On December 20, in the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore, Dalit Christians held a protest against the discrimination they faced in 45 Catholic parishes demanding equal rights for their group in the Church.
Hardline Hindus have petitioned the authorities in India to stop Christians from celebrating Christmas.
A pastor from Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district was shot dead by unidentified assailants while travelling back home on December 8 with his wife on a motorcycle.
The Supreme Court of India agreed to hear the petition of the members of the Malankara Orthodox Church in Kerala to prohibit the annual mandatory sacramental confession to a priest claiming that the practice breached the privacy and dignity of individuals.
In Andhra Pradesh, a railway patrol team found a 62-year-old Catholic priest dead early on December 10, with a slit throat, 500 meters away from Vijayawada railway station.
Hindu extremists brutally tortured a pastor, belting his head and threatening to sacrifice him to their god because he distributed Bible tracts.
The Church leaders are encouraging people to share "simple messages of care and concern" for neighbours this Christmas.
At a public gathering held on December 3, the leader of the Bajrang Dal party in Assam warned fellow Hindus not to visit churches on Christmas.
On December 8, the U.S. Department of State excluded India from the “Country of Special Concern” (CPC) list amid the region's continuing and egregious violations of religious liberty.
Twenty-three Christians from five families were reconverted to Hinduism in a reconversion ceremony organized by a BJP leader in Karnataka.
“Everyone enjoys freedom of religion in the country. We don’t forcibly convert people. Conversion is not man’s activity… it’s god’s grace. One can always return to one’s original religion."
The Catholic Bishops\' Conference of India (CBCI) has commenced its 33rd general body meeting on Feb. 2 at St John\'s National Academy of Health Sciences, Koramangala, Bengaluru. The event will continue till Feb. 9.
