India
India’s Crackdown Hits Religious Freedom in Disputed Kashmir

usnews.com - Ap

(Aijaz Hussain) The call to prayer at the central mosque in disputed Kashmir's largest city has been silent for four months. For years, Romi Jan’s mornings would begin with the plaintive call to prayer that rang out from the central mosque in disputed Kashmir’s largest city. The voice soothed her soul and made her feel closer to God. Not anymore. For nearly four months, the voice that called out five times a day from the minarets of the Jamia Masjid and echoed across Srinagar has been silent, a result of India’s ongoing security operations in this Muslim-majority region. “The mosque closure is a relentless agony for me and my family,” Jan said. “I can’t tolerate it, but I am helpless.” (...)

India
L’India vuole regolarizzare i migranti irregolari, ma non quelli musulmani
Il Post

Lunedì il Parlamento indiano comincerà a discutere una legge che dovrebbe facilitare la regolarizzazione dei migranti non musulmani provenienti dai tre paesi vicini all’India, cioè Pakistan, Bangladesh e Afghanistan. La legge, chiamata Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), è stata proposta dal governo guidato dal primo ministro Narendra Modi, leader del partito nazionalista indù Bharatiya Janata Party, (...)

India
Cardinal Alencherry elected Kerala Catholic Bishops Council president
Matters India

Cardinal  George Alencherry was on Dec 6 elected the president of Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), an association of the Catholic bishops of all three rites in the state. The head of Syro Malabar Catholic Church succeeds Archbishop Maria Calist Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum Latin archdiocese. Bishop Varghese Chakkalakal of Calicut (Latin) will be the new deputy chairman of the council.  Bishop Joseph Thomas of Bathery (Syro-Malankara) is the new secretary general. (...)

India
Inde: au moins 43 morts dans l’incendie d’une usine à New Delhi
Afp - La Presse

Au moins 43 personnes sont mortes dimanche à New Delhi, piégées dans l’incendie dévastateur d’une usine fabriquant des cartables, également utilisée comme dortoir pour des ouvriers. L’incendie s’est déclenché aux premières heures de la matinée dans un quartier ancien et surpeuplé de la capitale indienne. (...)

India
India, è morta la donna data alle fiamme per aver denunciato i suoi stupratori
RaiNews

Ennesimo caso di violenza contro le donne. La donna si trovava alla stazione ferroviaria per recarsi in tribunale quando un gruppo di uomini l'ha assalita e trascinata in un campo non distante dove è stata data alle fiamme -- Ennesimo caso di violenza contro le donne in India. E' morta in ospedale la ragazza  che era stata data alle fiamme per aver denunciato i suoi stupratori. Aveva bruciature sul 90% del corpo. La vittima era stata data alla fiamme poco prima che il caso venisse discusso in tribunale nell'Uttar Pradesh. Cinque uomini, tra cui due dei presunti stupratori, sono stati arrestati per l'aggressione.  (...)

India
Vescovo indiano: Dolore e vergogna per le violenze contro le donne, ‘che ci danno la vita’
AsiaNews

Una ragazza di 23 anni, aggredita ieri in Uttar Pradesh, lotta per la sopravvivenza. In India viene stuprata una donna ogni 15 minuti. Mons. Gerald John Mathias: “Il rispetto per la donna si impara in famiglia”. La discriminazione delle donne “inizia fin dall’utero materno”. La Chiesa indiana ovunque lavora per l’empowerment femminile. (...)

India
Draft Bill Aimed At Weeding Out Corruption In Kerala's Churches Creates Furore
Outlook

(Siddharth Premkumar) Will it see the light of day before the Kerala Assembly polls in 2021? Will the law solve all the issues of the Christian faithful? By convention, the cabinet of ministers in Kerala assembles on Wednesdays at the State Secretariat to air and address concerns related to governance. Beyond the barred gates, the aggrieved hold court, without fail, in Statue Junction – the city’s nerve centre. (...)

India
Prenden fuego a víctima de violación en la India cuando iba a testificar

Efe - Televisa

Un grupo de hombres prendió fuego a una víctima de violación en el norte de la India cuando la mujer se dirigía a un tribunal a testificar por su caso, ocurrido hace un año, en un nuevo acto de agresión en el país asiático que esta semana ha vivido importantes protestas contra este tipo los delitos. El ataque ocurrió cuando la víctima salía de su aldea, en el distrito de Unnao, hacía la ciudad de Raebareli en el estado de Uttar Pradesh, dijo Gaurav Kumar, un oficial de la Policía local. Según apuntaron varios medios locales, la mujer de 23 años fue atacada justo cuando se dirigía a la audiencia del caso de violación que denunció el pasado marzo y ocurrió en diciembre de 2018, cuyo principal responsable fue liberado hace una semana. (...)

(fr) Forte émotion en Inde après un nouveau cas de viol collectif suivi d'un meurtre (BFMTV) 

India
'If necessary, I am ready to reveal the names of priests', says Sister Lucy Kalappura

keralakaumudi.com

Lucy said that several people have started attacking her on social media ever since the release of her book. "I don't have anything to say about this. Though I have filed a case against this, no action has been taken so far. It appears that the law is still favouring the culprits," she said. Lucy Kalappura, who continues to stand firm by what she said in her book, further added that it is time for the church to correct its mistakes. According to Lucy, several priests used to sexually exploit nuns in the pretext of visiting the convent. She had even mentioned that Fr Robin, the accused in the Kottiyoor (...)

- Exploitation, trauma and sexual anarchy: Sister Lucy Kalappurakkal and Jesme's stories shed light on a church engulfed in moral turmoil (Firstpost) 
- HC dismisses plea against expelled nun's memoir  (PTI - Yahoo)
- Kerala: Rape case filed against priest; Nun faces wrath (deccanherald.com)

India
Kept Under House Arrest, Complains Kerala Nun Who Turned Witness Against Rape-accused Bishop Franco
news18

(Neethu Reghukumar) Sister Lissy Vadakkel, who is a witness in the case where a Kerala nun was allegedly raped multiple times by Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, has claimed that she been ostracised and not being involved in any activities by the congregation. The rape survivor nun had disclosed her ordeal to Sister Lissy. (...)

India
India: suor Lucy denuncia molestie
Ansa

Suor Lucy Kalappura, la religiosa "ribelle" del Kerala, che ha sostenuto le denunce della consorella che accusa di stupro il Vescovo Franco Mulakkal, ha annunciato di avere scritto un'autobiografia che presto verrà pubblicata: "lo sanno tutti, gli abusi sessuali dei sacerdoti verso le suore sono all'ordine del giorno", ha detto al quotidiano Hindustan Times. "Ho iniziato a tenere un diario nel 2004, quando attorno a me, in convento, ci furono i primi episodi di molestie ai danni delle suore. Mi ripromisi di annotare tutti quei gesti orrendi, per non dimenticarne nessuno. (...)

India
Mulakkal appears for trial in nun's rape, next hearing set for Jan. 6
Global Sisters Report

(Saji Thomas) Bishop Franco Mulakkal, the Catholic bishop of Jalandhar in India accused of raping a nun multiple times, appeared Nov. 30 in court to face trial. Mulakkal's bail was extended, and the next court date is set for Jan. 6, 2020. The Additional District and Sessions Court in Kottayam, a Christian-dominated town in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala, is expected to frame the charges against the accused at its next proceeding. (...)

India
Bishop accused of corruption, fathering child now faces harassment complaint

Crux

(Nirmala Carvalho) Nearly a month after a Catholic bishop facing fire from his own priests for corruption and fathering a child as well as being accused of intimidating a survivor of sexual harassment, police last Friday registered what amounts to an initial complaint against Bishop Kannikadass William Antony of the diocese of Mysuru in southwestern India. William, 54, has been accused of kidnapping, criminal intimidation and “outraging the modesty of a woman,” but has yet to be formally indicted or arrested. On November 5, a charge was filed against the bishop by Robert Rosario, representing the Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC) (...)

India
Nun, Who Raised Her Voice Against Bishop Franco, Writes on Consensual Sex Between Priests & Sisters

news18.com

Sister Lucy Kalappura, who raised her voice against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal and was expelled for it, is set to publish a memoir. Kalappura told PTI her work 'Karthaavinte Naamathil' (In The Name of Christ) would narrate her life experience, and sexual abuse and harassment faced by nuns in convents. The book would be released on December 10 in Ernakulam, she said. Excerpts from the work were recently published in Samakalika Malayalam Varika, a Malayalam publication, suggesting it to be an account of her life as a nun (...)

India
Bishop Mulakkal goes on trial for raping a nun

Asia News

The prelate has repeatedly said that the charges against him are groundless and fabricated. The former bishop of Jalandhar risks imprisonment if found guilty. The court extended his bail until the next hearing on 6 January. The trial of Mgr Franco Mulakkal, former bishop of Jalandhar (Indian Punjab), opened this morning in Kottayam, Kerala, southern India.  (...)

(it) Aperto il processo contro mons. Mulakkal, accusato dello stupro di una suora

India
Bishop Franco case: Sister Lucy Kalappura's autobiography 'Karthaavinte Naamathil' to bare it all

newindianexpress.com

(Anuja Susan Varghese) Sr Lucy’s book ‘Karthaavinte Naamathil’ talks about sexual abuse, illicit relationships and harassment in Church. It looks like the Church in Kerala will have a lot to answer for when the autobiography of Sister Lucy Kalappura comes out this week. The nun, who was hounded for raising her voice against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, narrates her life experiences and talks about sexual abuse and harassment of nuns in the book titled ‘Karthaavinte Naamathil (In The Name of The Lord)’, being published by DC Books. Excerpts from the book that were recently published in Samakalika Malayalam Varika, a TNIE group publication (...)

India
Indian nuns risk isolation and expulsion from Catholic Church by speaking out about rape

abc.net.au

(Siobhan Heanue) Sister Jesme was in her twenties and new to convent life when she found herself alone in a room with a priest. He told her to undress, then he did the same. She was so shocked she did not know what to do, so she complied. She had never seen a naked man before. Later, she was approached by a senior nun who asked her to engage in sexual acts. "I thought that perhaps if I submit to her, she will be OK," Sister Jesme said. "So that happened. Other nuns, in a way, were encouraging me to submit to whatever she did. It was a homosexual-type thing." It took Sister Jesme another 20 years in a religious order before she felt she could speak out about what happened. (...)

India
Inde: un évêque jugé pour avoir violé une religieuse
afp - L'Obs

Un évêque catholique, accusé d'avoir violé une religieuse, a comparu samedi en Inde, après une mobilisation de nonnes qui ont manifesté quasi quotidiennement pour l'amener devant les juges. Il est accusé d'avoir violé une religieuse à plusieurs reprises entre 2014 et 2016 alors qu'il était à la tête de l'ordre des Missionnaires de Jésus, des accusations qu'il a niées pendant l'instruction. Il est passible de la prison à vie s'il est reconnu coupable. (...)

India
Bishop Franco Mulakkal’s bail extended in Kerala nun rape case
IANS - The Tribune

A court near here on Saturday extended the bail of former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of sexually assaulting a nun between 2014 and 2016, till January 6.Franco was present in the additional sessions court during the hearing, where he arrived after praying in a nearby church.Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018 on rape charges and got bail on October 16, 2018. (...) 

Nun rape case trial to begin November 30 (Matters India) 
Indian Bishop goes on trial for raping nun (france24)

India
Sexual abuse, illicit relations of nuns, priests: Sr Lucy's autobiography bares it all
theweek.in

The autobiography is titled 'Karthavinte Namathil' (In the name of Christ). Sister Lucy Kalappura, a nun belonging to the order of Franciscan Clarist Congregation in Kerala, who was expelled from the congregation after she took part in a protest seeking the arrest of rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, has come out with her autobiography in which she recounts sexual abuses and aberrations prevalent in convents. According to the autobiography titled 'Karthavinte Namathil' (In the name of Christ), a part of which has been published in a Malayalam magazine, the nun said she has been a silent witness to many incidents where nuns have tried to give expression to their sexual desires. Sister Lucy claims (...)