News from the Orient – November 22, 2024

This week’s Oriental News:

Advent begins in the East

On Sunday, November 17, Eastern Christians following the Julian calendar – including Copts, Ethiopians and Armenians – celebrated the start 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 per day, generally eaten after 3 p.m.

1000 days of war in Ukraine

Tuesday, November 19 marks the thousandth 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 almost 26,000 injured. Additionally, 15,000 people were deported or imprisoned by Russian forces and 6.7 million people were displaced. The country’s Greek Catholic Church, which makes up around 10% of the population, has been on the front lines since the start of the war, supporting civilians and soldiers.

Church assets under surveillance in India

In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a court ruling has called into question the management of Church property. The court declares that the buildings must be administered by the state. Faced with anti-conversion laws targeting religious minorities, this measure worries Christians, who represent 2.4% of India’s 1.4 billion inhabitants. For their part, the authorities justify this decision by the fact that it will level the playing field between the different faiths, since there already exists an equivalent body for Hindus and Muslims in the country.