CSI Moderator fears government nightmare for poor and minorities

The Moderator of the Church of South India has warned the Indian government that it is a “a danger to the very fabric” of the country. The Bishop of Madhya Kerala, the Most Revd Thomas K Oommen, wrote in an open letter, published on Monday, that the government had adopted “Hindutva supremacist ideology”, the Anglican Communion News Service reported. He went on to say that he feared that the government “has become a nightmare to the poor and the minorities in India”, including Christians.

Canadian Archbishop gives support to anti-fracking movement

The Archbishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the Most Revd Ron Cutler, has given his support to an anti-fracking campaign in Nova Scotia. Archbishop Cutler joined 40 other community leaders to sign a letter that opposed lifting the ban on fracking in the region, the Anglican Communion News Service reported on Tuesday. Archbishop Cutler said: “If God loves the world then God’s people ought to love the world too and do their utmost to — as the vow says — sustain it and renew it.”

Vietnamese rights activists sent to prison

Six Vietnamese human-rights activists, including a lawyer and a pastor, have been sentenced to between seven and 15 years in prison for “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government”. Christian human-rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai received the longest sentence of 15 years in prison and a further five years under house arrest, Christian Solidarity Worldwide said. Mr Van Dai, who has represented victims of human-rights abuses, including religious minorities, was arrested in December 2015 (News, 6 April 2018).