Indian Archbishop Protests Murders

NEW DELHI, India—Archbishop Alan de Lastic of Delhi wrote Indian government officials demanding an urgent inquiry into the killings of an Australian Protestant missionary and his two sons.

The missionary, Graham Stewart Stains, 58, who ran a leprosy hospital in Orissa state's Mayurbhanj district since 1965, and his two sons were burned alive inside a jeep in an eastern Indian village Jan. 23.

Police arrested 50 people Jan. 24 belonging to the Party of the Monkey God, a right-wing Hindu organization, in connection with the crime. Those arrested included three college students.

According to Archbishop de Lastic, India witnessed more than 110 incidents of violence against Christians during 1998.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis