Paul Keenan
Indian Archbishop rejects accusations against Mother Teresa
An Indian archbishop has rejected a recent verbal attack on the memory of Mother Teresa launched by a radical politician and cleric.
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Jowai described as “rash comments” the denunciation of the famed nun by Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath, a member of parliament representing the hardline Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During a Hindu festival, Adityanath accused Mother Teresa of being part of a “conspiracy to Christianise India”.
“Very few will give weight to his words,” Archbishop Menamparampil said. “Whatever she did, she did openly. Her motives were transparent. She was an open book to those who lived around her, the people of Calcutta and of Bengal who considered her as their own.” The archbishop added that by his words, Adityanath was demeaning Hinduism. “A religion that has withstood the questioning attitudes of Indian intellectuals and the aggressive designs of outside forces for several millennia does not need to feel threatened by a fragile nun whose only strength was her weakness,” he said.
Catholic women ‘at less risk of suicide’
Catholic women who regularly attend Mass are five times less likely to commit suicide than women of other faiths or none, a new study in the US has shown.
Examining figures from 1996 to 2010, the Harvard study found, that while suicides from within an overall 89,708 women represented most categories, of 6,999 Catholic women who attend Mass at least once a week, there was not a single suicide. The study’s authors write of their findings that suggest that attendance at religious services appears to represent “a form of meaningful social participation” that protects women against loneliness and isolation, key elements linked to depression and suicide. “Religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that psychiatrists and clinicians could explore with their patients, as appropriate.”
173-year-old time capsule discovered in Singapore cathedral
Workers in Singapore have uncovered a time capsule at the nation’s oldest Catholic church. During construction work on the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the capsule, which is 173 years old, was found beneath the structure’s foundation stone. When opened, the shoebox-sized capsule revealed a prayer booklet, 18th and 19th Century coins and newspapers dating from 1843.
The cathedral rector, Msgr. Philip Heng, said the capsule served to illustrate the confidence among Singapore’s first faithful that Catholicism would endure in the region. “The founders realised that, one day, someone was going to be digging and would see that they had anticipated and had hope that the Catholic community would still be in existence in Singapore centuries later,” he said.
Pope prays for victims of Istanbul attack
“May the hearts of the violent be converted.” This was the message of Pope Francis as he prayed for those killed and injured in the suicide attacks on the Ataturk International airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 28. Some 44 people were killed and 239 injured when three suicide bombers opened fire in the main terminal of the airport before detonating explosive vests.
“We pray for the victims, for their families and for the dear Turkish people,” the Pontiff said during his Angelus address “May the Lord convert the hearts of violent and sustain us in the way of peace.”