Page 6 - Religion Belief
People take dip in Ganga on Ganga Dusshehra
Lakhs of devotees on Wednesday took a holy dip in the Ganga at Har ki Pauri and other ghats of the river on the occasion of Ganga Dusshehra. Dwarkapeeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati took the ritual bath on Brahma Ghat here and prayed for the country's happiness and prosperity by making an offering of milk and flowers. Swami Swaroopanand was joined by a host of seers including Swami Amritananda Saraswati Brahmachari, Subuddhananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari and Sahajananda ji Maharaj Brahmachari as he took the holy dip in the river to mark the occasion. Special prayers were held in the temples and maths dotting the city to celebrate the festival. An idol of Goddess Ganga kept in a flowery palanquin (Utsav Doli) was also bathed in the river at Gangotri in Uttarkashi district on the occasion which also saw thousands of devotees from all over the country and abroad to take a holy dip in the Bhagirathi.
Row over cartoon on bishop Mulakkal hits Kerala
A row has erupted in Kerala over a state-run akademi honouring a cartoon depicting Bishop Franco Mullakal as a rooster and alluding to the charge of rape against him with a furious Church condemning it as vulgar and saying it amounted to humiliating Christian symbols. As the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council (KCBC) demanded withdrawal of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi's decision to confer the best cartoon award, the CPI-M led LDF government Wednesday ordered the akademi to re-examine the matter. The KCBC asked whether the LDF government was targeting the Christians after reaching a conclusion that the minority community did not stand with the CPI(M) during the recent Lok Sabha elections, in which the Left front won only one of the 20 seats. The Church urged the government to withdraw the award given to the "vulgar cartoon" and also sought an apology by the akademi officials. The cartoon titled "Viswasam Rakshathi" (protection of faith) by K K Subhash of Chengalam and ...
Senior Maoist leaders arrested in Gadchiroli
Gadchiroli Police on Wednesday said it had arrested top Maoists Narmada and her husband Kiran."We intercepted Narmada and Kiran in Sironcha town on Monday evening while they were returning from Hyderabad and arrested them later," said Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli Shailesh Balkawde .The two were picked up from Sironcha bus station in Gadchiroli.The Gadchiroli Court awarded seven days of police custody remand (PCR) to both of them.Narmada alias Aluri Krishna Kumari alias Sujathakka, aged about 60, is a native of Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.She had been heading operations in the Gadchiroli division of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for more than a decade.Her husband Kiran Kumar alias Kiran Dada is a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoist).Kiran, 57, is a native of Vijayawada.He was also the state committee member and looked after Prabhat magazine, a political organ of Maoist's DKSZC, apart from looking after propaganda ..
Southern Baptists meet; endorse steps against sex abuse
Confronting an unprecedented sex-abuse crisis, delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention's national meeting voted Tuesday to make it easier to expel churches that mishandle abuse cases. The Rev. J D Greear, president of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, said the SBC faced a "defining moment" that would shape the church for generations to come. "This is not a distraction from the mission," Greear said of the fight against sex abuse. "Protecting God's children is the mission of the church." The SBC's meeting comes as US Catholic bishops convene in Baltimore to address a widening sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. The Southern Baptist Convention says it had 14.8 million members in 2018, down about 192,000 from the previous year. The Catholic Church is the largest denomination in the US, with 76.3 million members as of last year down from 81.2 million in 2005. Sex abuse already was a high-profile issue at the SBC's 2018 national meeting in Dallas, after which Greear .
Awarded cartoon on Bishop Mulakkal to get relook after protest
Following protests from the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC), the state-run Kerala Lalithakala Akademy on Wednesday decided to re-examine its award winning cartoon, which allegedly depicts in an indecent manner Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who has been convicted of rape.
Isolate Pakistan if it harbours terrorism, says US Congressman
Scott Perry, a member of the US Congress from Pennsylvania, reaffirmed support to the religious and ethnic minorities, who came together on Tuesday to stop religious radicalism in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan.Scores of South Asian experts, members of the US Senate and House of representatives flocked the Capitol Hill to discuss and urge Pakistan to stop the persecution of ethnic and religious groups.While speaking to ANI, Perry said, "Pakistan needs to be isolated among the community of nations if they continue to harbour terrorism."Perry also highlighted the plight of all suffering ethnic and religious groups and how Pakistan has not yet taken any strong action against the terrorism operating from its soil."We don't support the fact that minorities are being suppressed anywhere for their religious beliefs or otherwise, and this is one of the reasons why the United States-Pakistan relations remain strenuous because we cannot accept that," Perry told ANI.Earlier this year, the .
Central India gets its first Sikh museum in Raipur
A museum exhibiting Sikh culture and tradition has opened in the heart of state's capital city Ranchi.The museum, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sikh Museum, located at Gurudwara Gurusingh Sabha in Guru Nanak Nagar was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel on the 'Shahidi Divas' of Sikh's Guru Arjun Dev on June 7."I feel fortunate that I got a chance to bow before Guru Granth Sahib on the martyrdom day of Guru Arjun Dev Ji, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. People here have done a great job by establishing 'Guru Tegh Bahadur Sikh Museum' in Shyam Nagar Gurudwara in Raipur. The new generations will get a chance to learn about the glorious history of the Sikhs," the Chief Minister after the inaugurating the museum.The museum enlightens visitors about the ten Sikh gurus and other personalities related to the religion. It also has a library and theatre in its 5,000 square feet premises.Sandeep Singh, Manager, Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sikh Museum told ANI, "The aim is to connect this generation to ..
'YSR Cong workers damage plaque unveiled by Naidu'
The YSR Congress supporters Tuesday allegedly vandalised a plaque inside the Krishna Zilla Parishad function hall here, unveiled by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said officials. The vandalisation of the plaque triggered tension between the TDA and YSRC workers, necessitating deployment of police to avert clash between the rival party workers, they said. The plaque was unveiled by Naidu in February to mark the inauguration of the works on the deep water port works in port town Machilipatnam, the headquarters of Krishna district, they added. The YSRC supporters were allegedly opposed to the installation of the plaque as it did not carry the names of the newly-elected YSRC leaders. Krishna Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Sheik Salaam lodged a complaint with the police, seeking legal action for demolishing the public property. A case has been registered and the investigation is on, said Machilipatnam Deputy Superintendent of Police Mehaboob Basha. MLC ...
Russia to help conserve KP's archaeological heritage
Russia has signed an agreement with Pakistan under which the two sides will cooperate in preservation and renovation of Buddhist sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Peshawar Museum on behalf of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government signed the MoU with the Russian State Museum to promote and conserve archaeological heritage and religious tourism. The two sides would conduct researches and promote pilgrimage tourism, said Minister for Tourism KPK Atif Khan. The KP province has various archeological sites, including Buddhist relics which attract religious tourists from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, China and Russia. The government has introduced new visa policy for Buddhist community to perform their religious ritual at the religious sites here in the province. Under the agreement Moscow would cooperate with KP government in preservation and renovation of Buddhists's sites, said Director General Russian State Museum Moscow Embassy Aleksandr V Sedov. He said Buddhists living in Russia have .
Notre-Dame of Paris to celebrate first mass since fire
The Notre-Dame cathedral will host its first mass this weekend since a fire ravaged the Paris landmark almost two months ago, the city's diocese said Tuesday. The mass -- led by Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit -- will be celebrated on a very small scale late Saturday, the diocese said. It will take place in a "side chapel with a restricted number of people, for obvious security reasons," it said. Just 20 people are expected to take part, including priests and canons from the cathedral. The event will be broadcast live by a French television channel so that Christians from all over France can participate, the diocese added. The date has been chosen as it is the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral's altar, which is celebrated every year on June 16. President Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target of five years for restoring the Notre-Dame, which was gutted by a fire on April 15 that felled its steeple. The diocese is awaiting a response from the French authorities ..
2 Kerala priests gets anticipatory bail in forgery case
Two senior Catholic priests attached to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala on Tuesday secured anticipatory bail in the fake document case against Cardinal George Alencherry.
'Bada Mangal' brings variety of 'prasad' on Tuesday
Variety is the spice of life and gets even spicier if it comes free of cost.
Tirupati: Political bigwigs pray for rainfall at Lord Balaji temple
Political bigwigs from Andhra Pradesh visited Lord Balaji temple here on Tuesday to offer prayers for sufficient rainfall, among other things.Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh LV Subrahmanyam, who was among those who visited the temple, said he prayed to the Lord for timely rains and the welfare of the state.Former MP of YSR Congress, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, also visited the holy shrine with his son Mekapati Goutham Reddy, who is the IT and Commerce Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The ministers performed rituals at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple.The father-son duo said they prayed for the new government under the leadership of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to take the state forward on the path of development.[{2b1984ba-4817-42ff-a3e1-4aabb6dcfcdc:intradmin/2_FBHR7ik.jpg}]Deputy Speaker Kona Raghupati and TDP leader Ambika Krishna also offered prayers at the Lord Balaji temple this morning.A number of pockets in the country, including Andhra Pradesh and its neighbouring state Karnataka, .
AP: Plaque of former CM Chandrababu Naidu vandalised in Krishna district
Tension gripped the Zilla Parishad office premises here after some unidentified persons allegedly vandalised a plaque carrying the name of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's on Monday night.According to Police, the miscreants allegedly damaged the plaquewhich has N Chandrababu Naidu's name engraved as the Chief Minister.The incident happened ahead a scheduled meeting organised by the Zilla Parishad of Krishna District members in its office today.Security has been beefed up in the area to maintain law and order situation, police informed.An investigation in the matter is underway.
4 train passengers die due to heat in Jhansi
Four passengers on the Kerala Express have died here due to extreme heat while one passenger has been hospitalised in a critical condition, an official said.
Bihar: Bus carrying wedding guests overturns, 20 people injured
At least 20 people were injured after the bus they were travelling in, overturned near Sahmalwa petrol pump under Baruraj police station limits in Muzaffarpur, on Monday late night.The bus was carrying guests to a wedding ceremony nearby.All injured have been referred to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital.The reason behind the accident is yet to be known.
CNI Diocese in Kolkata gets 21st Bishop
Paritosh Canning has taken over as the Bishop of the Calcutta Diocese of the Church of North India (CNI), with Probal Kanta Dutta being transferred.
From hiding, ex-Vatican envoy accuses pope of 'blatantly lying'
A longtime Vatican dissident broke months of silence Monday to accuse Pope Francis of "blatantly lying" in denying knowledge of the sexual abuse allegations against a now-defrocked American cardinal. Retired Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano told the Washington Post in a series of emails that Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI must come clean about what they knew of ex-Washington archbishop Theodore McCarrick's alleged decades of abuse. Vigano said it is "immensely sad" that Francis was "blatantly lying to the whole world to cover up his wicked deeds" in allegedly protecting McCarrick. Vigano reiterated his earlier claims that he warned Francis in 2013 about McCarrick. "How could anybody, especially a pope, forget this?" he said, according to the Post. Vigano, an iconoclastic Catholic conservative who has rocked the Vatican for years with accusations of corruption and abuse at the highest levels, disappeared last August after penning a sweeping 11-page attack on ...
7 bids received for live telecast of Rath Jatra
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has received seven bids from different media houses for live telecast of Lord Jagannath's Rath Jatra festival in Puri, an official said Monday. "We have received seven bids from different Odia and Hindi television channels for live telecast of Lord Jagannth's car festival beginning from 'Snan Purnima' (bathing rituals) on June 17 till 'Niladri Bije' (return to temple after festival) on July 14," the SJTA official said. The SJTA opened the tender on Monday afternoon. The final decision on whether to give telecast rights to one television channel or open it for all like previous years, will be taken later, the official said. The temple administration has decided that from this year it would accord the rights for live telecast of Rath Jatra and other major festivals of Lord Jagannath to the highest-bidding TV channel. "Though television channels earn good amount of revenue from the companies through commercial advertisements
Catholics hold traditional Whit Monday ceremony in Germany
Women in traditional white dresses have carried a centuries-old statue of the Virgin Mary to mark Whit Monday in an annual ritual in the eastern German town of Rosenthal. Hundreds of Catholic Sorbs, a Slavic minority, held prayers in rural churches in about a dozen areas before walking to Rosenthal for another service. They then ended their pilgrimage walking with the young women carrying the 1480 wooden statue of Mary through the town to a field for an open-air mass. The ritual marks Whit Monday, the day after Whitsun or Pentecost, which falls seven weeks after Easter Sunday and is the day the Holy Spirit is said to have descended upon the apostles. The day is a national holiday in Germany and many other countries.
