Missionaries of the World

A team of artists in Kolkata has prepared an Indian crib set which they hope to send to the International Nativity Museum in Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born. A model of the crib is on display at St Xavier's College on Mother Teresa Sarani, Park Street, Kolkata. Subrato Ganguly of Church Art Kolkata said that it is indeed a pity that the International Nativity Museum in Bethlehem which houses worldwide collection of nativity scenes does not feature an Indian crib set.

Alcohol consumption would become a sin for over 5 million Catholics in the state. The temperance commission of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC), which has taken up the issue, also said that a person would also have to confess if he/she had consumed alcohol. The commission is also seeking a ban on employing people who drink in institutions run by the church.

Vice President of India, His Excellency Hamid Ansari lauded the Christian community's contribution to the nation. He said Christ's message of peace and compassion are perennial values for all mankind. He was speaking as the Chief Guest of the Christmas celebrations organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) at its headquarters here, December 18. The newly elevated Cardinal Cleemis Mar Baselios Catholicos, Head of the Syro Malankara Church and Vice President of the CBCI was felicitated during the event. Several Union Ministers, members of parliament and persons from religious and civil leadership were present.

More than 80% of the world's population belongs to an organized religion, and the rest do not belong to any religion, although among them there are large percentage of believers in God or some spiritual power. This is some of the data provided by a demographic study published by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, called The Global Religious Landscape (Pew Forum). The study, based on data from the 2010 and on 2500 censuses, shows that out of a world population of 6.9 billion, Christians make up 32%, Muslims 23%, Hindus 15%, Buddhists 7 %, Jews 0.2%. The rest, people not belonging to any religion, embraces atheists, agnostics, but also people with spiritual beliefs, with no ties to organized religion.

A separate development corporation will be set up for the Christian minority in the Karnataka State if the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD (S)) comes to power in the ensuing assembly elections, said its State President H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday. "We have held discussion with various Christian leaders and met the Archbishop Bernard Moras to discuss the necessity to set up Karnataka Christian Minority Development Corporation. The objective of setting up a separate corporation will be the economic empowerment of the community. It will be a reality if the JD(S) is elected to power," Kumaraswamy said at a convention organized by the Christian minority cell of the party.

Armed conflicts and a decline in tourists and pilgrims from overseas will cause difficulties for Palestinian Christians, but they will still celebrate Christmas. "There are good and bad feelings this Christmas but if we consider that Christmas is above all a spiritual feast, I believe it will be a very good celebration," Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem told Aid to the Church in Need Dec. 17. "There will certainly be fewer pilgrims and other visitors from overseas. Many have canceled their trips here but we will still have many people coming from Galilee and elsewhere as well as many Christians from Bethlehem."

A Catholic businessman in Mangalore has announced to launch of his 24x7 Catholic religious television channel, which he says aims to introduce the religion to others. Bishop Aloysius Paul D'Souza of Mangalore is scheduled to launch the "Divine Word" channel on Dec. 22, promoter Walter Stephen Mendes announced in Mangalore. The main aim of the channel is to reach out to all Christians under and introduce Catholic religion to others said Mendes, President of the Board that owns and manages the venture.

Only five days have passed since Pope Benedict XVI sent out his first Tweet in eight languages and according to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; his @Pontifex handle has surpassed two million subscribers. President of the Council, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli told Vatican Radio the Pope is tweeting because that's what people are doing today and he wants to be present in the latest platforms of communication to share with them "words of truth."

The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has met with Pope Benedict XVI and expressed gratitude for the Vatican's public stand in favor of a Palestinian representation at the United Nations. Md. Abbas talked privately with Benedict for 25 minutes Monday and he subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States. Abbas gave Benedict a mosaic of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, with the inscription saying it was presented by the "President of the state of Palestine."

Papal Envoy to Ivory Coast and Indian Archbishop Rev Ambrose Madtha was laid to rest at the Holy Redeemer Church, Belthangady Southern India on December 15, Saturday following his death in a car crash. The accident occurred on December 8 in the Ivory Coast, his most recent appointment on behalf of The Vatican. Archbishop Madtha, who was 57 when he died, served as the Papal nuncio in six countries including Taiwan, Albania and the Ivory Coast. Some 3,500 people attended the funeral at the Holy Redeemer parish church in Beltanghady, Karnataka state, including a delegation from the Ivory Coast.

Italy and the entire world, where people complain of unfair taxes, of a pitiless power, of an unjust economic crisis, can find inspiration in the words of John the Baptist. This is what Pope Benedict XVI affirmed in his reflection before the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, adorned for the past two days by a giant Christmas tree. The pontiff revealed some interesting couples such as justice and charity, taxes and honesty power and respect which are needed in our contemporary society, concluding that "the signs of the Baptist are always relevant in our complex world, things would be much better if each of us observed these rules of conduct."

Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of Friday's mass murder of school children in Newtown, Connecticut on Sunday. Speaking in English to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus with him on this third Sunday in Advent, the Holy Father renewed expressions of his profound grief over the incident, as well as his promises of prayers for the victims and spiritual closeness to their families. The Pope went on to call all the faithful everywhere to renew their prayer and action in favour of the cause of peace.

Worshippers in Wales are being invited to make a New Year's resolution to read the entire Bible in 2013. The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has launched the Bible Challenge out of a desire to see people become more familiar with the book at the centre of the Christian faith. He is asking people to set aside just 20 minutes each day to read passages from the Old and New Testaments. In addition to the reading challenge, people are being invited to nominate their favourite book in the Bible. The top five nominations will form the core of a Bible course to be led by the Archbishop during Lent, in the weeks before Easter.

At least 27 people, including 20 children, were killed Friday when a gunman clad in black military gear opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. It appears to be the nation's second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. The local news outlets reported that the shooting occurred inside a kindergarten classroom and that all the children in that classroom are unaccounted for. An official said the shooter, who had ties to the school, was armed with a rifle; a motive is not yet known. Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said police arrived at the scene "within minutes" of a 911 call placed shortly after 9:30 a.m.

The Church of Scotland and Catholic Church in Scotland have spoken out against the Scottish Government's plans to legalise gay marriage. The Scottish Government this week published draft legislation to change the law on marriage. Under the draft bill, religious bodies would have to "opt in" to perform same-sex marriages. In its response, the Church of Scotland repeated its opposition to same-sex marriage.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said that older people should be recognised for the enormous amount of voluntary work they do in their communities. Speaking during his final appearance in the House of Lords, he said there was a misconception that older people are a "burden". "As things stand, more than half the over-60 populations are involved in some sort of formal and structured voluntary work," he said. "Over half of the population believes that this is part of what they should aspire to in later life, and a third are willing to take part in informal volunteering.

The 71-year-old aid worker, Birgitta Almeby, who was shot in the chest in Lahore by a gunman while doing Christian work in Pakistan has died at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm late on Wednesday, Swedish media reported. She was receiving treatment after having been flown to Sweden for specialist medical care for her injuries. Speaking with the media, a representative from the Pentecostal church in Koping said Almeby's injuries had resulted in serious brain damage, leaving little hope that she would ever fully recover.

The funeral service of Archbishop Ambrose Madtha, the Papal Envoy to Ivory Coast who died in a road accident, will be held this Saturday in Mangalore, officials said. Father James D'souza, Parish Priest of the Holy Redeemer Church in Belthangady where the services would be conducted said that an 11-member delegation from Ivory Coast including its Foreign Minister and Church leaders are scheduled to arrive in Mangalore for the funeral services Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal is also expected to be present at the funeral ceremony, the priest added. He said representatives of the Vatican are also expected to attend the services.

Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church released the Malayalam translation of a book comprising 100 stories on Christian faith amid persecution in Kandhamal of Orissa State at the Kerala Catholic Council assembly in Kochi on December 11 and handed over the first copy of the book to Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC). It is the Malayalam version of the 75,000 word book, Early Christians of 21st Century, by journalist Anto Akkara. Father Devassy Panthallookaran, Former Principal of St Thomas College in Thrissur, Kerala, translated it. Over 100 church leaders, including bishops, took part in the ceremony.

Pope Benedict on Wednesday inaugurated his new Twitter account and has begun tweeting responses to questions that have been sent to him from countries around the world. The Pope sent his first message from an Ipad at the end of his general audience in the Paul VI hall, watched and photographed by a huge crowd of pilgrims and visitors. His first tweet read "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart."

Senior delegates at the 10th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) have made positive remarks about the spiritual life in Vietnam. The comments were made at a meeting between the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs and FABC representatives that included Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Special Envoy of Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Oswald Cracias, FABC Secretary General, in Hanoi on December 10.

The Mangalore Diocese has urged the Indian Government to prevail upon the British Government to expedite the process of handing over the body of Jacintha Saldanha, nurse from Mangalore who committed suicide after she became a victim of a prank call by two Australian DJs. The radio presenters posed as the Queen of England and the Prince of Wales and sought details of treatment being given to Duchess Kate, who has been admitted at the King Edward VII hospital in London. Ms. Saldahnha had forwarded the call to her colleague in Kate's ward who revealed the details.

According to Mohabat News, it is now 10 months since a number of Christian converts were arrested in Shiraz. Five of those arrested were tried on Monday, October 15, 2012, at branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz. The trial was judged by Mr. Rashidi who finished the court session without issuing any specific verdict. The five Christians, Mojtaba Hosseini, Mohammad-Reza Partoei, Vahid Hakkani, Homayoun Shokouhi, and his wife Fariba Nazemian, are still being held in prison, awaiting a decision to be made for them by the authorities.

Christians of all denominations in Guwahati unitedly held a pre-Christmas celebration on Sunday, to celebrate the peace and joy of Christmas. The pre-Christmas get together, a practice initiated 15 years ago by the then Archbishop of Guwahati Thomas Menamparampil, was held at Panbazar, Guwahati. Pastor Aziz ul-hauque of Baptist Church, where the get-together was held, said the celebration helps to strengthen the unity among the various churches. "It has built up emotional closeness among the churches," he added.

Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, J Jayalalithaa on Monday said during the Christmas celebrations hosted by her that the education and virtues that she received from the Christian educational institutions where she spent her schooldays alone were the primary reasons for her growth and thanked the teachers for laying a very strong foundation for the rest of her life. She was recalling her schooldays in Bangalore and Chennai.

In a statement marking the Human Rights Day today, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India's office for justice, peace and development called on the people to respect human dignity. "Respect for human rights is the secret of true peace," it said and affirmed that the culture of human rights cannot fail to be a culture of peace. "As we observe the day, we cannot miss or overlook the poignancy of the human rights situation in India," said Rev Dr Charles Irudayam, Secretary, CBCI Office for Justice, Peace and Development.

Fifteen days ahead of Christmas, "Khristayan", a six hours long film on Jesus Christ was released at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. The film has been directed by Fr Geo George from Indore. The film is likely to be telecast in parts as a TV serial in the coming days. Talking about the film, Fr Johnney P J said, "The specialty of this film is that it is shot in Hindi in the Indian context taking into consideration the cultural aspects of our country. All the previous films on Christ have been from the western point of view. It is a mega project also an inter-provincial venture."

Only lasting peace will stop the exodus of Christians from the land where Jesus was born, according to Bishop William Shomali. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, described how peace was needed to stop the hemorrhaging of Christians from Israel and the Palestinian territories. He said: "Peace creates a very positive atmosphere. Without it, there is insecurity and the economic situation becomes precarious. Then, work must be created."

A statue of Pope John Paul II was unveiled in Gonsalo Garcia church at Barampur in Vasai (W) in North Mumbai, Maharashtra State of India by the Vatican Ambassador to India and Nepal, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, Titular Archbishop of Montemarano. The late Pope had visited the shrine 26 years ago. Last year, the Vasai diocese had celebrated the silver jubilee of Pope John Paul II visit to Vasai.

Thousands of Christians are marching in Zimbabwe this week to protest against corruption. The mass march of Christians was organised to coincide with the global Anti-Corruption Day yesterday and is part of the yearlong anti-corruption campaign, Exposed 2013. Churches say that corruption is keeping millions of people trapped in poverty. Leaders of Zimbabwe's three largest Christian bodies have signed a letter urging Christians to rise up against corruption.

The Church in California is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Junipero Serra. He was born at Majorca in Spain but came to the United States state where he founded a chain of missions. The Diocese of Monterey recently kicked off celebrations with a Gala evening attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. His life and legacy in this Year of Faith, the Bishop of Monterey, Richard Garcia says it is wonderful to be celebrating both events.

The Papal envoy to Ivory Coast, Indian Archbishop Ambrose Madtha has been killed in a traffic accident in the west of the country, the Ivorian church announced. Madtha was travelling back from the Northwestern town of Odienne to an ordination ceremony in the country's West on Saturday evening when his car collided with another vehicle. "Unfortunately the apostolic nuncio died on the spot," said Mathieu Tehan, spokesman for the Western diocese of Man where the ceremony was to take place.

" In a consumerist society, where we seek joy in things, the Baptist teaches us to live in an essential way, so that Christmas is not only experienced as an outward party, but as the feast of the Son of God who came to bring peace, life and true joy to people". This was the focus of Benedict XVI's reflection before the Sunday Angelus with the pilgrims in St Peter's Square. May they be welcomed and have a dignified life! In preparation for Christmas time, may a joyous and fraternal solidarity come to aid their needs and support their hopes, says Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday expressed his closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been hit in recent days by a violent storm. The Holy Father prayed for the victims, for their families and for the many who have been displaced. He also prayed that their faith would give them the strength to face, what he called, "this difficult trial." The Pope was speaking from the Papal Apartments above St Peter's Square after the Angelus prayer on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Pakistani Christian political and social welfare organization has strongly condemned attack on 62 years old missionary Sister Bargeeta Almeby near her residence in Lahore. She remains in critical condition in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, after she was shot by gunmen multiple times Tuesday. She was in her car when two men on a motorbike approached her vehicle and repeatedly shot her in the chest, according to Superintendent Malik Liaquat. The two unidentified gunmen didn't take any cash or valuables.

St Theresa's Church at Nungambakkam, Chennai celebrates a hundred years this week. The church has been restored extensively and expanded to seat more people. A consecration ceremony will be held today (08.12.12). Parish priest Rev Fr P J Lawrence Raj said, "We are celebrating our centenary year and have carried out major restoration work." "We have also built a new bell tower and imported the bell, weighing 350 kg, from a famous bell maker in Poland," said Lawrence Raj

The Madhaya Pradesh state has awarded a Catholic-managed care center for its outstanding service to some 4,000 people living with HIV in the state. Sister Geeta Joseph Chennattu accepted the Best Community Care Centre Award on behalf of the center from State Health Minister Anup Misra, in the presence of Health Education Minister Narottam Misra on Dec. 1, the World AIDS Day, in Gwalior.

Anyone who says the Church is irrelevant needs only look at the Pope who has managed to rack up nearly half a million Twitter followers without even making a single tweet. The Pope will make his Twitter debut as @Pontifex on 12 December but the page is already live and at the last count had 526,341 followers. The 85-year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church Benedict XVI already has around 1.2 billion followers around the world.

"Police in Madhya Pradesh is complicit in the violence against the Christian community", denounces Sajan K George, President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), in the latest case of persecution in the state. About 20 members of the Rashtriya Sawayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have made false allegations of forced conversions against some Pentecostal Christians in the district of Ratlam. One of the pastors present was beaten up by activists RSS and rushed to hospital. The incident occurred on November 30.

An 18th century Indian lay martyr, Devasahayam Pillai, is revered by devotees from all religions in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India "To us, he is already a saint. Whenever we have difficulties, we offer him prayers and get instant relief," said Anthoni Ammal, a 60-year-old from Muttom, in Kanyakumari district, who says she has been praying at Pillai's tomb in Kottar from childhood and has been blessed with several favors. Thousands of people like her eagerly waited Sunday, when the Vatican pronounced Pillai as 'Blessed.'

Bishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto of Jalandhar has been named the new archbishop of Delhi replacing Archbishop Vincent Concessao, who passed the canonical retirement age of 75 last year. Fr Mathew Koyickal, chancellor of the archdiocese, read the letter of appointment from Pope Benedict XVI at the archbishop's house in New Delhi. Around 100 people were present at the event. Bishop Couto could not take part in the program as he was out of the country.

The Tamil Nadu Government has issued guidelines for Christian pilgrims to avail state-funded pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It announced the decision to provide financial assistance of 20,000 rupees to Christian pilgrims to undertake a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 2013. The 10-day pilgrimage can be undertaken between February and May 2013. In the first phase, 500 Christians, belonging to various religious orders, will get the financial assistance.