Bangladesh vows to provide security for Christians during Christmas

Bangladesh vows to provide security for Christians during Christmas

Community leaders seek protection after receiving anonymous 'death threats'

Policemen stand guard outside Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Dhaka on Dec. 14 following recent attacks on Christian clergy in Bangladesh. (Photo by Stephan Uttom)             Authorities in Bangladesh have assured the Christian community that heavy security will be provided for Christmas celebrations following alleged death threats by Muslim extremists.
The Bangladesh Christian Association representatives met with top Home Ministry officials on Dec 22 to discuss security measures for the Christian community over Christmas.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan also assured Christians would be protected.
"We've decided to increase visible security and surveillance so that the Christian community can celebrate Christmas in a festive mood," the minister told the United News of Bangladesh agency.
All churches across the country will have CCTV coverage and metal detectors installed, he said.
Christian leaders including a Catholic bishop and several priests said they received death threats earlier on Dec. 22 via mobile text messages.
Association secretary, Nirmol Rozario, who led the delegation to the Home Ministry said he received a death threat.
"We will take care of you during Christmas. Shall I arrange for your burial or leave it for your family," read the message sent to Rozario.
"The government has assured us of full-proof security for a peaceful celebration of Christmas and hopefully there will be no untoward incident during the festival," Rozario said.
"However, a sense of fear has gripped us."
Father Ujjol Linus Rozario, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in northern Dinajpur district, also received a death threat from the banned Islamic militant group Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB).
"I'm a bit frightened about the threat, but I'm still preparing for Christmas as usual. Police are guarding the church and are constantly in touch with us to ensure our safety," said Father Rozario.
Attacks on Christians are rare in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. However, this year several attacks and threats have targeted Christians.
On Oct. 5, Luke Sarkar, a Protestant minister at the Faith Bible Church in northwestern Pabna district narrowly escaped death after three alleged members of the JMB, attacked him and tried to slit his throat.
On Nov. 18, three gunmen shot and seriously wounded Italian Catholic Father Parolari Piero, 64, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, in Dinajpur. The group calling itself the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting.
More than two-dozen Catholic priests, Protestant ministers and aid workers say they have received death threats over the last few weeks. 

Interreligious meetings a key to religious harmony in Bihar

Interreligious meetings a key to religious harmony in Bihar

Such meetings during Christmas should be seen as the key to maintaining the secular fabric of India

Indian Hindu devotees hold a lamp as they pray on the banks of the Ganges river at Patna, in this 2005 file photo. (Photo by STR/AFP)

Interreligious meetings during Christmas in the eastern Indian state of Bihar should be seen as the key to maintaining the secular fabric of the country where religious intolerance and violence on minority religious groups are on the rise.
"In today's context of violence and terrorism in the name of religion, we must accept other faiths and reconcile with the fact of religious pluralism and live in harmony, accepting the brotherhood of all humans," said Shah Ahmad Munemi, a Muslim teacher.
Shah was talking during a Christmas event organized by Interreligious Dialogue Committee and Xavier Institute of Social Research in the Bihar state capital of Patna on Dec. 20.
Bihar went to the polls recently, with the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party that runs the federal government defeated in an election viewed as a victory for secular and democratic values in India.
The Janata Dal United party-led alliance won an absolute majority, grabbing 178 seats in Bihar's 243-seat legislature, leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance with only 58 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is considered the political wing of Hindu groups working to turn India into a Hindu nation. It campaigned in Bihar by polarizing people in the state on religious lines.
Christian leaders have complained of increasing violence against their people in states where the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power.
"By defeating Hindu nationalist forces, Bihar has set an example. We should be prepared to take on these elements at all times," said Jesuit Father Jose Kalapura, director of the Xavier institute.
"We need to meet often and develop unity and understanding among all religions through dialogue or else, the very secular fabric of our country will be torn apart."
Swami Sukhanandji, head of the Ramakrishna Mission in Patna, said that love and service of humanity is the uniting force of all religions. "Jesus was quite radical in this. Only with due respect to all religions will we be able to achieve a harmonious and prosperous nation," said the Hindu monk.
In a similar event in Bihar's Bodh Gaya district on Dec. 20, Archbishop William D'Souza of Patna spoke of how religious leaders must work hard with great sacrifice to transform society into one of love and compassion. "It is a tough task, but possibly sure, if we have the will," he said.
Less than 0.5 percent of Bihar's about 100 million people are Christian. Over 80 percent of its people are Hindus.

Myanmar cardinal stresses peace and justice in Christmas message

Myanmar cardinal stresses peace and justice in Christmas message

Peaceful elections offer chance to emerge from decades of conflict, Bo says

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has called on people of goodwill to work for peace and justice in Myanmar in the aftermath of November elections.
"This is a great time to be in this country. By reconciling with one another, forgetting all the past darkness of hatred, we can make Christ's message of peace possible to all people of goodwill," Cardinal Bo said in his Christmas message released on Dec. 22.
Cardinal Bo said that after many years of expectation it is natural to look for quick results, but that democracy is a process "not a drama that ends with a night of celebration."
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept Nov. 8 polls against the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party that took power in 2010 following five decades of military rule.
Cardinal Bo congratulated the people of Myanmar for conducting a peaceful election.
"It is our duty to build a nation without war and want. With goodwill we can and we will do that," he said.
Myanmar has grappled with religious tensions since anti-Muslim violence erupted in Rakhine state in 2012. The violence spread to other parts of the country led by hard-line Buddhist monks from the Committee of the Protection of Race and Religion, known as Ma Ba Tha. But Cardinal Bo warned that "all attempts to abuse religion for political purposes need to be resisted by all religions and religious leaders."
"The goodwill of religion is the capacity to live in harmony with different faiths and religion," he said.
The cardinal also raised concern over the displacement of people after 60 years of conflicts. He called on all stakeholders to explore government-led solutions to ongoing issues.
"Peace cannot be built just on paper. Peace can be achieved only with our goodwill and sincere hearts," he said.

Tamil Catholics worry about Christmas in Sri Lanka

Tamil Catholics worry about Christmas in Sri Lanka

Floods add to woes of war-affected families still in temporary shelters

Children from families displaced by the war and living in camps pose with their Christmas presents. (ucanews.com photo) 

After 30 years of civil war, Mary Stella, a widowed mother, and her three children now face another Christmas of hardship as floods wreak havoc in northern Sri Lanka.
"Our houses are under water," Stella said. "I don't really have presents for my children and relatives. We only ask God for strength to face the difficulties."
"My younger son asked for a Christmas tree but it costs more than 3,000 rupees (US$21) so I will just use a tree branch to make him happy," she said.
Inter-monsoon season low-pressure areas have caused heavy November — December rains.
Over 140,000 people in many parts of the country have been affected by floods, according to the Disaster Management Center, but the northern area is worst affected.
"Our villagers like to buy new clothes for children, whitewash their houses, let off fireworks and enjoy time with families but everybody is affected by floods this year," Stella explained.
The civil war between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation of Tamil Tiger Eelam rebel group lasted from 1983 until 2009.
Yet hundreds of war-affected families still live in temporary shelters constructed from tin sheets and palm leaf roofs.
"In 1996 my husband was shot dead by the army while he was working in a paddy field and since then we have lived in camps," K. Irudayarani, 35, told ucanews.com.
"My vegetable plot and hens have now also been destroyed by floods but there is no assistance from the government," she said.
"An Indian government project is building a new house for us but it is still incomplete," she explained.
R. Ketheeswaran, district secretary of Mullaitivu, told ucanews.com that nearly 2,000 local people were affected by the floods.
"We provided three days worth of cooked food for the victims who moved to the camps. We also gave dried food for another week after they returned home," Ketheeswaran said.
Charity Sister Nicola Emmanuel, who runs a program for war widows, said that hundreds of displaced people were suffering greatly.
"They live in low lying areas and the wells that they have dug for drinking water have caved in because of the floods," she said.
"They are on the verge of becoming homeless again and risk becoming victims of starvation."
"However, we will help them celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to feed the hungry, the starving, homeless, naked and in prison so that they will enjoy the blessings of the birth of Jesus," Sister Emmanuel said.

Indian Hindus, Muslims welcome Mother Teresa's sainthood

Indian Hindus, Muslims welcome Mother Teresa's sainthood

The nun was already considered a saint by the poor and destitute in India, they say

An Indian child touches the glass near a statue to pay tribute to Mother Teresa, in front of her tomb in Kolkata in this 2011 file photo. (Photo by AFP)

India's Hindus and Muslims say the Catholic Church should not have waited for a miracle to declare Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta a saint.
Even though the Catholic Church is to officially proclaim her a saint in 2016, Mother Teresa had already acquired that honor from the poor and destitute in India, Santosh Kartik, a young Hindu from Delhi, told ucanews.com.
Nonetheless "it is a moment of immense joy for us. She was and still is a mother for all, irrespective of religions," he added.
Pope Francis had on Dec. 17 approved the second miracle — the recovery of a Brazilian man from multiple brain tumors — attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing her path to becoming a saint.
"She deserved the honor but besides that, it is a great honor for India and the philanthropic activities carried out in the country," Navaid Hamid, secretary of the South Asian Council for Minorities, told ucanews.com.
Mohammad Junaid Khan, a Muslim and coordinator of the interfaith forum Minhaj-ul-Quran, told ucanews.com that the honor should have been bestowed upon her much earlier.
"The work she has done is not related to a particular religion and people across communities can learn a lot from her," Khan said.
"Humanity is the biggest religion and she represented that," he added.
Anil Roy, the Hindu caretaker of the Sacred Heart Church in Kolkata, the city where Mother Teresa based and founded her Missionaries of Charity congregation in 1950, told ucanews.com that "after becoming a saint, she is now like a Hindu god to me."
For Rajeshwar Mittal, a lawyer based in Kolkata, Mother Teresa's life itself was a miracle.
"If you consider the life and work of Mother Teresa, she should have automatically got sainthood without any miracles," he told ucanews.com.
Blessed Teresa was born in Skopje, now the capital of Macedonia. She came to India in 1929 as a novice with the Loreto nuns. She left the congregation in the late 1940s and started the Missionaries of Charity to serve the poorest of the poor.
The congregation has 5,044 nuns in 768 houses — 515 overseas and 243 in India.
Blessed Teresa died of cardiac arrest at the motherhouse on Sept. 5, 1997. Her canonization process began two years afterward. Pope John Paul II beatified her in October 2003 after a verified miracle was attributed to her intercession. A second miracle was necessary for canonization, or the declaration of a saint.
"The Holy Father could not have given a better gift for us for Christmas and that waiting with anxiety is over," Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of Kolkata told ucanews.com.

Muslim-Christian unity on display during Christmas in Kashmir

Muslim-Christian unity on display during Christmas in Kashmir

This year is unique as on Dec. 24 Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad

Choir members from the Holy Family Catholic Church of Srinagar in northern Jammu and Kashmir sing Christmas carols. (Photo by Umer Asif)

These days the 128-year-old Holy Family Catholic Church of Srinagar in northern Jammu and Kashmir state is bustling with activity. The sounds of hymns and laughter are common as children gather for Christmas carols.
The parish was closed last Christmas, after devastating floods hit the state in September 2014, killing over 300 people, and causing extensive damage to the church.
Choirs comprising eight to 10 children have been practicing before Christmas and are now visiting homes for singing carols.
Maryam Shammi, a parishioner and choir member, said it excites her to invite Muslim friends for Christmas celebrations. She says it's also exciting to invite them to her home for  Christmas lunch, an event her family was forced to skip last year due to floods.
"This year, I will invite all my friends and we will spend Christmas together," she told ucanews.com.
There are just 650 Christians living in India's only Muslim-majority state. As the Christian community is least talked about and remains generally away from the public gaze, Christmas celebrations present a good opportunity to practice interreligious harmony.
Muslim neighbors typically participate in Christmas celebrations, exchanging gifts and greetings.
Lila Richard, an 82-year-old parishioner and a retired teacher who taught at a Christian missionary school in Srinagar, said Christians and Muslims have been living in harmony for decades in the Kashmir Valley.
"As far as I can tell you, we haven’t faced danger of any sort since Christians have never been involved in any upheavals that have engulfed the region over the past two decades," she said.
When the onset of seperatism came in Kashmir in 1988, violent incidents became the order of the day. Various insurgent groups have fought the Indian army.
Some want the state to become part of neighboring Pakistan, others want full independence from India.
With the emergence of the armed rebellion in Kashmir, there were few radicalized militant groups who pitched for the establishment of a caliphate in the region. They banned cinemas, concerts, and cultural shows in Kashmir — declaring such practices as "un-Islamic."


Father Roy Mathew, left, prays at a Catholic family's home before Christmas in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state. (Photo by Umer Asif) 

Such events not only changed Kashmir’s political discourse, but also made minority communities apprehensive about being targeted in the name of religion.
But, unlike, the local Hindu community, which at the onset of the armed insurgency fled the valley in droves, Christians remained along with their families.
Comprising about 50 families, the community remained scattered across the region, successfully avoiding being targeted during the turbulent era.
As life gradually returns to normal in this restive state, religious harmony is taking root with the new generation.
Father Roy Mathew said education has helped teach people the need to respect each religion and their beliefs.
"There are Muslims who greet us and we see local parishioners inviting their Muslims neighbors to take part in Christmas celebrations here," Father Mathew told ucanews.com.
For 13-year-old Aryan Disilva, Christmas means enjoying pastries and cakes with his Muslim friends.
"We spend the entire day together and my friends also accompany me to the church,"Aryan said.
The young boy sees no difference between Eid and Christmas in terms of festivity. "Both these festivals bring Christians and Muslims together. No religion permits violence and we must love humanity above all," Aryan told ucanews.com.
Waheed Gulzar, a local Muslim studying at Kashmir University, said he he looks forward to participating in Christmas celebrations with his Christian friend.
"We both spend the festivals of Eid and Christmas together. Our families always invite each other to come over," Gulzar told ucanews.com.
"As far as the people here are concerned, there are no rifts between native Muslims and Christians in Kashmir," he said.
Javaid Ahmad, a research scholar of Islamic Studies, said that in Kashmir’s history, there is not even a single instance where Muslims have expressed any ill will toward Christians.
"People here are aware that Christianity and Islam espouse the concept of egalitarianism, socio-economic fairness, as well as the basic guidelines of piety and moral uprightness," he said.
Ahmad noted that this year presents a unique scene of religious harmony as on Dec. 24, Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, followed by the observance of the birth of Jesus.

Indonesia's Christmas shrouded by terror

Indonesia's Christmas shrouded by terror

Fifteen years after deadly church attacks's Christians remain vulnerable

Christian worshipers attend Mass in Banda Aceh, in this 2013 file photo. Indonesian Christians are celebrating Christmas amid fears of attacks by Muslim extremists. (Photo by AFP)

For more than a decade now Christmas celebrations in Indonesia have been under tight security. As the holiday approaches in 2015, police and military begin to divide tasks as to who will provide security for which church.
Despite having accepted this as a normal activity — and it would certainly be suspicious if no police are seen in a church's vicinity — deep within the heart of every Christian, there is hope that this will end.
For the foreseeable future, the security measures will continue. The threat is always there, forcing authorities this year to deploy some 150,000 security personnel to provide a safe Christmas across the archipelago.
Indonesian Christmas services are prisoners of a violent past incident. On Christmas Eve 2000, dozens of churches were attacked simultaneously in scores of cities in Java, Sumatera, and Nusa Tenggara, killing dozens of people and injuring nearly a hundred others.
In Jakarta, five churches were attacked, including the Church of Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, St. Joseph Catholic Church and several Protestant churches.
The bombings were part of series of attacks orchestrated by the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), according to intelligence reports.
Former Jemaah Islamiyah military leader, Hambali — recognized as Southeast Asia's Osama bin Laden — confessed to U.S. investigators while in Guantanamo Bay prison that he funded the Christmas Eve attacks. He also funded the October 2002 Bali nightclub bombing that killed 202 — and the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta that claimed 12 lives.

An Indonesian police officer from the anti-terror and bomb squad patrols inside Messiah Cathedral in Jakarta in this Dec. 24, 2012 file photo. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim majority nation is beefing up security at churches this Christmas and New Year amid fears of attacks by Muslim extremists. (Photo by AFP)

JI out, IS in
After the 2005 killing of Azahari bin Husin — the terrorsit group's bomb expert — and the 2008 executions of leaders Imam Samudra, Amrozi Nurhasyim and Huda bin Abdul, as well as the death of Dulmatin in a 2010 police raid, threats began to phase out.
However, in December 2013 police chief Sutarman announced that there had been a new plot to stir chaos during Christmas celebrations. As the Islamic State group began to grow in Indonesia, Indonesian police and military doubled security at churches on Christmas Eve.
Even non-Muslims, particularly members of the youth wing of Nahdaltul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, responded immediately by protecting churches from possible attacks by radical groups.
Terrorism experts have warned the government that Islamic State jihadists are not bluffing when they issue threats. Security analysts say more than 100 trained jihadist have returned home from the Middle East to many parts of Indonesia.
Early this month, coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan unveiled an intelligence report detailing a planned attempt to create chaos during this year's Christmas celebrations. This was followed last week by a statement from Indonesian police chief Badrodin Haiti that said the anti-terror squad Densus 88 arrested nine terrors suspects, believed to be Islamic State jihadists.
In response, more than 150,000 security officers will provide protection for Christmas celebrations in more than 33.000 churches nationwide. Level one security alerts applies to 13 zones — Jakarta, North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and West Papua.
Apart from securing churches, police will also step-up security at other public facilities such as airports, seaports, train stations, shopping centers, and recreation areas.
Still in anticipation of Christmas, the Jakarta police and provincial administration recently cracked down on migrants hiding in apartments and boarding houses. In the past, terrorists used homes and apartments to create bombs. Anti-terror squads fear that a similar pattern will be used by IS groups before launching attacks.
Meanwhile, about 2,000 military personnel are being deployed over Christmas in Aceh's Singkil district, where Islamic law is strictly observed. In October, several Protestant and Catholics churches were burned by fundamentalists, forcing about 8,000 people to flee to neighboring North Sumatra province.
With these kind of threats — either from terrorists or fundamentalist groups — it is clear that terror will still haunt Christians during Christmas this year and years to come.
Will there be a time when there are no more threats or fears? Only God knows.
Siktus Harson is a reporter in ucanews.com's Indonesia bureau and is based in Jakarta.

O Emmanuel, the Nations are Waiting

O Emmanuel, the Nations are Waiting

Advent Antiphon
O Emmanuel,
the nations are waiting …
O come and save us.

Martin Heidegger
If I may answer quickly and perhaps somewhat vehemently, but from long reflection: Philosophy will not be able to bring about a direct change of the present state of the world. This is true not only of philosophy but of all merely human meditations and endeavors.
Only a god can still save us. I think the only possibility of salvation left to us is to prepare readiness, through thinking and poetry, for the appearance of the god or for the absence of the god during the decline; so that we do not, simply put, die meaningless deaths, but that when we decline, we decline in the face of the absent god. We cannot get him to come by thinking. At best we can prepare the readiness of expectation.…
The experience of this absence is not nothing, but rather a liberation of human beings from what I called the “fallenness into beings”….
The greatness of what is to be thought is too great for us today. Perhaps we can struggle with building narrow and not very far-reaching footbridges for a crossing….

From Der Spiegel (1976)

Karl Rahner SJ
Jesus Christ … is the initial beginning and the definitive triumph of the movement of the world’s self-transcendence into absolute closeness to the mystery of God…. The Incarnation of God is the unique and highest instance of the actualization of the essence of human reality.

From Theological Investigations Volume 7 (1971),

and Foundations of Christian Faith (1976)

Christmas and the injustices that causes poverty

Will we welcome or reject the refugee?

Manila:  Christmas is here, and we have to think what it means. It's much more than Santa Claus and consumerism. It's about compassion, love for the poor, and seeking justice in an unjust world. Jesus was sent to help change it. We must carry on this mission. We have to understand what that challenge is.

The world economic trade system is constantly depriving the poor of land and livelihood, fairness is excluded and corruption and exploitation take over the world. This evil system of unjust trade policies and practices is growing and has caused great damage to families. No less than Pope Francis himself condemned this unfettered liberal runaway economic system that causes such social and economic injustice. He, quoting a fourth century bishop and making the fat cat capitalists cringe, called it the "dung of the devil."

In the Philippines, it is said that 140 politically powerful families control Congress and consequently, the lives of 100 million Filipinos. St. Joseph is a representative of the many poor Filipinos who suffer from deprivation because of this unjust power system.

There was a great moment during the visit of Pope Francis to Bolivia when he spoke out and supported the rights of farmers and peasants. It was in the city of Santa Cruz where participants of the second world meeting of popular movements — an international group of organizations, mostly victims of oppression, globalization and multinational corporations — gathered.

Millions of poor are living outside the normal economy. They are mostly people on the peripheries of society — landless and displaced people, poor and unemployed — they are the voiceless. But Pope Francis gave them a voice heard around the world. He told the leaders that he stood with them in the demands for justice and social and economic inclusion. This is his mission of lifting up the downtrodden and sending the rich away empty-handed as we read in the Gospel song "Magnificat".

"Let us not be afraid to say it: we want change, real change, structural change," Francis, referring to the unjust globalization of the economic system that "has imposed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature," told the cheering crowds.

"This system is by now intolerable: farm workers find it intolerable, laborers find it intolerable, communities find it intolerable, peoples find it intolerable. The Earth itself — our sister, Mother Earth, as St. Francis would say — also finds it intolerable," he said.

At one point, the pope spoke against the unbridled capitalism that ran roughshod over the rights of the poor. This he called a new form of colonialism, which, like the Spanish empire, regrettably backed by the church, damaged native peoples and culture in the name of kings, emperors, and big traders.

"The new colonialism takes on different faces. At times it appears as the anonymous influence of mammon: corporations, loan agencies, certain 'free trade' treaties, and the imposition of measures of ‘austerity' which always tighten the belt of workers and the poor," the pope said.

The Gospel values of fairness and economic and social justice are very important today. We need to know how and why this is happening and what it means in the daily lives of the discarded and unwanted people. We need to wake up from apathy and fence-sitting and become involved in a mission to find and implement positive solutions.

Fair trade is one way to do this. It is a movement that creates an alternative way of doing business with fairness, honesty, profit-sharing and positive empowerment of the poor so that they can be educated and break the cycle of poverty.

In developed countries, as well as in developing countries, more people are producing goods and food under fair trade conditions, becoming avenues for fair earnings and social development projects. Fair trade brings together the producer and the consumer in a positive, respectful partnership; the buyer knows the producer and how the food or the products are produced.

The poor suffer depression of a kind that most citizens of developed countries and economies cannot understand. In developed countries, the poor and the jobless will have the social net of welfare and unemployment payment by the state. These benefits are unheard of in developing countries. In this ocean of unfair trading and economic activity, the rulers and the rich are the characters in the story of Jesus that contrasts the life of Dives, the filthy rich man in the palace at whose gates Lazarus begged for the crumbs that fell from the table.

The leftovers were all Lazarus wanted but Dives was so mean he would not give them from a loaded table that groaned from the weight of food. There, at the gates of heaven or hell-on-earth, depending on how one sees it, Lazarus died of his sores and ulcers. Only the dogs had pity and came to lick his sores. They had more compassion than the humans.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph had rejection, poverty and killers chasing them and they escaped as refugees to Egypt. Today, we see many refugees welcomed and others made unwelcome and rejected.

It's an image of our world today.

Irish Columban Father Shay Cullen established the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 to promote human rights and the rights of children, especially victims of sex abuse.

Source: UCAN

Christmas in Pakistan a time for joy, brotherhood, but also fear

Threats stemming from country's war on terror overshadow festive season.

Karachi:  Noman, Haroon, Samuel and Aftab are preparing a Christmas crib in a dark street of Essa Nagri, one of the largest Christian settlements in Karachi.

Unperturbed by the lack of electricity, the youngsters work to complete their tasks before dawn.

"We've been doing this for years," Aftab explained, as he placed his cellular phone in his mouth, using its light while tying string.

"We use our pocket money to buy what's needed to make a simple crib and decorate it with lights. By morning, it will be ready," Aftab told ucanews.com.

Nearby, another crib has been completed in the area known as the "City of Jesus," while a boy in Santa Claus costume explained that Christmas brings joy.



A time for brotherhood

The low-income neighborhood, which extends over 10 hectares, reflects inter-faith harmony.

While most residents are Christian, some Muslims, who have set up their shops, tea stalls and businesses, also live in the area.

Muhammad Nawaz, a barbershop owner, said he has been doing business in Essa Nagri for more than a decade without any problem. "All of my workers join Christians in Christmas cake-cutting celebrations," he pointed out.

Home to the largest Christian population in Karachi, Essa Nagri is estimated to have a population of 45,000 people, although some local leaders say that the number could be closer to 200,000.

Initially inhabited by a small group of Punjab-based Christians who came to Karachi to find work during the 1960s, Essa Nagri has now became the city's major shelter for the minority community.

It is protected with boundary walls erected in 2012 after a series of killings sparked fears of a communal clash between Christians and Muslims. The narrow streets are lined with small shops, fruit and vegetable vendors and small churches.

Although basic necessities are still lacking, Essa Negri becomes a hive of activity every December and almost every house has a well-decorated traditional coniferous Christmas tree.

Johnson Gill, 40, has been selling Christmas items for two decades and his centrally located shop is thriving.

"December is easily the best month of the year mainly due to Christmas sales," Gill explained as he attended a customer.

"Although our daily sales have risen significantly since the start of December, we will have no time to even scratch our heads after Dec. 20 when people begin to receive their monthly salaries," he said.



Christmas overshadowed by terrorism threats

Gill rejects fears of any threats in Essa Nagri. "We are safe. No major incident of terrorism has ever taken place here," he insisted.

Nevertheless, rangers and police will be deployed from Christmas Eve as precautionary security measures, he said.

Stephen Masih was not so sure. "Things have changed a lot. People no longer feel secure because of the overall law and order situation in the country."

Christians have also "borne the brunt of Pakistan's war against terrorism. In March this year, two Catholic churches in Lahore were attacked and many people lost their lives," he recalled, adding that many protests were held at Essa Nagri to express solidarity with the Lahore victims.

"Whenever any Christian is accused of blasphemy or a terror attack takes place, it somehow affects all of us. Many who could afford to do so have gone abroad to seek asylum while those who couldn't are trying to keep going quietly," Stephan, a government worker, lamented.

"In the past, people would come out and sing carols from Dec. 1, but now such activities start from mid-December," he said.

Meanwhile, state-run APP news agency quoted Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Minister for Interfaith Harmony and Religious Affairs, as saying that his ministry has started distributing funds and gifts among the Christian community.

"On this joyous occasion we should follow the philosophy of Jesus Christ based on love, brotherhood, peace and harmony in order to deal with issues like terrorism and extremism," he said.

The minister told media that instructions had been given to give Christian workers their salaries before Christmas so that they could fully participate in Christmas celebrations.

Source: UCAN

Climate change hits apple growers hard in Kashmir Valley

Producers in dire straits after unseasonal weather ruins consecutive harvests.

Srinagar:  Apple orchardist Ghulam Ahmad Hurra stumbles among the leafless trees on his devastated two hectare block of land in the Kashmir Valley of India's northern Jammu and Kashmir state.

In the latest indication of climate change, an unprecedented hailstorm coupled with untimely rain has wreaked havoc causing losses of 2 billion rupees (US$30 million) among local apple producers so far this year.

"The trees were flowering and the hailstorm has ruined this year's crop," Bashir Ahmad, president of the Kashmir fruit growers' association, told ucanews.com. "If the situation continues, apple production will be greatly affected."

This follows the destruction by flash floods of a major portion of last year's production, which caused losses of over 14.25 billion rupees.

Horticulture is the mainstay of the economy in Kashmir with 2.3 million people associated with the sector and 237,000 hectares of land in the valley under fruit cultivation.

From 1974 to 2009, areas devoted to apple production rose from 46,190 hectares to 133,2810 hectares.

However, unprecedented storms as well as rain and snowfall in the region are now threatening to limit production.

Whereas fruit growers reported record apple production of over 2.2 million tons in 2014, floods have restricted this year's crop to 1.3 million tons.

Ghulam Ahmad Hurra, a resident of Central Kashmir's Ganderbal area, blames climate change for the losses.

"Apple production may cease if present conditions persist," he warned.

Manzoor Ahmad Dar from South Kashmir's Tral area confirmed that apple production is suffering its worst ever decline.

"I have been in this field for 35 years and I have never witnessed such a situation," Dar told ucanews.com.

A recent study by the University of Agriculture in Kashmir on climate change in the valley revealed that early summer winds were causing great damage to flowering fruit trees.

Another study also showed that winter weather patterns have changed significantly, with recent snowfalls of less than one meter compared with more than two meters in previous years.

Javaid Ahmad, a young apple grower in central Kashmir's Budgam area, also blamed fickle weather conditions for damaging apple crops.

"I had great hopes from this business as my father used to be an apple grower. I watched him earn a good living but it seems that times have changed," he told ucanews.com.

Another grower, Irfan Yasin who has an orchard in north Kashmir's Sopore area, commonly known as Apple Town, also complained that profits have dried up with hailstorms and late frosts now routine.

Fayaz Ahmad Banday, head of the Department of Pomology at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences agreed that climate change in Kashmir has affected fruit production, particularly apples, which comprise over 80 percent of production in the region.

"Stone fruits bloom in the spring. Flowering months are crucial as they determine the formation of seed and fruit quality. As we have experienced precipitation in March, the production of these fruits will decline," he added.

Scientists in Kashmir have proposed that reliable weather forecasting technologies must be developed in order to deal with climate uncertainties.

Abdul Rehman Veeri, minister for horticulture in Jammu and Kashmir, told ucanews.com that rehabilitation of orchard owners and fruit growers affected by climate change has now become a humanitarian issue.

"We have submitted an estimated loss report to the federal government so that farmers will be compensated for losses they incurred this year owing to freakish weather and hailstorms," he stated.

Caritas India, which opened an office in Kashmir this year, is also planning to launch an awareness program for fruit growers regarding climate change in the region and the need for precautionary measures.

Altaf Lone, an active member of Caritas in Kashmir, said that the program will begin in March next year.

"We have seen much climate change impact in Kashmir. The program aims to assist farmers in creating proper infrastructure facilities so that weather damage to crops can be avoided in future," he added.

Source: UCAN

Parliament passes juvenile justice bill

It noted juvenile crime was being encouraged by the existing law.

New Delhi:  Parliament on Tuesday passed the juvenile justice bill, a day after members cutting across party lines agreed that the important legislation should be taken up immediately.

However, members of Left parties walked out of the Rajya Sabha before the bill was passed, demanding that it should be sent to a select committee of the house.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015 was passed by the Lok Sabha in May.

Asha Devi and Badrinath, parents of the 23-year-old paramedical student who was gang-raped by five men and a juvenile on a moving bus in Delhi on December 16, 2012, were present in the visitors' gallery as the Rajya Sabha took up the bill for discussion.

The bill provides for the trial of those between 16 and 18 years of age as adults for heinous offences. Also, anyone between the age of 16 and 18 who commits a less serious offence may be tried as an adult if he is apprehended after he attains the age of 21.

Giving out the bill's details, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said borstals -- a custodial institution for young offenders -- would be set up under the proposed law to house juveniles accused of heinous crimes.

Maneka Gandhi said juvenile crime was being encouraged by the existing law.

"Juveniles' involvement in crime is increasing the fastest. Children walk into police stations and say we have murdered... send us to a juvenile home," she said.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said juvenile convicts should not be kept in jail with "hardened criminals" and there should be a separate place for them.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, meanwhile, said the government had listed the bill several times in the monsoon session as well as the winter session but it could not be taken up.

"This law will not be applicable in retrospective," he said, which means it will not be applicable on the rape convict who has already been freed.

Members from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and DMK also questioned the hurry in passing the bill, suggesting that it may be sent to a select committee.

However, none of the notices to send the bill to a house panel were presented to Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury called it an emotional move.

"If tomorrow, a 15-year 11-month-old commits a crime, will you change the definition again? Today, ISIS is recruiting 14-15 year olds. Are we going to reduce the age from 18 to 16 to 14?" he asked.

"The culprit who has committed the horrendous crime, you cannot punish him. That sentiment of punishing him is there. These are matters that merit a certain consideration. Refer it to a select committee," he said.

Kurien, however, said there was no proposal to send the bill to a panel, after which members of the Left parties staged a walkout.

The bill was passed through voice vote after that.

The mother of the victim, who met Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday morning, said had the bill been passed earlier, the juvenile convict would not have walked free.

"He (juvenile convict) would not have been released if this bill had been passed six months ago. Though it has been delayed, we want this bill to be passed in parliament at the earliest," Asha Devi told reporters.

The juvenile, who was under 18 years of age when he was held with five other men for the brutal rape and murder, was tried under the Juvenile Justice Act. He was put in a remand home for three years, the maximum permissible under the legal provisions.

He was released from the correctional home on Sunday after completing his sentence, amid protests by the parents of the victim and others in the national capital.

IANS

Bhopal archbishop sees intolerance in country

The archbishop mentioned an attack on some Christians in Jabalpur by a mob that stormed a church alleging conversion.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal has said that intolerance had risen since the BJP came to power at the Centre, citing the example of the backlash Bollywood actor Aamir Khan faced after he voiced similar worries.

The prelate, who heads the Christian community in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, mentioned in his pre-Christmas message a sense of insecurity over such incidents and said he was dismayed at the way the actor was criticised.

"I think intolerance has grown in recent times, especially after the new government came at the Centre. Take the example of Aamir Khan, who had shared the concerns of his wife, but the way it was protested by those associated with politics was not fair," he said.

Leaders of the BJP and ally Shiv Sena had hit out at Khan after he said his wife Kiran Rao was disturbed enough to consider leaving India.

The archbishop mentioned a March attack on some Christians in Jabalpur by a mob that stormed a church alleging conversion.

Asked if he had faced intolerance in the state, he termed the Jabalpur incident "avoidable". State home minister Babulal Gaur denied any intolerance.

Source: telegraph India

Saints Tarsilla and Emiliana Virgins (Sixth Century)

Saints Tarsilla and Emiliana

Virgins
(Sixth Century)

Saints Tarsilla and Emiliana

Tarsilla and Emiliana were two paternal aunts of Saint Gregory the Great, and it is this holy Pope who narrates their touching story. They renounced the world together, together consecrated their virginity to God and remained in their house as if in a convent, far removed from the conversation of the world. Encouraging one another to virtue by discourse and example, the two sisters soon made considerable progress in spiritual life.
They had a sister named Gordiana, who had taken the same engagements, but little by little fell back into affection for the world, to the great grief of Tarsilla and Emiliana. With gentleness they reproached her, but the inconstant spirit of Gordiana soon forgot their charitable lessons. One day Tarsilla had a vision, in which Pope Saint Felix, her uncle, appeared to her and showed her a palace of marvelous beauty, saying to her: Come; I will receive you into this habitation of light. She fell ill with a fever the next day, which rapidly grew worse. While in her agony, with her eyes lifted to heaven, she cried out to those surrounding her, Make way! Jesus is coming! Soon after speaking these words, as she gazed at the vision, her soul was delivered from the bonds of the flesh. It was December 24^th. The fragrance with which the room was filled confirmed the vision the virgin had had before dying.
A few days afterwards she appeared to her sister Emiliana, saying: My sister, come! I did not celebrate with you the birth of the Lord, but together we will celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. If you call only me, Emiliana replied, what will become of our sister Gordiana? Come, Tarsilla answered sadly; Gordiana has decided to remain with the worldlings. And after that vision, Emiliana fell ill and joined her sister for the feast day.

Saint Servulus of Rome Invalid and Beggar († 670)

Saint Servulus of Rome

Invalid and Beggar
(† 670)

Saint Servulus of Rome

Saint Servulus was a perfect model of submission to the divine Will; it would be difficult to offer a more consoling example to persons afflicted by poverty, illnesses and the other miseries of life. It is Saint Gregory the Great who narrates for us his edifying story:
We have seen under the portico of the Church of Saint Clement, a poor man named Servulus, who is known to all the people of Rome as to Us. He was deprived of all the goods of this world; a long illness had reduced him to a pitiful state. From his youth he was paralyzed in all his members. Not only could he not stand up, but he was unable to rise from his bed; he could neither sit down nor turn himself from one side to the other, nor bring his hand to his mouth. Nothing in him was sound except his eyes, ears, tongue, stomach and entrails.
This unfortunate man, who had learned the mysteries of religion, meditated unceasingly on the sufferings of the Saviour, and never did he complain. He was surrounded by the loving care of his mother and brother. Neither the mother nor the children had ever studied, yet the paralytic had pious books bought for himself, in particular the Psalms and the Holy Gospels, and he would ask the religious who came to visit him on his cot to read from them to him. In this way he learned these books by heart; he spent days and part of the nights in singing or reciting them, and meditating them, and he constantly thanked the Lord for having taken him to be a victim associated with the pains and sufferings of Jesus Christ.
Many alms came to the little house of the paralytic, to such an extent that he became rich in his poverty. After having taken from these what was necessary for his subsistence and that of his mother, he gave the rest to the indigent, who often assembled around him to be edified by his words and his virtues. His bed of pain was a pulpit of preaching, from which he converted souls.
When the time came which was decreed by God to reward his patience and put an end to his painful life, Servulus felt the paralysis spreading to the vital parts of his body, and he prepared for death. At the final moment, he asked those in attendance to recite Psalms with him. Suddenly he cried out:Ah! Don't you hear that melody resounding in heaven?' At that moment his soul escaped from his body, which until his burial gave forth a marvelous fragrance.

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CNI celebrates festival of peace on Christmas

The CNI’s Delhi diocese along with its institutions and churches of other denominations joined the celebrations.

With an aim to bring the message of love and joy to the citizens of Delhi, the Church of North India (CNI) organized a festival to promote peace on the occasion of Christmas.

The CNI’s Delhi diocese along with its institutions and churches of other denominations joined the celebrations during the “Aman Ka Utsav” in the national capital on Dec. 19.

"Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" a skit to sensitize people on social issues was staged by the children of St. Thomas Girls H.S. School.

About twelve choirs representing different churches and prominent institutions of Delhi presented Christmas carols.

“It is an opportunity to pray for the whole nation especially for the president as well as the prime minister of India that the God blesses them to lead this great nation on the path of peace, prosperity and communal harmony," Alwyn Masih, General Secretary of CNI Synod said.

He said that Christmas, the celebration of birth of Jesus, is the good news of great joy, to all humanity.

However, how can one share in that justice, righteousness and joy when millions of people on earth are in bondage to poverty, ignorance and disease, he said.

Press Release

Mother Teresa has been like god for me: Cured cancer patient

Her cure was recognised by the Vatican and the nun was beatified in 2003 as the "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".

Kolkata:  As the world celebrates the Vatican approving sainthood for Mother Teresa, a 50-year-old woman, whose "miracle" cure from cancer was instrumental in the 2003 papal recognition that the nun has entered heaven, says the Nobel laureate has been more of a god for her for the past 17 years.

Diagnosed with ovarian tumour and apprehending death, Monica Besra says she was "miraculously cured" in 1998 after prayers on the first anniversary of Mother Teresa's death.

"When I looked at Mother's picture, I saw rays of white light coming out from her eyes. Then I fell unconscious. When I woke up the next morning, the lump was gone," the tribal woman from West Bengal's South Dinajpur district told IANS, remembering the fateful night of September 5, 1998

"She has been like god for me, a saint for me. It's great news that she will be declared a saint now," said Besra, who now lives with her five children in Nakor village, some 400 km from Kolkata.

Besra's cure was subsequently recognised by the Vatican and the nun was beatified in 2003 as the "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta" -- the first step towards sainthood.

Having attended Mother's beatification ceremony, Besra wishes to attend her canonisation expected to take place in 2016.

"It's all for Mother that I am living a healthy and happy life. My life would be fulfilled if I can attend her sainthood ceremony," said Besra, who has been crying in joy ever since the announcement that Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle and approved her canonisation.

While Besra and many others have been rejoicing over Mother Teresa's elevation as a saint, the Science and Rationalists' Association of India (SRAI), an organisation promoting rational thinking, has opposed the canonisation contending it will spread superstitions.

SRAI president Prabir Ghosh, who has dismissed Besra's 'miracle cure' as propaganda by the Missionaries of Charity, said that while Mother Teresa rightly deserves sainthood for her service to mankind, attributing miracles to her would be "criminal".

"Living in the 21st century, when science has made so much progress and people are planning for space tourism, what can be more ironical and equally damaging that something like a miracle is being promoted.

"If she is bestowed with sainthood for her service to mankind, it will be a great thing. But to attribute miracles to her is criminal. It will only spread superstitions and take people away from medical science," Ghosh told IANS.

Ghosh, who has extensively campaigned against Besra's claims of a miraculous cure, is mulling to do the same again this time.

"We have already proved that Besra was healed because of extensive medical treatment and not because of any miracle. I know my opposition to her sainthood will create controversy but it is my duty to promote rational thinking.

"We cannot allow this farce of sainthood, and spreading false stories of magic cure which would only mislead our poor common people," he added.

IANS

Kerala sets world record in making human Christmas tree

This human Christmas tree broke the record set in Honduras last year.

File photo.

Thiruvananthapuram:  Kerala has set a new Guinness World Record for the 'largest human Christmas tree' in the world.

According to media reports, the tree had as many as 4,030 people who gathered at the municipality stadium in Chengannur, Alappuzha on Dec. 20.

People, who came to the stadium in large numbers, occupied places that were designated to them, wearing different attires. The event, that began in the afternoon, ended by 5 pm.

This human Christmas tree broke the record set in Honduras last year that has as many as 2,945 people.

The record was announced by Guinness Book of World Records representative Praveen Patel.

END

Vijayawada gets new bishop

The seat of the Vijayawada Diocese has been vacant since 2012.

Fr. Joseph Raja Rao

Vatican City:  Pope Francis today appointed Fr. ‎Joseph Raja Rao Thelegathoti as the new bishop of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.

Fr. Thelegathoti is currently serving as the Bangalore Provincial Superior of the Montfort Missionaries (SMM).

The seat of the Vijayawada diocese has been vacant since 2012 after Pope Benedict transferred Bishop ‎Prakash Mallavarapu to the Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam.

Born on March 8, 1952, at Peddautapally, ‎ Fr. Thelegathoti entered the Minor Seminary of St. Ambrose at Nuzvid after obtaining a B.A. degree.

As a Montfort novice he studied philosophy at ‎St. Peter’s Papal Seminary di Bangalore, and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Later, he obtained a licentiate in Biblical Theology from Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore, India, and a doctorate in Spiritual Theology from Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.

After taking his final vows as member of the Montfort Missionaries on Jan. 31, 1980, he was ordained a priest on June 7, 1980.

After his ordination he held several posts, among them is he post of the rector of the Montfort minor seminary and the Montfort theologate in Bangalore, and in the province as well as in the general house in Rome.

Source: Vatican Radio

செய்திகள்-21.12.15

செய்திகள்-21.12.15

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1. திருப்பீட நிர்வாகிகளுக்கு திருத்தந்தை உரை

2. பெற்றோர், பிள்ளைகள்மீது காட்டும் அன்பே விலைமதிப்பில்லாப் பரிசு

3. முஸ்லிம் சிறுமி உருவாக்கிய கிறிஸ்மஸ் குடில்

4. இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவைச் சந்திக்கும் வியப்பை உணர்வோம்

5. இந்தியாவில் கடும் வெள்ளத்தால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்காகச் செபம்

6. சிரியா, லிபியா, நிக்கராகுவா, கோஸ்டா ரிக்காவில் அமைதிக்கு அழைப்பு

7. உலக மனித ஒருமைப்பாட்டுத் தினம்

8. சிறுபான்மை இனத்தவரைக் கொல்வது இனப்படுகொலை

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1. திருப்பீட நிர்வாகிகளுக்கு திருத்தந்தை உரை

டிச.21,2015. திருப்பீட தலைமையகத்திற்குத் தேவைப்படும் இன்றியமையாத கூறுகளை வலியுறுத்திய அதேவேளை, இரக்கத்தின் யூபிலி ஆண்டு சுட்டிக்காட்டும் நன்றியுணர்வு, புதுப்பித்தல், தவம், ஒப்புரவு ஆகியவற்றின் பாதையைப் பின்செல்லுமாறு திருப்பீட நிர்வாகப் பொறுப்பிலுள்ளவர்களிடம் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

வத்திக்கானிலுள்ள கிளமெந்தினா அறையில் திருப்பீட நிர்வாகத்தில் பொறுப்பில் உள்ளவர்களைச் சந்தித்து கிறிஸ்மஸ் வாழ்த்துக்களைத் தெரிவித்து நீண்ட உரையாற்றிய திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், கடந்த சில நாள்களாக எனக்கு காய்ச்சல், அதனால் நாற்காலியில் அமர்ந்துகொண்டு உரை வழங்குகிறேன், மன்னிக்கவும் எனவும் தெரிவித்தார். கடந்த ஆண்டு இதே சந்திப்பில் திருப்பீட தலைமையகத்தைப் பாதித்திருந்த 15 நோய்கள் பற்றிக் கூறினேன், இன்று அதற்கான நோய் எதிர்ப்பு மருந்துகளையும் கூறுகிறேன் என்றுரைத்த திருத்தந்தை, திருப்பீட தலைமையகத்தில் நாம் சந்தித்த துர்மாதிரிகைகள் வேதனையை அளித்தாலும், திருப்பீடச் சீர்திருத்தங்கள், மேலும் மிக உறுதியோடும், பொறுப்புணர்வோடும் தொடர்ந்து இடம்பெறும் என்றும் கூறினார்.

பரிந்துரைகள் மற்றும் இலஞ்சத்தை எப்படி எதிர்கொள்வது, ஆன்மாக்களைப் புண்படுத்தி, நம் சான்று வாழ்வின் நம்பகத்தன்மையை அச்சுறுத்தும் துர்மாதிரிகைகளையும், அதிகாரத்துவப் பாணியில் செயலாற்றுவதையும் எவ்வாறு தவிர்ப்பது என்பது பற்றியும் விளக்கினார் திருத்தந்தை. மேலும், நன்மைபுரிவதை அழிக்கும் கோட்பாடாக மாறும் உண்மையில்லாத பிறரன்பு, அன்பில்லாத உண்மை நேர்மையற்ற தீர்ப்புக்கு இட்டுச்செல்லும்.. என்று, மறைப்பணி, கனிவு உட்பட பல கூறுகளைக் குறிப்பிட்டுப் பேசினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ். இறுதியில், அருளாளர் ஆஸ்கர் ரொமேரோ அவர்களுக்கு அர்ப்பணிக்கப்பட்ட செபத்தோடு இவ்வுரையை நிறைவு செய்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ். நாம் அனைவரும் உழைப்பாளர்கள், கட்டட மேலாளர்கள் அல்ல, நாம் பணியாளர்கள், மெசியா அல்ல. நமக்குச் சொந்தமில்லாத எதிர்காலத்தின் இறைவாக்கினர்கள் நாம் என்று இச்செபம் நிறைவடைகின்றது. 

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

2. பெற்றோர், பிள்ளைகள்மீது காட்டும் அன்பே விலைமதிப்பில்லாப் பரிசு

டிச.21,2015. பெற்றோர், பிள்ளைகளுக்கு வழங்கும் மிகவும் விலைமதிப்பில்லாத பரிசு பொருள்கள் அல்ல, மாறாக, அவர்கள் பிள்ளைகள்மீது காட்டும் அன்பே என்று வத்திக்கான் பணியாளர்களிடம் இத்திங்களன்று கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

இத்திங்கள் நண்பகலில் அருளாளர் திருத்தந்தை 6ம் பவுல் அரங்கத்தில், வத்திக்கானில் பணியாற்றும் அனைவரையும், அவர்களின் குடும்பத்தினருடன் சந்தித்து கிறிஸ்மஸ் வாழ்த்துக்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டு உரையாற்றிய திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், வத்திக்கானில் பணியாற்றும் அனைவருக்கும் தனது நன்றியைத் தெரிவித்தார்.

வத்திக்கானில் இடம்பெற்ற துர்மாதிரிகைகளுக்கு மன்னிப்புக் கேட்ட திருத்தந்தை, வத்திக்கான் பணியாளர்கள், தங்களின் திருமண வாழ்வை மேம்படுத்தி, பிள்ளைகளோடு நல்லுறவை வளர்த்துக் கொள்ளும் பண்பை, எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் மேலாக, முதல் காரியமாகச் செய்யுமாறு கேட்டுக்கொண்டார்.

பிள்ளைகள் முதிர்ச்சிப் பண்பில் வளர்வதற்கு அவர்களுடன் உரையாடல் நடத்துமாறும், தாத்தா பாட்டிகளையும், வயதானவர்களையும் அன்புடன் பராமரிக்குமாறும், பிள்ளைகள் வளர்ப்பில் தாத்தா பாட்டிகளின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை உணருமாறும் பரிந்துரைத்தார் திருத்தந்தை. குடும்பத்தில் சண்டை சச்சரவுகள் ஏற்பட்டாலும், அன்றைய நாள் மாலைக்குள் சமாதானம் செய்துகொள்ள வேண்டுமென்பதை மறக்கக் கூடாது, இந்தப் பனிப்போர் அடுத்த நாளைக்குத் தொடரக் கூடாது, அடுத்த நாளைக்கு அந்தப் பனிப்போரைத் தொடர அனுமதிப்பது, மிகவும் ஆபத்தானது என்றும், இச்சந்திப்பில் கலந்துகொண்ட திருமணமான தம்பதியரிடம் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்

திருமணத்தின் அடிப்படைக் கூறு, திருமண வாழ்வையும், பிள்ளைகளையும் பராமரிப்பதாகும் என்றுரைத்த திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், அன்றாட வாழ்வில் கணவருக்கும் மனைவிக்கும் இடையே, பெற்றோருக்கும், பிள்ளைகளுக்கும் இடையே, சகோதர சகோதரிகளுக்கு இடையே இரக்கப்பண்பு விளங்க வேண்டும் என்றும் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

3. முஸ்லிம் சிறுமி உருவாக்கிய கிறிஸ்மஸ் குடில்

டிச.21,2015. சனவரி முதல் நாள் மாலை 5 மணிக்கு உரோம் தூய மேரி மேஜர் பசிலிக்காவில் புனிதக் கதவைத் திறந்து வைத்து திருப்பலி நிறைவேற்றுவார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

இறைவனின் அன்னையாம் புனித கன்னி மரியாவின் விழா நாளும், 49வது உலக அமைதி நாளுமான சனவரி முதல் தேதியன்று தூய மேரி மேஜர் பசிலிக்காவில் புனிதக் கதவைத் திறந்து வைப்பார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

மேலும், ஈசா என்ற ஒரு முஸ்லிம் சிறுமி உருவாக்கிய கிறிஸ்மஸ் குடிலை, கடந்த புதன் பொது மறைக்கல்வி உரையின் இறுதியில் ஆசிர்வதித்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ். சிற்பி Gilberto Perlotto அவர்களின் உதவியுடன், குறைந்தது 103 நாடுகளைச் சேர்ந்த 208 மரத்துண்டுகளால், இக்குடிலை உருவாக்கியிருக்கிறார் சிறுமி ஈசா.

இம்மரத்துண்டுகள், போர் மற்றும் குற்ற வன்முறைகள் இடம்பெறும் இடங்கள், இயற்கை அல்லது மனிதர் காரணமாக இடம்பெற்ற பேரிடர்ப் பகுதிகளிலிருந்து கொண்டுவரப்பட்டவை. வட இத்தாலியின் வெனெத்தோ மாநிலத்தில் Pedavenaவில் துன்புறும் சிறார்க்கென அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள வில்லா சான் பிரான்சிஸ்கோ இல்லத்தில் வாழ்கின்ற சிறுமி ஈசா இக்குடிலை அமைத்துள்ளார். 

இந்தக் குடில் அமைக்கப்பட்ட முறை குறித்து கேள்விப்பட்ட திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், அக்குடிலின் முன்பாக சிறிது நேரம் அமைதியாகச் செபித்து ஆசிர்வதித்தார். மேலும், இக்குடில் திருத்தந்தைக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்திருந்தது என்றும் வத்திக்கான் அதிகாரிகள் கூறினர்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

4. இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவைச் சந்திக்கும் வியப்பை உணர்வோம்

டிச.21,2015. கடவுளின் மாபெரும் கொடையாகிய இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவைச் சந்திக்கும்போது கிடைக்கும் வியப்பை உணர்வோம் என்று இஞ்ஞாயிறு மூவேளை செப உரையில் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

திருவருகைக் காலத்தின் நான்காம் ஞாயிறு நற்செய்தி வாசகத்தை மையமாக வைத்து மூவேளை செப உரை வழங்கிய திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், கடவுளின் வியப்புப் பற்றியும், மனித சமுதாயத்தை மீட்பதற்காக இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவை அவர் அனுப்பிய அவரது மாபெரும் கொடை பற்றியும் பேசினார்.

இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவின் பிறப்பு, கொடைகளில் எல்லாம் சிறந்த கொடை என்றும், தகுதியற்ற நமக்கு அவர் கொணர்ந்துள்ள மீட்பு, இயேசுவைச் சந்திப்பதில் கிடைக்கும் வியப்பை உணரச் செய்கின்றது என்றும் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை.

அடுத்த மனிதரில், வரலாற்றில், திருஅவையில் இயேசுவைச் சந்திக்காவிட்டால், அவரைச் சந்திப்பதன் வியப்பை நம்மால் கொண்டிருக்க இயலாது என்றுரைத்த திருத்தந்தை, அடுத்த மனிதர், வரலாறு, திருஅவை ஆகிய மூன்று வியப்பின் இடங்கள் பற்றி விளக்கினார்.

"கிறிஸ்மஸை அர்த்தமுள்ள வகையில் சிறப்பிக்க வேண்டுமெனில் வியப்பின் இடங்களில் குடியிருக்க நாம் அழைக்கப்படுகிறோம். நம் அன்றாட வாழ்வில் இந்த  வியப்பின் இடங்களில் எவை? முதல் இடம், நம்முடன் வாழும் மனிதர்கள். ஏனெனில் இயேசுவின் பிறப்பிலிருந்து, ஒவ்வொரு மனிதரின் முகமும் இறைமகனின் சாயலைத் தாங்கியுள்ளது. இந்தச் சாயலை குறிப்பாக ஏழைகளின் முகத்தில் காண்கிறோம். காரணம், கடவுள் இந்த உலகில் ஏழையாக நுழைந்தார். ஏழைகள் தம்மை முதலில் பார்க்க அனுமதித்தார். இரண்டாவது வியப்பின் இடம் வரலாறு. அதை விசுவாசக் கண்கொண்டு நோக்கினால் இந்த உண்மை புரியும். பல நேரங்களில் இதைச் சரியாகவே புரிந்துகொள்கிறோம். ஆனால், இந்த உலகம், பொருளாதாரச் சந்தையால் தீர்மானிக்கப்பட்டு, நிதி அமைப்பால் கட்டுப்படுத்தப்பட்டு, அதிகார வர்க்கத்தால் ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தப்படும்போது வரலாறு பற்றிய நமது பார்வை பின்னோக்கிச் செல்கிறது. ஆனால் கிறிஸ்மஸ் கடவுள் இவை அனைத்தையும் புரட்டிப் போடுகிறார். எவ்வாறெனில், அன்னை மரியா பாடியதுபோன்று, வலியவர் அரியணையினின்று இறக்கப்படுவர், எளியோர் உயர்த்தப்படுவர், பசித்திருப்பவர் பல நலன்களால் நிரப்பப்படுவர், செல்வர் வெறுங்கையராய் அனுப்பப்படுவர். மூன்றாவது வியப்பின் இடம் திருஅவை. இதை ஒரு சமய நிறுவனமாக நோக்காமல், ஒரு தாயாக நோக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

கடவுள் தமது அனைத்து மகிழ்வாக இருந்த தம் ஒரேயொரு மகனை நமக்கு அளித்ததன் வழியாக, அவர் தம்மையே நம் அனைவருக்கும் அளித்தார், சீயோனின் தாழ்மையும் ஏழையுமான மரியா, மிக உன்னதமானவரின் திருமகனின் தாயாக மாறினார் என்றும் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை.

கடவுளின் மாபெரும் கொடையையும், முன்னரே தெரிந்துகொள்ள முடியாத அவரின் வியப்பையும் உணர்ந்து கொள்வதற்கு அன்னை மரியாவின் உதவியை நாடுவோம் என்றும் திருப்பயணிகளிடம் கூறினார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

5. இந்தியாவில் கடும் வெள்ளத்தால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்காகச் செபம்

டிச.21,2015. இஞ்ஞாயிறு மூவேளை செப உரையின் இறுதியில், இந்தியாவில் கடும் வெள்ளத்தால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மக்களுக்காக அனைவரும் செபிப்போம் என்று சொல்லி, வத்திக்கான் தூய பேதுரு வளாகத்தில் கூடியிருந்த ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மக்களுடன் சேர்ந்து அருள் நிறைந்த மரியே என்ற செபத்தைச் செபித்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

கடும் வெள்ளத்தால் அண்மையில் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட அன்புக்குரிய இந்திய மக்களை இந்நேரத்தில் நினைக்கின்றேன் என்றுரைத்த திருத்தந்தை, இந்த இயற்கைப் பேரிடரில் உயிரிழந்தவர்களுக்கு இறைவன் நிறைசாந்தியை அளிக்குமாறும் செபிப்போம் என்று கேட்டுக்கொண்டார்.

சென்னையில் அண்மையில் இடம்பெற்ற கடும் வெள்ளத்தால் அந்நகரின் 48 இலட்சம் மக்களில் பெருமளவினர் நோயின் அச்சுறுத்தலுக்கு உள்ளாகியுள்ளனர். மேலும் மழை பெய்யக்கூடும் என்று வானிலை அறிக்கை கூறுகின்றது.

இன்னும், தங்கள் குடில்களில் வைக்கும் பாலன் இயேசு திருவுருவங்களை, இம்மூவேளை செப உரைக்குக் கொண்டு வந்திருந்த உரோம் மற்றும் அந்நகரைச் சுற்றியுள்ள இடங்களின் சிறாரை வாழ்த்தியதோடு தனக்காகச் செபிக்குமாறும் அச்சிறாரைக் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

6. சிரியா, லிபியா, நிக்கராகுவா, கோஸ்டா ரிக்காவில் அமைதிக்கு அழைப்பு

டிச.21,2015. சிரியா, லிபியா, நிக்கராகுவா, கோஸ்டா ரிக்கா ஆகிய நாடுகளில் அமைதி நிலவவும் இஞ்ஞாயிறு மூவேளை செப உரையின் இறுதியில் அழைப்பு விடுத்தார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

போரினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள சிரியாவில் அமைதியை ஏற்படுத்துவதற்கு அனைத்துலக சமுதாயத்தால் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ள உடன்பாட்டை தான் பாராட்டுவதாகத் தெரிவித்த திருத்தந்தை, நம்பிக்கை நிறைந்த விருப்பத்துடனும், மனத்தாராள உணர்வுடனும் இந்த அமைதிப் பாதையில் தொடர்ந்து செயல்படுமாறு விண்ணப்பித்தார்.

ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் நிறுவனத்தின் ஆதரவுடன் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ள சிரியா குறித்த அமைதித் திட்டம் செயல்படுத்தப்படுவதற்கு, அனைத்துலக சமுதாயம் தெளிவான நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபடுமாறும் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

மேலும், லிபியாவில் தேசிய ஒன்றிப்பு அரசு, அண்மையில் கொண்டுவந்துள்ள திட்டம் அந்நாட்டின் எதிர்காலத்தில் நம்பிக்கையைக் கொண்டுவந்துள்ளது, இத்திட்டம் வெற்றியடையுமாறும் செபிக்கக் கேட்ட திருத்தந்தை, நிக்கராகுவா மற்றும் கோஸ்டா ரிக்கா நாடுகளுக்கிடையே சிதைந்திருந்த உறவுகள் சீர்செய்யப்படுமாறும் கூறினார்.

இவ்விரு நாடுகளுக்கிடையே இடம்பெற்ற எல்லைப் பிரச்சனைக்குக் கடந்த வாரத்தில்  பன்னாட்டு நீதிமன்றம் தீர்ப்பு வழங்கியது பற்றிக் குறிப்பிட்டு, உரையாடல் மற்றும் ஒத்துழைப்பு வழியாக இவ்விரு நாடுகளும் உடன்பிறந்த உணர்வை வளர்த்துக்கொள்ளுமாறும் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

7. உலக மனித ஒருமைப்பாட்டுத் தினம்

டிச.21,2015. ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் நிறுவனத்தின் 2030ம் ஆண்டின் புதிய வளர்ச்சித் திட்ட இலக்கை செயல்படுத்துவதில் தீவிரம்காட்டி அனைவருக்கும் நல்லதோர் எதிர்காலத்தை அமைத்துக் கொடுப்பதற்கு முயற்சிப்போம் என்று ஐ.நா.பொதுச் செயலர் பான் கி மூன் அவர்கள் கூறினார்.

டிசம்பர் 20, இஞ்ஞாயிறன்று கடைப்பிடிக்கப்பட்ட உலக மனித ஒருமைப்பாட்டுத் தினத்திற்கென வெளியிட்ட செய்தியில் இவ்வாறு கேட்டுள்ளார் பான் கி மூன்

உலகளாவிய ஒருமைப்பாட்டுணர்வின் அடிப்படையில் மனிதரின் வளர்ச்சி மற்றும் வளமைக்கு ஒத்துழைப்பு வழங்க உலகத் தலைவர்கள் இசைவு தெரிவித்திருப்பதைக் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ள பான் கி மூன் அவர்கள், பாரிசில் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்ட காலநிலை மாற்றம் தொடர்பான ஒப்பந்தமும், இப்பூமியின் மற்றும் அதன் மக்களுக்காக ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்ட முக்கியமான ஒரு மைல்கல் என்றும் கூறினார்

ஆதாரம் : UN/வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

8. சிறுபான்மை இனத்தவரைக் கொல்வது இனப்படுகொலை

டிச.21,2015. ஈராக் மற்றும் சிரியாவில் ஐ.எஸ். இஸ்லாமிய அரசு அமைப்பால், சிறுபான்மை மதத்தினர் சித்திரவதைக்கு ஆளாக்கப்படுவதையும், கொலை செய்யப்படுவதையும், ஓர் இனப்படுகொலை என்று கருதவேண்டும் என்று ஐ.நா.விடம் அழுத்தம் கொடுக்குமாறு, பிரிட்டனின் அறுபதுக்கும் அதிகமான நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் பிரதமர் டேவிட் கேமரூன் அவர்களிடம் கோரியுள்ளனர்.

யஜிதிகள் போன்ற சிறுபான்மை மதத்தினர் மற்றும் கிறிஸ்தவர்களுக்கு எதிரான, திட்டமிட்ட பாலியல் வன்செயல்கள், கடத்தல்கள் மற்றும் ஒட்டுமொத்த படுகொலைகளில் ஐ.எஸ் அமைப்பு ஈடுப்பட்டுள்ளதற்கான ஆதாரத்தை நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் பிரதமருக்கு எழுதிய தங்களின் கடிதத்தில் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளனர்.

இந்த விடயம் தொடர்பாக உடனடியாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட்டு, அவர்கள் புரிந்துவரும் கொடூரங்களுக்குத் தண்டிக்கப்படுவார்கள் என்ற செய்தி ஐ.எஸ் அமைப்பினரைச் சென்றடைய வேண்டும் என்றும் அக்கடிதம் கோருகிறது.

இதற்கிடையே, சிரியாவில் ஐ.எஸ் இஸ்லாமிய அரசின் ஆயுதக் குழுவினர் அமெரிக்கா தலைமையிலான கூட்டு நாடுகளால் தோற்கடிக்கப்பட்டால், அக்குழுவின் வெற்றிடத்தை நிரப்ப குறைந்தது 15 கிளர்ச்சிக் குழுக்கள் தயாராக உள்ளதாக புதிய ஆய்வொன்று கூறுகின்றது.

ஆதாரம் : பிபிசி/வத்திக்கான் வானொலி