A few days after the attack in late July, the Tajik President blamed an opposition party, banned in 2015, for the attack. Alleged extremists have been tried in secret. The crackdown on dissent and religions is counterproductive, fuelling extremism.
Biju Veticad came back in May to help others. Faced with the natural disaster caused by monsoon rains, he went to work with the Diocese of Changanacherry to bring relief. Two Hindu families and one Muslim family found shelter in his home.
Catholics in the Asian country are closely following the World Meeting of Families. Courses, pastoral programmes and catechesis across the country accompany and support young couples from marriage onwards. For Catholic sociological researchers, welcoming and integrating rural migrants in new parishes is a priority.
In July 2016, complaints by an ethnic Chinese Buddhist woman triggered one of the worst episodes of anti-Buddhist violence in Tanjung Balai (North Sumatra). For a leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest moderate Islamic movement in the country and the world, the verdict was "inappropriate".
Illustrating the commandment "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain", Francis affirms that it "calls us to demonstrate, through our actions and words, the greatness and the depth of the holy name with which we have been called". Teaching children to make the sign of the Cross properly.
Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar: "The prayers of the Kandhamal Christians are a gift to all". Then the invitation: "Do not be afraid, put your trust in Jesus, pray and fast. And all the difficulties will be overcome ".
