturday that the government should extend protection to the Christian community in Davangere and withdraw the “false cases” against the victims of the attack. Prof. Babaiah said Sangh Parivar activists attacked Christians who gathered for a prayer at a church in Davangere on October 25. Over 20 persons, including women and children, were injured. “The police watched the attack helplessly,” he said. Prof. Babaiah alleged that instead of acting against the culprits, the police asked the church authorities to suspend the prayer and registered cases against a pastor and a college student. Attributing the attack to the release of those arrested in connection with previous cases of church attacks, Prof. Babaiah alleged that the police were in hand in glove with the Sangh Parivar. The Bharatiya Janata Party government had withdrawn cases against 560 people allegedly involved in creating communal disturbance in the State. Though similar incidents had been reported from Bangalore, the police were not acting against them, he alleged. Stating that the Christian community was living under fear after the BJP government came to power in the State, Mr. Anand Kumar said the Sangh Parivar was attacking institutions run by the minorities with an eye on the Assembly elections. Similar incidents had been reported from Belur, Arkalgud and Arsikere in Hassan district. But the police had not taken any action, he added. Mr. Hyder said that the government was curbing the rights of the minorities for the past four years and they should give a fitting answer to the BJP in the Assembly elections. (The Hindu 4/11/12) West Bengal to help Christians make Holy Land trip (7) KOLKATA: For Christians, a trip to Jerusalem and Bethlehem during Lent is the ultimate pilgrimage, much like Haj is for Muslims. But while the state Haj committee has been helping Muslims make the pilgrimage for decades, there has been no such structured programme for Christians. Things are finally set to
change though with the West Bengal Holy Land Pilgrimage Committee helping the first batch of 50 Christians fly to Jordan en route to Israel where most of the Christian holy sites are located. From next year, around 200 Christians from Kolkata will get an opportunity to visit the Holy Land between Ash Wednesday and Easter, a 40-day period of fasting and penitence. The formal structure for the pilgrimage was finalized during a just-concluded trip to Israel by Christian leaders from Bengal. Led by state minorities commission vice-chairperson Maria Fernandes, Arch Bishop of Roman Catholic Church of Kolkata Thomas D'Souza, CNI Bishop of Durgapur Probal Datta, CNI Bishop of Barrackpore Brojen Malakar, nominated MLA from Anglo Indian community Shane Calvert, Loreto House principal Goretti Tirkey, St Stepehen's School Dum Dum principal Haripada Das, President of Catholic Association of Bengal Alex Anthony and secretary of Baptist Mission in Bengal Nirmal Sapui, the team visited the Old City of Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Mt of Beatitudes and Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial between October 23 and 28 on the invitation of the Israeli government. "For any Christian, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is an intensely spiritual experience because Christianity was born there. It is also a journey back in time because you get to visit sites that date back nearly two millennia. We also got to experience the wonderful hospitality extended by the Israeli government. A structured pilgrimage has been put in place for Christians from Bengal to make the trip of a lifetime," Arch Bishop D'Souza said. While the delegation took a flight to Mumbai and then an El Al flight to Jerusalem, the pilgrims will take a flight to Amman in Jordan via Doha in Qatar. There, they will take a dip in the holy river before travelling by land to Israel to visit the holy sites. "Earlier, the opportunity for Christians in Bengal was limited as people had to travel to Israel via Cochin, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai," Fernandes pointed out. The proposal was mooted by MP Derek O'Brien during a meeting with Israeli ambassador to India Alon Ushpiz in Delhi. "Ushpiz had been to Kolkata twice and loved the experience. During the meeting, he enquired how Israel could improve ties with Bengal. Opportunities in business and trade were discussed. Then I raised the issue of facilitating a pilgrimage programme for Christians from Bengal. He was immediately interested," recalled O'Brien. Embassy staffers Eyal Siso and Yahel Vilan were particularly helpful in organizing the trip. The trip will cost Rs 66,000 per head, inclusive of journey, accommodation and meals. Of the first batch of 50 pilgrims, honorary consul general of Israel to Kolkata Harsh Neotia will sponsor 25 persons who are from the economically weaker section. "Our endeavour shall always be to get sponsors for poor Christians, either through private donation or government grants, so that there's equal opportunity to make the pilgrimage," said Calvert. (Times of India 4/11/12) HC upholds pre-Kerala Christian marriage law (7) KOCHI: Considering a petition filed by a couple, after their marriage registration was turned down by the authorities concerned, justice A M Shaffique of the Kerala high court on Monday ruled that a law proclaimed 92 years ago to govern marriages of Christians of the erstwhile Cochin state was valid even today. When Jinesh John from Alappuzha got a job offer as a teacher from Modern Indian School at Doha in Qatar, he applied for a family visa so that his wife could stay with him. As visa and emigration rules insist registration of marriage under a civil act, he approached the marriage registration officer for registration under the Cochin Christian Civil Marriage Act. He chose the law specifically as it stipulates notice of only four days and he had to reach Doha urgently before the offer expired. However, his application was turned down by the marriage registration officer at the sub registrar's office at Aluva. He then filed a petition at the HC through advocate Jeswin P Varghese, pointing out that the law was still valid and he should be allowed to register his marriage. The British-Indian administration had brought in a centralized law called Indian Christian Marriage Act in 1872, applicable to the whole of India. However, territories that were part of the State of Travancore-Cochin, Manipur, and Jammu and Kashmir before November 1, 1956 were excluded from the law.' Pointing out the lack of a uniform law in Kerala, the Law Reforms Commission headed by justice VR Krishna Iyer had framed The Kerala Christian Marriage Bill. Cochin Christian Civil Marriage Act is applicable to erstwhile Cochin area of the state but there is no similar enactment for the Travancore area, the commission had commented. (Times of India 6/11/12) Christians 'should not be afraid' to refer to their faith, says new Archbishop (7) The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, spoke out against the idea that religious beliefs should “disqualify” people from giving opinions on politics or other public matters. He urged Christians not to be afraid to refer to their faith, despite an assumption that they should “excise” their beliefs from their minds when holding public positions. The bishop made the remarks in his first speech since being named as successor to Dr Rowan Williams, who will step down as leader of the Church of England at the end of this year. It signalled a new mood of confidence within the Church with regard to speaking openly about how faith can be applied outside the areas with which has traditionally been associated. In a wide ranging address, he spoke about his hopes that Christians would not be afraid to ”do God” - a reference to the
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Page 25 and 26: in peace is guaranteed. Speaking to
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MINORITIES: CHRISTIANS-2012 - Indian Social Institute

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