On June 25, four members of the Missionaries of Charity in India -- best known as the organization formerly led by Mother Teresa -- were visiting AIDS patients in a hospital in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh when they were accosted by Hindu militants. As many as fifty members of Dharma Parirakshana Samithi accused the nuns of trying to convert the patients to Christianity. According to Asia News, Sister Maria Julia, Sister Chriselda, Sister Emma Felesia and Sister Reena Francis, were detained while their bags were searched for literature. Some militants in the crowd threatened to remove their distinctive blue and white saris and replace them with saffron-coloured clothes, a symbol of Hinduism. Some hospital managers, who were accompanied by militant BJP members, coerced the patients into accusing the nuns of attempting to convert them. Based on these testimonies, the four were taken to the local police station where they were charged. These charges were later dropped after intervention from the Archbishop of Hyderabad. An inquiry into the incident has been started.
Pray that there will be no further incidents involving the Missionaries of Charity. Pray that Christians in the area will be free to tell others of Christ. Pray that, even when there is limited freedom, they will continue to be faithful to give testimony to Him in their lives (Acts 4:19). Pray that those opposed to the gospel will be ineffective in their efforts to silence God's people.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.
VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”
Ethnicity (%) Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)
Religion (%) Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)
Leader President Droupadi Murmu (2022)
Government type Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for India
Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.
In an affidavit filed earlier this month before India's Supreme Court, officials from the Indian state of Rajasthan announced their plans to introduce legislation that would ban so-called forced religious conversions. The proposal comes after the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took control of the state following elections in late November, unseating the more centrist Indian National Congress.
A Christian woman was beaten to death with a hammer and other weapons on June 24th because of her conversion to Christianity. The murder took place in Toylanka, a village in the state of Chhattisgarh.
Kosa Kawasi's wife, Jime. Photo: Morning Star News
On May 4th, 22-year-old Kosa Kawasi was killed during a violent mob attack while at his home in the village of Kapanar, Chhattisgarh state. The mob, believed to have been led by the young man's uncle and cousin, was angered that Kosa and his wife Jime had converted to Christianity. As a result, the opposing villagers had unsuccessfully tried to force the Christian couple from their home. Following this incident, the angry community members physically confronted the believer – ultimately inflicting a lethal stab wound.
Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakshi. Photo: Morning Star News
A Christian couple was recently sentenced to prison after accusations were made that they had been involved in pressuring others to convert to Christianity. Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakshi are from the village of Vivek Nagar in Madhya Pradesh. A man had accused the couple of abducting his estranged wife Sapna (who also happens to be Pastor Ramesh's niece) before allegedly pressuring her to convert, holding the woman against her will, and not allowing her to return home to be with him. He also purported that the Christian couple offered to build Sapna a home and give her money each month. The complainant, Abhishek, further claimed that the Christians attempted to convert him as well, offering him a job in return.
Population
