News from the Orient – November 22, 2024

This week's News from the Orient:

Advent begins in the East

On Sunday 17 November, Eastern Christians following the Julian calendar – particularly Copts, Ethiopians and Armenians - celebrated the beginning of Advent. In Ethiopia, Advent is marked by the ‘fast of the prophets’. During this period, the faithful refrain from eating animal products and limit their diet to one meal a day, usually taken after 3pm.

1000 days of war in Ukraine

Tuesday 19 November marks the 1,000th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The toll is heavy: according to some sources, 300,000 soldiers were killed on both sides and nearly a million wounded. Among Ukrainian civilians, more than 15,000 were killed and nearly 26,000 wounded. In addition, 15,000 people were deported or imprisoned by Russian forces, and 6.7 million people were displaced. The country’s Greek-Catholic Church, which represents about 10% of the population, has been on the front line since the start of the war, supporting civilians and soldiers.

Church property under scrutiny in India

In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a court ruling has called into question the management of Church property. The court says that the buildings should be administered by the State. Given anti-conversion laws targeting religious minorities, this measure is causing concern among Christians, who represent 2.4% of India's 1.4 billion inhabitants. For their part, the authorities are justifying the decision on the grounds that it will level the playing field between different faiths, since an equivalent body already exists for Hindus and Muslims in the country.