Page 47 - Religion Belief
Record number of women take part in Attukal Pongala
A record number of four million women are taking part in the famed Attukal Pongala festival here in Kerala on Wednesday.
Two Catholic church cardinals urge end of 'homosexual agenda'
Two prominent Roman Catholic Church cardinals have called for an end to the "plague of the homosexual agenda", urging bishops to end their complicity and silence over cases of sexual abuse.
3,861 ousted KSRTC employees participate in Attukal Pongala hoping for govt help
As the Attukal Pongala celebrations are underway across the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, around 3,861 ousted women employees of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are participating in the festival hoping for the state government to address their grievances.The women were seen preparing a ritualistic offering for Attukal Devi in front of the Secretariat here where they have been protesting for nearly a month against their abrupt termination.Speaking to ANI, Sandhya, an ousted KSRTC employee, said the women have been protesting for 31 days, yet no relief has been granted by the state government."We were working on a meagre salary of Rs 480 per day, yet we did not complain. Two months ago, around 3,861 employees were terminated without any prior notice or reason. Only we know how we are making ends meet. We have been protesting here for 31 days now, yet our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Today, we are participating in this festival, pleading to the almighty for ..
Religious orders apologize for sex abuse inaction, cover-ups
Catholic religious orders around the world apologized Tuesday for having failed to respond when their priests raped children, acknowledging that their family-like communities blinded them to sexual abuse and led to misplaced loyalties, denial and cover-ups. The two umbrella organisations representing the world's religious orders issued a joint statement ahead of Pope Francis' sex abuse prevention summit, which opens Thursday. They vowed to implement accountability measures to ensure that cover-ups by religious superiors end and that children are always safe in the presence of clergy. With a few exceptions, religious orders have largely flown under the radar in the decades-long scandal, since the focus has been on how diocesan bishops protected their priests and moved them from parish to parish where they were free to abuse again. Yet congregations such as the Jesuits, Salesians and Christian Brothers have some of the worst records, since they too moved abusers around and had easy ...
Netanyahu slams 'shocking' anti-Semitic vandalism in France
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday slammed the "shocking" anti-Semitic vandalism of a French cemetery, which prompted a cabinet colleague to urge French Jews to "come home" to Israel. "Today something shocking happened in France. Eighty Jewish graves were desecrated with Nazi symbols by wild anti-Semites," Netanyahu said in a video clip released by his office. "I call on the leaders of France and Europe to take a strong stand against anti-Semitism. It is a plague that endangers everyone, not just us," he said. The graves were daubed with swastikas at a Jewish cemetery in the village of Quatzenheim, close to the border with Germany in the Alsace region. Photos show the Nazi symbols in blue spray-painted on the damaged graves, one of which bears the words "Elsassisches Schwarzen Wolfe" ("Black Alsatian Wolves"), a separatist group with links to neo-Nazis in the 1970s. Immigration Minister Yoav Gallant said the vandalism "conjures images of dark times in the history of .
Promote peace, eschew tendencies of hate: Farooq
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Tuesday called for imbibing the spirit of peace and harmony as professed by every religion, saying the need for this is more now than ever before as the society is "ridden with hate and intolerance". The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also called for eschewing tendencies of hate, saying this has already created a wedge in society. "This drift is needed to be bridged by promoting the spirit of harmony," he said adding that "let us pledge to ensure a dignified life for all". The National Conference (NC) leader greeted the people on Guru Ravidas Jayanti and prayed for peace and tranquillity in the state. "Maintaining unity and further strengthening the bonds of brotherhood is the greatest tribute to great saints, who strived for a just society based on social justice and equality," Abdullah said after paying tributes to Guru Ravidas on his 642nd birth anniversary at a function here. He hoped the life and teachings of the guru would ..
Sikkim govt gives financial assistance for construction of
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling Tuesday claimed that his government provides financial assistance for construction of religious places of worship in the state. "Sikkim is the only state where religious places of worship are constructed with financial aid from the state government," he said at a function after inaugurating the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPCS) at PNG Complex here. The state government also provides grants and assistance for maintenance of places of worship of all faiths and communities, Chamling said. Describing Sikkim as a model of secularism where every citizen has the right to profess the religion of his/her choice, the chief minister claimed that there has been no communal tension and unrest during his tenure of nearly 25 years. No person is discriminated or marginalised based on caste, creed or religion in the state, Chamling said, adding the state government has provided two per cent reservation in jobs and education to the ...
Anointment ritual of Lord Bahubali in Dharmasthala ends
: The anointment ritual of the statue of Lord Bahubali in Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district concluded Monday marking the end of the 10-day 'Mahamastakabhisheka' festival that is held once in 12 years. The festival, which began on February 9, was attended by thousands of dignitaries and devotees from across the country. State Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony. The festival formally ended with the rituals 'Kumkumotsava', 'Kankana Visarjane' and 'Torana Visarjane' Monday evening. 'Kalashas' of different hues were poured over the 39- foot-high statue over the last three days of anointment amid devotional fervour. Dharmasthala dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade and his family members presided over the anointment ceremony on February 16. Devotees offered 'janamangala kalasha,' 'divya kalasha' and 'shraddha kalasha' on the idol in the last two days. The 'kalashas' were brought in a procession after religious rituals were ...
Vatican has secret rules for priests who father children: NYT
The Vatican has revealed that it has secret rules for priests who father children despite their celibacy vows, The New York Times said in a report.
After shock retirement at 23, Missy Franklin finds peace in Hinduism
Learning Hinduism and reading the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata have taken a chunk of Missy Franklin's time ever since the five-time Olympic gold-medallist swimmer announced a shock retirement in December last year. Chronic shoulder pain forced the 23-year-old to call time on her career but on the bright side, it allowed her to do things that she couldn't do as an active athlete. Earlier, she did Yoga for fun but after exploring Hinduism, it became a spiritual experience for the bubbly American, who is majoring in religion at the University of Georgia. "I have been studying religion for a year now and it is so fascinating and eye opening. I love learning different cultures, people and their faith," Franklin told PTI on the sidelines of the 'Laureus World Sports Awards'. "My own religion is Christianity but two classes I have found so intriguing are Hinduism and Islam. Because those are the two religions I did not know a lot about and after reading and learning about them, I think .
Kovind, Modi pay tributes to Guru Ravidas
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti Movement Guru Ravidas on his birth anniversary that has crossed over six centuries.
Modi remembers Chhatrapati Shivaji on birth anniversary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji on his birth anniversary describing him as a "warrior for truth and justice".
World bishops head to Vatican for sex abuse summit
Pope Francis gathers bishops from around the world at the Vatican this week for a hotly-awaited summit on tackling the wave of child sex abuse scandals assailing the Catholic Church. The heads of around 100 bishops' conferences from every continent will convene from Thursday to Sunday for the meeting on the protection of minors, with victims' groups demanding that a concrete action plan on fighting paedophilia be drawn up. The pope, who asked the bishops to speak to victims of abuse in their respective countries before the Rome convention, has tried to dial down "inflated expectations" for a cure-all. Several victims were also invited to the Vatican. "I ask you to pray for this meeting," the pope said Sunday, adding that he wanted the meeting "as an act of strong pastoral responsibility in the face of an urgent challenge of our time." The conference aims to be an opportunity to improve awareness of the global phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors within the Church, despite many in ...
Macron condemns anti-Semitic abuse by 'yellow vest' protesters
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned anti-Semitic abuse directed at a prominent intellectual by a group of "yellow vest" protesters in Paris.
McCarrick defrocking 'a clear signal' abuse won't be tolerated: US bishops
Pope Francis's decision to defrock former cardinal Theodore McCarrick "is a clear signal that abuse will not be tolerated", the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said Saturday. McCarrick, 88, who resigned from the Vatican's College of Cardinals in July, is the first cardinal ever to be defrocked for sex abuse. "No bishop, no matter how influential, is above the law of the Church," Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the bishops conference, said in a statement. "For all those McCarrick abused, I pray this judgment will be one small step, among many, toward healing. "For us bishops, it strengthens our resolve to hold ourselves accountable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to Pope Francis for the determined way he has led the Church's response." The church has long been criticized for protecting predatory priests from the law -- but the bishops' statement appeared to signal a shift. "If you have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of someone within the Catholic Church, I urge
Ex-US cardinal defrocked over sexual abuse charges
The Vatican on Saturday said it has defrocked former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the high-profile Catholic figure, of the priesthood rights after a Church trial found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adult seminarians over decades.
Kerala nun rape case: Nun who protested against Bishop receives dismissal threat, warning letter
Sister Lucy Kalapura, one of the nuns who had participated in the protest against rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal has received a second warning letter threatening her with expulsion from Congregation unless 'she changes her mind'.Franciscan Clarist Congregation Superior General has issued this second canonical warning letter to Sister Lucy Kalapura.The letter states '... invite you to change your mind and attitude sincerely...If you don't respond positively I will be constrained to proceed with your dismissal from Congregation."In January this year, she was served a warning letter by the Superior General of the Congregation.The letter to Sister Lucy Kalappura of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC), who has been an outspoken supporter of the nuns' protest at Ernakulam to demand the arrest of Bishop Mulakkal, said this was "the first canonical warning with the threat of dismissal from the Congregation."A previous letter to Sister Kalappura, on January 1, alleged that the nun .
Special prayers for martyrs at ISKCON Mayapur
Devotees at the headquarter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at Mayapur in Nadia district Friday prayed for the peace of departed souls of the 40 CRPF personnel who were martyred in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir Thursday. Devotees along with visitors, guests and pilgrims from many countries participated in the special prayers and kirtan, and ISKCON spokesperson said. They offered lamps in front of the deities and prayed so that God may give strength to the grieving families, the spokesperson said.
Kerala takes part in IMTM, to tap tourism potential of Israel
: For the first time in its history, Kerala Tourism participated in the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. With this, Kerala Tourism is foraying into the largely untapped Israeli market to increase footfalls from the Middle- East. Director of Kerala Tourism P Bala Kiran, led the state delegation to the two-day event which concluded Thursday. The IMTM is the largest annual professional tourism fair of its kind in eastern Mediterranean and the official and only professional exhibition for the tourism trade market in Israel. To mark the occasion, Kerala Tourism launched a sleek and glossy coffee-table book, the first-of-its-kind visual odyssey of the Jews who decided to make Kerala their home before several of the diasporic community returned to Israel, their fatherland, a press release said. The book was formally launched by Indian Ambassador to Israel Pavan Kapoor, who also visited the Kerala stall at the event. Expressing ...
Karnataka to give job to CRPF trooper's widow
Karnataka will provide a job to the widow of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper H. Guru, who was among those killed in a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Friday.