I just heard this news some time ago. I know Pope Francis has made some mistakes, but it's great news for us Indian Christians, and many Indian Bishops and Church leaders have rejoiced to hear it. Even other Indian Christians are happy at the news, as it will encourage and strengthen all Christianity in India. An article with responses from the Church in Kerala, India. Kerala, India, is where St. Thomas the Apostle was sent by Jesus Christ Our Lord, and Kerala's Catholics by God's Grace are strong in their love for Jesus Christ and His Roman Catholic Church: Please Pray for the Catholic Church in India. Thank You. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/koc...vite-to-pope-francis/articleshow/87414908.cms "KOCHI: Various Christian leaders in the state on Saturday expressed their joy and welcomed the prime minister’s invitation to Pope Francis to visit India. Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council president Cardinal Mar George Alencherry said that on behalf of the Kerala Catholic Church he wholeheartedly congratulates and appreciates Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his historic invitation to the Pope. “Narendra Modi, the honourable Prime Minister of India, has made a noble and laudable gesture in inviting His Holiness Pope Francis to visit our motherland, India. This decision will, of course, be applauded by all Indians irrespective of caste and faith. The people of India look towards the Roman Pontiff as an advocate and bold spokesperson of morality and humanitarian values,” said a statement issued by KCBC spokesperson Fr Jacob G Palackappilly. “It (the visit) will also smoothen the path of dialogue between Christianity and other religious groups of this nation. The papal visit will also promote fraternity and co-operation among the polyphonic society of India. We… are eagerly waiting for the blessed moments of the visit …,” the statement said. Major archbishop of Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Cardinal Baselios Cleemis welcomed the PM’s meeting with the Pope. He said that it is a historic visit and the invitation extended by the prime minister to Pope Francis to visit India is commendable. Archbishop of Verapoly Joseph Kalathiparambil said that the efforts of the Pope for world peace, social unity and the protection of the environment was a model to the world. The invitation by the prime minister would evoke happiness not just among Catholics but the public in general. “I pray that the visit happens as soon as possible,” said the archbishop. Catholicos of the Jacobite Church, Baselios Thomas I said that the meeting between PM Modi and Pope Francis was a ray of hope amid a global crisis. “At a time when the Covid crisis, natural calamities and religious clashes are rising, the meeting between the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy and the Pope who stands for humanity and peace gives hope to the world. May the India visit of the Pope occur as soon as possible and through it may the people of India be able to continue the path of spirituality and unity,” the catholicos said. Former bishop of Kanjirappally Mar Mathew Arackal termed Modi’s visit to the Vatican “historic” and “a matter of great joy”. The one-hour talk held by Modi with the Pope will lift the image of the country among the world nations and will also add sheen to secularism in the country, he said. “This is a moment of honour and great joy for the Christians who are a minority in the country. The meeting will make the relations between the Catholic church in the country and the central government warmer,” he said. (With inputs from Kottayam and T’puram)"
Excellent news for Indian Christians. God willing this may soften the persecution and attacks on Christians, and contribute to have the authorities not to look the other way when Christians are falsely accused and murdered in India. Praying!
Thank You, Woman Clothed with the Sun! We Indian Christians are looking for Church Authorities to stand up for Persecuted Christians, and to proclaim the saving Gospel of Christ with Love for Jesus and Love for India. It is my dream that I may see millions of my countrymen and women, my Indian brothers and sisters whom I love, come to Jesus Christ. I pray it happens in my lifetime. Christ will bring Blessings and Salvation to India, but the Gospel will not succeed without much costs, efforts, sacrifices and hard work. Please Pray! "Here is a sample analysis of what the Indian media are saying: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/ind...meets-pope-francis-and-father-stan-swamy.html "Analysis | Was there a hidden message in Pope Francis's enigmatic Old Testament gift to Modi? The pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pope Francis holding each other inside the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on October 30, with Italian Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino's 'Resurrection' looming over them in the background, showed genuine warmth and affection. Modi himself tweeted he had a "very warm" meeting with the Pope. The Church in India welcomed Modi's initiative to invite the Pope to India. Major Archbishop Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, said the meeting had "historical importance". But the Pope, it seems, can be as inscrutable as God. His gift to the Prime Minister, a bronze illustration of Isaiah 32:15, has now begun to bother those who had initially seen a a lofty political and social message in the meeting. Here is what Isaiah's 32:15 verse says: "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high. /And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field." Ventriloquist Pope Was this a veiled message to Modi, using an Old Testament prophet to convey that India will remain stuck in the dark ages (wilderness) as long as bigotry rules.... Observers within the Church point to Isaiah's verses that lead up to 32:15, where they believe the true intent of the Pope lies. "Tremble, you women who are at ease," Isaiah says. A senior Priest of the Syro-Malabar Church, on the condition of anonymity, said “this is a wake up call for us Christians in India. The Prophet warns of the bad things that will soon descend upon Jerusalem. "On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,/ Yes on all the happy homes in the joyous city. Palaces will be forsaken and cities will be deserted "until the Spirit is poured on us from on high". The Syro-Malabar Priest wondered aloud: Was the Pope trying to say India is a benighted land until the light of religious harmony falls upon it? Was he telling Modi that his was not a reign of righteousness? A Priest of the Latin Church in Kerala gave a political spin to the Pope's message. Perhaps he was warning the Christian community against cosying up to the BJP. A section of the Christian community, at least in Kerala, is at ease about getting close to the BJP despite the right-wing atrocities inflicted on Christians in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkand, a Priest told Onmanorama.' Modis baggage: Meanings are read into the pontiff's gift because Modi's visit to the Vatican was preceded by reports of Christian persecution in India. There were two recent international reports with great influence on the Christian world - one by the advocacy group Open Doors and the other by the US Commission on international religious freedom - that spoke of Christian harassment in India. The Open Doors ranked India as the "10th worst country in the world where it is most difficult to follow Jesus." "Hindu extremists believe that all Indians should be Hindus, and that the country should be rid of Christianity and Islam. To achieve this goal, they use extensive violence, particularly targeting Christians from a Hindu background," the report said, and added: "If they don't re-convert, their community may boycott them, with a devastating effect on their ability to earn income and buy food. The report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated India as a "country of particular concern." The report says anti-conversion laws are being used to trample on the Christian community. These anti-conversion laws too often are are the basis of false accusations, harassment and violence against non-Hindus that occur with impunity. In 2020, for example, mobs - fueled by false accusations of forced conversions - attacked Christians, destroyed Churches, and disrupted religious worship services. In many cases, authorities did not prevent these abuses and ignored or chose not to investigate pleas to hold perpetrators accountable", the report says. Both the reports were given wide coverage in Vatican News, the Catholic news website founded by Pope Francis in 2015. Death of a Jesuit Priest: More damning than the reports was the death of Fr. Stan Swamy, an 84 year old Jesuit Priest who worked for the tribals and the underprivileged all his life and who was jailed for allegedly inciting violence during the Bhima Koregaon memorial held in Pune on January 1, 2018. He was accused of being a Maoist and had allegedly hatched a conspiracy with Dalits and Muslims to overthrow the Modi government. Vatican News had given a detailed obituary of Fr Stan Swamy. The octogenarian Priest, who breathed his last on July 5 this year, had Parkinson's and had difficulty even sipping water but was still denied a straw. Dumped in the overcrowded Taloja jail in Mumbai, he also contracted COVID-19. "I was healthy when I was brought into Taloja jail eight months back but over that period all my bodily functions have deteriorated. I can't eat on my own, can't bathe or walk on my own", Fr. Stan Swamy told the Mumbai High Court in May. Can Pope Francis forget Fr Swamy? His death shocked the global Christian community. The Catholic Bishops of Asia called Fr. Swamy the "latest Saint of modern India's poor". His last month in custody on a hospital bed till the last moments is the most heart-wrenching tragedy of an innocent man persecuted for doing good," Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference said. The Syro-Malabar priest said that Fr Stan Swamy's life and death was a demonstration of Pope Francis 's ideal. “The Pope said he preferred a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it had been out on the streets, rather than a church which is sick from being confined and from clinging to its own security. Fr. Swamy was the embodiment of this sacrifice. Pope Francis would not have so easily forgotten. "
