(Vatican Radio) Dalit Christians and Muslims of India will once again observe ‘Black Day’ on August 10 this year to highlight the discrimination that low-caste Christians and Muslims have been facing for 67 years. India’s Catholic bishops want to remind the people that the country bears a constitution-based discrimination against Dalit Christians, i.e. Dalits who embrace Christianity. Who are Dalits?Dalit which means "broken" or “downtrodden”, denotes former "untouchables" so low in social status that they were considered outcasts or outside the caste system of Hindu society. The Indian Constitution reserves special privileges and benefits such as quota in government jobs and educational institutions for Dalit, tribal groups and scheduled castes to help their socioeconomic uplift.DiscriminationThe Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order (Paragraph 3) that India’s first presid...
(Vatican Radio) Dalit Christians and Muslims of India will once again observe ‘Black Day’ on August 10 this year to highlight the discrimination that low-caste Christians and Muslims have been facing for 67 years. India’s Catholic bishops want to remind the people that the country bears a constitution-based discrimination against Dalit Christians, i.e. Dalits who embrace Christianity.
Who are Dalits?
Dalit which means "broken" or “downtrodden”, denotes former "untouchables" so low in social status that they were considered outcasts or outside the caste system of Hindu society. The Indian Constitution reserves special privileges and benefits such as quota in government jobs and educational institutions for Dalit, tribal groups and scheduled castes to help their socioeconomic uplift.
Discrimination
The Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order (Paragraph 3) that India’s first president Rajendra Prasad signed on August 10, 1950, initially stated that “…no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.” Subsequently, the Order was modified to include Sikhs (in 1956) and Buddhists (in 1990) after they protested, but Muslims and Christians of low caste origin were excluded. Dalits form the bulk of India’s Christian community, who make up 2.3 per cent of the country’s population.
"Black Day"
Dalit Christians and Muslims have been observing “Black Day” on Aug. 10, the anniversary of the signing of the controversial presidential order Paragraph 3. First observed in 2009, it is organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the National Council of Churches in India and the National Council of Dalit Christians.
To know about this and much more we talked to Fr. Devasagaya Raj, secretary of the CBCI Office for Scheduled and Backward Classes. Speaking on the phone from his office in New Delhi, Fr. Raj first explained who the Dalits are.
As parishioners and police respond to the threat of an armed intruder, clergy at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana take cover behind the altar on May 11, 2024. / Credit: Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, LouisianaCNA Newsroom, May 12, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).Quick action by alert parishioners and local police are credited with averting a tragedy at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana yesterday.As 60 children were preparing for their first communion, the parish located south of Lafayette, Louisiana reported that an armed "suspicious person opened the back door." "The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called," the parish indicated in a statement. In an interview with the Acadiana Advocate, Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy credited parishioners for having disarmed the suspect and having him already pinned to the ground when police arrived.A livestream v...
The Immaculata statue from Immaculate Conception Parish in Detroit was placed in a niche in the church where a confessional used to be, along with stands displaying news articles chronicling Immaculate Conception's history, a reminder of what was lost and what has been saved. "The statue meant a lot to parishioners who came in here and adopted St. Hyacinth as their new home after Immaculate Conception was torn down," sacristan Susan Kraus said. "It is only out of fairness and respect toward them that we restore her to her original beauty." / Credit: Daniel Meloy | Detroit CatholicDetroit, Mich., May 12, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).Susan Kraus got goosebumps when she discovered a decorative crown adorned with 12 stars in the basement of St. Hyacinth Parish in Detroit.The treasured piece of local Church history at the east-side Detroit parish was once considered a long-lost piece of parish lore, the headpiece for the parish's Immaculata statue, a forgotten gem from a tumultuous time."I...
"We reflect with gratitude on all mothers, and let us also pray for mothers who have gone to heaven. We entrust mothers to the protection of Mary, our heavenly mother," said Pope Francis on May 12, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, May 12, 2024 / 10:45 am (CNA).On Mother's Day, Pope Francis entrusted all mothers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking everyone to remember to also pray for all the mothers who have gone to heaven.Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace on May 12, Pope Francis asked the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square for a round of applause to celebrate all mothers."Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries today. We reflect with gratitude on all mothers, and let us also pray for mothers who have gone to heaven. We entrust mothers to the protection of Mary, our heavenly mother," the pope said.Pope Francis also asked for the Virgin Mary's intercession to help in life's journey towards heaven."May Mary, she who has already arrived at...