Timor-Leste bishop tells couples to stay true to their faith

Strong families are built through prayer, fidelity, good communication, Bishop da Silva says.

Dili:  The church in Timor-Leste honored long-married couples on Pentecost Sunday with a reminder that strong Christian families are built upon prayer, good communication, fidelity and love, not through verbal or physical abuse.

"Spouses are the role model in family and society and they must always articulate the promises they made when they received the Sacrament of Matrimony," said Bishop Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili during May 15 Mass in Dili's Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The Mass coincided with the International Day of Families.

During the Mass, some 20 couples, 10 married for 25 years and 10 for 50 years, were honored for their faith and fidelity to their families. The couples were selected by a committee led by First Lady Isabel da Costa Ferreira.

"We should follow their example," said Ferreira, wife to Timor-Leste President Taur Matan Ruak and mother of three children.

"Always say thank you and sorry when you make a mistake. And face family issues and differences with a cool head, not through physical violence," she said.

Domestic violence remains an issue in Timor-Leste, according to data by the Timor-Leste Women's Communication Forum. The forum said that from 2007-2012 there were 956 cases reported.

Ferreira reminded young couples to start establishing good communication and harmony. "Avoid arrogance," she said.

Joao da Cruz, 89, and his wife Florinda, 79, who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, received a certificate of recognition from Ruak.

"This award is a symbol for my entire family, for our children and grandchildren," said da Cruz, who has eight children and "about 50 grandchildren."

"I hope young families stick to their marriage vows and be faithful to their spouses, in joy and sorrow," he said.

"Stay closer through prayer. This will keep you united," said da Cruz.

Source: UCAN

Catholic villagers in fear after blasphemy allegation

Businessman in Pakistan offers large reward for death of man accused of watching anti-Islam video.

Pakistani Catholics attend a prayer service for 70 people killed by a terrorist bomb attack on a Lahore amusement park during Easter. In a rural village not far from Lahore, a Catholic community is currently living in fear because of a blasphemy allegation. (Photo by AFP)

Lahore:  A tense calm has taken hold of a village in Pakistan's Punjab province following accusation of blasphemy against a local Catholic.

The village — Chak No. 44 — is located in Mandi Bahauddin district, some 125 kilometers from Lahore, the province's capital.

Intelligence officers, dressed as common civilians, roam the village's dusty streets to deal with any potential mob violence against the village's 300 Catholics.

In response to an allegation that a local Catholics janitor watched an anti-Muslim video on YouTube, the local imam instructed the village's Muslims to boycott the Catholic community.

"We cannot buy anything from the shops, Catholics farmers are not being hired for work. They are only surviving on stored wheat grain," said one local, Amir Ayub.

Ayub said he has also been threatened because he called the police about the boycott call that he heard coming from mosque loudspeakers during April 29 Friday prayers.

Muslim villagers have also threatened the Catholics to convert or leave.

The janitor, Imran Masih, was earlier beaten and locked up by local Muslims, April 19.

Local Catholics later released Masih who remains in hiding despite police refusing to register a blasphemy case against him.

A local Muslim businessman Irshad Jhakar announced 1 million rupees (US$10,000) reward for killing Masih.

District police officer Yasir Gondal said some people are trying to exaggerate the situation on social media.

"Imran Masih is innocent," Gondal said.

"Human rights organizations are visiting the area as Christians sleep peacefully in their houses," the police officer said.

An interfaith committee is also liaising with village elders to resolve the situation, the police officer said.

Despite assurances, several Catholics have fled the area fearing mob violence.

The Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace in the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi is reviewing the situation and coordinating with journalists to keep up to date with developments.

Saeeda Deep, founder of the Institute of Peace and Secular Studies, visited several Catholic families in the village on May 13.

"They are very hesitant and afraid. Serious intervention by civil society, not mere reporting, is needed. Police cannot stay in the village forever," Saeeda said adding that 90 percent of such blasphemy related cases are driven by a property dispute.

"But we cannot build enough pressure because civil society is not permitted to hold protests against the blasphemy law," she said.

The penalty for blasphemy in Pakistan is either life imprisonment or execution.

Mere accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan have caused deadly violence against Christians and the desecration of churches in the past.

Two top officials, a Christian minister and a Muslim governor, have been assassinated after calling for reforms to the laws to prevent misuse.

According to a report by the Center for Research and Security Studies, 65 people, including lawyers, defendants and judges, have been murdered over blasphemy allegations since 1990.

Last year 210 criminal blasphemy cases were filed in Punjab, the country's most populous province.

British Member of Parliament, Jim Shannon from the Democratic Unionist Party raised concerns about the well being of Christians at Chak No. 44 in a letter written May 12 to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Shannon is chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Pakistani Minorities.

Source: UCAN

Faithful throng Margao for Purumentachem Fest

This year was special because the parish's 450th year anniversary celebrations came to a close.

Panaji:  Holy Spirit Church in Margao yesterday celebrated its feast popularly known as the 'Purumentachem Fest' where people stock up on essential items including dry fish and eatables in anticipation of the monsoon.

This year was special because the parish's 450th year anniversary celebrations came to a close.

Even before the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, the faithful began thronging just as they do by the hundreds each year. Six masses, including the high mass at 9.30am, weren't enough to contain the congregation within the grand walls of the ancient edifice.

Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi, the main celebrant at the High Mass, praised the parishioners for keeping their faith alive, pointing out how their western counterparts are moving away from their faith.

"Every church in Goa is a living church and this is a sign of faith," he remarked.

As the faithful celebrated 450 years of the day the parish was established with its patron as the Holy Spirit, parish priest Fr Avinash Rebelo reminded that "with the Holy Spirit came unity, togetherness and the preoccupation with supporting the poor" in the church.

The feast mass concluded with a grand procession where everyone from the laity to members of the confraternity garbed in ceremonial robes, priests and Bishop Theodore participated.

Proud to belong to such a "majestic Church", Jose Maria Miranda, a parishioner and a member of the confraria and St Vincente de Paul, says it can only stand in comparison with the churches of Old Goa in its grandeur and to the church of St Anne in Talaulim in size.

The oldest conference of St Vincente de Paul in Goa began at Holy Spirit church around 1930. The church today manages at least six such conferences that help the poor.

"Most Confraria members are senior citizens as very few youth come forward to join the organization," he said, hoping that this trend will change.

Author Fr Nascimento Mascarenhas points to the prominent sterculia tree in front of the church. "The tree marks the beginning of the faith in Margao and was planted when the church was founded. The tree protects the church from lightning and also gives shade to the cross which precedes the church. The tree is very prominent in the vicinity of churches in Salcete," he said.

The day concluded with a 'parishoners' evening' complete with games, food stalls, one-man band, solo singers and housie. A week-long fair at the entrance to Margao city is a part and parcel of the feast, exciting both children and adults.

Source: Times of India

TN fishers must be consulted on Katchateevu church: Jayalalithaa

Sri Lanka Navy, on a request made by the Catholic Church in Jaffna, had on May 9 laid foundation stone for constructing a new church in the island.

Chennai:  The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa has expressed her opposition to Sri Lanka's move to construct a new church in Katchatheevu is let in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In her letter on May 14,Jayalalithaaasserted that the decision of the Sri Lankan government to demolish and reconstruct the St Anthony’s Church, without consulting Tamil Nadu fishermen who are vital stakeholders, appears to be a carefully calculated provocation and urged the Center to prevail on Colombo to involve Indian fishermen in the process.

Sri Lanka Navy, on a request made by the Catholic Church in Jaffna, had on May 9 laid foundation stone for constructing a new church in the island.

Jayalalithaa says the unilateral decision by Sri Lanka has created fears among the Tamil Nadu fishermen who mostly belong to the Roman Catholic faith that the move could curtail their traditional and customary access to St Antony's church in Katchatheevu.

She said the fishermen, who had regularly visited and worshipped at this church for several centuries, are extremely concerned that they have not been consulted regarding the proposed reconstruction.

"St Anthony's Church on Katchatheevu Island holds considerable religious significance for the fisher folk in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu including Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. They have traditionally undertaken pilgrimages to the island for the annual festival of St Anthony's for several centuries. It is part of their essential cultural and religious heritage," the letter said.

India under a Supreme Court directive ceded Katchatheevu, an uninhabited island in the Palk Straits with only the Catholic shrine, to Sri Lanka in 1974.

However, the Chief Minister claims the agreements entered into in 1974 and 1976 ceding Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka were without a Constitutional amendment and hence the ceding is unlawful and not valid.

The CM recalled that she has personally filed a Writ Petition in this regard in the Supreme Court of India in 2008 and the Tamil Nadu government has also impleaded itself in 2011 for the retrieval of Katchatheevu as a permanent solution for the vexed fishermen issue.

She noted that when local priests proposed demolishing and reconstructing the church during the annual St Anthony's festival in February this year, Tamil Nadu fishermen indicated to them that as it represented the joint heritage of fishermen from both countries, its reconstruction should be taken up jointly by the two sides.

Source: Colombo Page

Proposal for Indian church in Sydney suburb gains support

The $11 million development in Horsley Park would be the state’s largest Indian church and is expected to attract people from all regions.

Reverend Thomas Koshy and George Paniker say the $11 million church in Horsley Park would be the state’s largest Indian church and will attract people from all regions.

Sydney:  The first Indian church in Fairfield region of Sydney, Bethel Mar Thoma, could welcome worshippers by 2021 if the proposal is approved.

The $11 million development in Horsley Park would be the state’s largest Indian church and is expected to attract people from all regions.

Mar Thoma Christians are one of the Saint Thomas Christian communities of Kerala. The church is a member of the World Council of Churches.

Bethel Mar Thoma Church Sydney Incorporated lodged the application for the 2.9ha development in September, and will be assessed by the Joint Regional Planning Panel.

The proposed building will include the church, a 700 sqm multi-purpose indoor recreation facility, office, meeting rooms, library, amenities and off-street parking for 83 spaces.

Church trustee George Paniker said the name was derived from the Assyrians because the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar was part of the ancient Christian community in Kerala, India founded by St Thomas.

“We are Mar Thoma Christians, meaning the Christians of Saint Thomas, and belong to the churches of the Assyrian tradition,” Mr Paniker said.

He said about 350 Indians would travel from all over Sydney to attend.

“This would be our main church so we’re very excited about it,” Mr Paniker said.

“We chose Horsley Park because it’s a predominantly Christian area and it’s close to everything and everyone. Right now we’re worshipping at an Anglican Church in Harris Park so it would be great for us to have a home.”

The church will provide religious services including weekly Sunday services, Sunday school, bible studies, baptisms, weddings and funeral services as well as religious festivals.

Mr Paniker said many fundraising and charity events were planned to help raise the money needed to build the church.

“We expect construction to start as soon as it’s approved and to finish the work in about five years.”

According to the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics, close to 2000 Indians live in the Fairfield region.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone said many religious places are starting up in the area and was proud that more than $500 million of investment will occur in Fairfield this year alone. “Since the financial year ending June 2002 and up to June 2015, Fairfield has had $1.7 billion worth of residential development and $1.5 billion in commercial development.”

Source: Daily Telegraph

Carmel nuns agree to donate organs

Community's pledge part of campaign to raise national awareness.

New Delhi:  Sixty Indian nuns from the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel have pledged to donate their organs, saying it was their contribution for the Year of Mercy.

The nuns of Dehradun province in northern India's Uttarakhand state offered their pledge to donate their organs to state sports and forest minister Dinesh Aggarwal on May 11.

"We have been helping people through our social services when we are alive and now after death our organs will be helpful to those in need," Sister Jaya Peter told ucanews.com.

She said 110 Carmel sisters in Kerala made the same pledge last month.

Lamenting that not many people are aware about organ donation in the country, the nun said that it was imperative to educate people about its importance.

In India, people are hesitant to donate their organs despite the fact that the country has been facing acute shortage of donor organs.

More than 3,000 organs transplants occur in the country annually while more than 1 million people nationwide are in need of an organ transplant. About 90 percent of the people on waiting lists in India die without getting an organ.

Father Mathew Abraham, director of the Catholic Health Association of India, said the demand for organ transplant is greater than the supply for several reasons.

People still do not know the importance of organ donation and how it can help them and others, he said.

"Other factors include ignorance among the people about how the organ donation is carried out. Religion too sometimes can have a negative impact on this as there are some beliefs of life after death," he said.

Father Abraham said association partners are spreading awareness across India to encourage people to donate their organs.

He said that a massive campaign needs to be launched at the national level to sensitize people to the issue.

Source: UCAN