Millions of people turn to Catholic Online for prayers, Daily Readings, saints, Catholic education and answers about their Faith. Most will never donate. But if Catholic Online has given you more than $5 worth of value this year, we're asking you to do something very simple: Give $5 today.
Your Catholic Voice Foundation also supports Catholic Online School, which has served 2.2 million student enrollments in 193 countries. We don't believe a family's ability to pay should determine whether a child can receive a Catholic education. If we've given you something of value, please give something back.
DONATE TODAY >>Indian Bishops Welcome U.S. Human Rights Group
FREE Catholic Classes
Anyone who endeavors to protect human rights and religious liberty is welcome.
Highlights
PHULBANI, India (Zenit) - The prelates of India are hoping that a visit from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will bring justice more quickly to persecuted Christians in Orissa.
Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandez of Gandhinagar, secretary of the India episcopal conference, spoke with AsiaNews about the visit next month, saying he hopes it will "speed up the path to justice for the Christians of Kandhamal."
The commission prepares an annual report on the status of religious freedom in nations around the world. While in India, they plan to focus on the state of Orissa in the east, the site of heightened persecution against Christians, and the state of Gujarat in the west, where Muslim faithful were persecuted in 2002. Both situations involved Hindu extremists.
In Orissa, ongoing Hindu-Christian tensions flared into a wave of violence at the end of last August, after extremists blamed the slaying of a Hindu leader on Christians. Dozens of Christians, including a priest, were killed and thousands fled their homes. Thousands of them are still living in displacement camps.
Archbishop Fernandez told AsiaNews, "Anyone who endeavors to protect human rights and religious liberty is welcome."
"We hope," he added, "that the visit of the commission will help the various human rights groups, the social activists and the Church in India to speed up the path to justice for the Christians of Kandhamal and the victims of chauvinistic violence in this nation."
"The Church does not seek revenge," the archbishop clarified. "As Christians, we are forgiving and seek peace. The Church desires justice, which is essential for peace and reconciliation, which is the base on which to build the process of a lasting peace and a stable coexistence among communities."
Come Grow With Us
Sign up and walk the Catholic journey with millions around the world.
Receive inspiring emails on saints, daily readings, and free faith-building resources—no cost, ever.
Catholic Online Is Free. But We Need Your Help.
Please Watch
- 7 Morning Prayers
- Mysteries of the Rosary
- Litany of the Bl. Virgin Mary
- Popular Saints
- Popular Prayers
- Female Saints
- Saint Feast Days by Month
- Stations of the Cross
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Michael the Archangel
- The Apostles' Creed
- Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony
- Pray the Rosary
Copyright 2026 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2026 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.