General

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput stripped five priests of their duties and apologized to their victims on Friday following an investigation into a pedophilia scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic archdiocese.

Washigton: About 700 people launched new claims of sexual abuse against Catholic clergy in the United States last year, including 21 who are still minors, according to a new report released by US bishops.

Sanal Edamaruku, an Indian skeptic, went to Mumbai and revealed that a "miraculous" weeping cross was really just a bit of statuary located near a leaky drain whose liquid reached it by way of capillary action. The local Catholic Church demanded that he retract his statements, and when he refused, they had him arrested for blasphemy.

The Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) has blamed Church Authorities of conspiring to include them in the Scheduled Caste list, which it said is not acceptable to Dalit Christians.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was appalling to note that Gandhi, who lived his life as a Hindu and was cremated by Hindu traditions, had been reportedly baptized by proxy by LDS. It was insensitive and hurtful to the feelings of about one billion Hindus spread worldwide.

The latest report of the Home Ministry shows that more than Rs 10,000 crore was pumped into India during 2009-2010, mostly from the USA and Europe's Christian organisations to NGOs in India.

Hague: In the wake of the "Sexual Abuse Epidemic" unearthed in Roman Catholic Church in Netherlands, the Deetman Commission is to conduct a follow-up investigation into sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.

Nevada (US): Hindus have asked various religious groups in Switzerland to come out openly in support of Verdingkinder (contract children), whom the authorities reportedly coerced into horrible lives in the past.

On 21 December 2011, the Tamil Nadu chief minister gave a virtual carte blanche to Christian evangelism in the State by giving the community a massive freebie at taxpayer expense, viz., financial assistance for 500 Christians to take a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, annually. Announcing this at a Christmas celebration hosted by the AIADMK at Laity Auditorium, Kilpauk, Ms Jayalalithaa said she was fulfilling a pledge made while celebrating the festival in Arumanai in Kanyakumari district last year; she promised to consider other demands of the Christian community favourably. One shudders to think what this could mean.

One of Germany's largest publishing companies, Weltbild, that has over 2,500 erotic novels in its online catalogue, is owned 100 percent by the German Catholic Church. Weltbild has an annual turnover of €1.7 billion ($2.4 billion), 6400 employees and has a 20 percent market share when it comes to selling books.

Christian missionaries were found distributing pamphlets on the crowded Caesar Road, Andheri (W).The pamphlets were titled, ‘Why do we need money and benefits? Merits/Punya (??) and traditions? Dharma and Karma?’ Mr.Diwakar Agwane, Mr. Sumit Sarmalkar, Mr. Dayanand Kaddi of HJS inquired about this pamphlet distribution to the concerned missionaries.

In his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered "normal" by society.

On 3rd December, there is a fair of the so-called Saint Francis Xavier at Old Goa. Hindus also go to this fair and pray for curing of physical ailments due to lack of pride about Hindu Dharma. Here are details of bloodiest Inquisition of Hindus in Goa by Xavier and his cronies.

The scandal is closely linked to the Catholic Church, which under Franco assumed a prominent role in Spain's social services including hospitals, schools and children's homes.

Muthoot Financial Group has issued the circular which bans Hindu lady staff from wearing bindhi and sindoor which is of religious significance.