\n<\/p>\n
CHENNAI, India<\/strong> \u2014 The Catholic community in Tamil Nadu is celebrating a significant milestone following the swearing-in of Joseph Vijay, an actor turned politician, as the state’s chief minister on May 10.<\/p>\n “This is a momentous occasion, and we are hopeful it will bring about positive changes,” Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore expressed to reporters on May 13.<\/p>\n Vijay\u2019s new political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), which means Victory Party of Tamil Nadu, was established in 2024. In its first election, the party surprised many by clinching 107 seats in the 234-member state assembly, breaking the long-standing dominance of the Dravidian parties.<\/p>\n After acknowledging the election results, five smaller parties shifted their support from the previous ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK coalitions to back TVK, allowing Vijay to surpass the crucial majority with 118 seats. The governor then invited him to form the new government on May 9.<\/p>\n On May 13, the Vijay-led government secured a key vote of confidence with 144 votes, receiving some support from members of the AIADMK.<\/p>\n Shortly after taking office, Vijay made a promise to maintain a “corruption-free” administration by stating, “I won\u2019t touch public money.” He swiftly signed three orders to subsidize electricity for the less fortunate, set up a task force to ensure women\u2019s safety, and establish anti-drug units to combat substance abuse.<\/p>\n Archbishop Antonysamy welcomed the new chief minister’s initiatives but noted, \u201cWe cannot judge a person in just a few days. Performance will be key. Vijay is new to government work, and many of his team members are part of his fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are truly delighted to have a Catholic chief minister,\u201d said Father Vincent Chinnadurai, spokesperson for the Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops’ Council.<\/p>\n Vijay is well-known as a popular actor, but his Catholic roots gained attention when Hindu nationalists attempted to sway voters by emphasizing his first name, Joseph. Chinnadurai, who also leads the Santhome Basilica in Chennai, elaborated, \u201cVijay\u2019s background became more prominent during the election campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n The Santhome Basilica is thought to stand near the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle, and it is one of three basilicas globally built over the resting places traditionally linked with apostles.<\/p>\n Chinnadurai noted, “People are overjoyed as Tamil Nadu becomes the first major state in India to have a Catholic chief minister, especially during a time when Christians face challenges across the country.”<\/p>\n The name “Joseph” was frequently mentioned during Vijay\u2019s swearing-in ceremony, which was broadcast live.<\/p>\n When Hindu nationalists tried to label Vijay as a Christian during the election campaign held on April 19, Chinnadurai highlighted that “he stood his ground.” Instead of retreating, Vijay embraced his identity and made a notable speech at a Christmas event, likening himself to the biblical figure Joseph, who cared for his brothers in challenging circumstances. He assured the public, “Tamil Nadu is like a mother; all her children deserve care.”<\/p>\n Reflecting on Vijay’s popularity, The Hindu newspaper noted that his party, though recently formed, built upon over 80,000 fan clubs engaged in social initiatives across the state.<\/p>\n Thousands of Vijay’s fans traveled to the Marian shrine of Vailankanni, often called the Lourdes of the East, hoping to see him in person on May 2 after the elections. They spent the night chanting “TVK, TVK” before church officials intervened for calm. Ultimately, Vijay canceled his visit due to the enthusiastic crowd.<\/p>\n Professor Gladstone Xavier from Loyola College in Chennai mentioned, \u201cVijay studied at our college, and his mother came to our campus for Mass regularly.\u201d With Vijay\u2019s Catholic identity now more visible, Xavier expressed hope that \u201chis performance as chief minister will make the community proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CHENNAI, India \u2014 The Catholic community in Tamil Nadu is celebrating a significant milestone following the swearing-in of Joseph Vijay, an actor turned politician, as the state’s chief minister on May 10. “This is a momentous occasion, and we are hopeful it will bring about positive changes,” Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras and Mylapore expressed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[40245,40246,41279,98],"class_list":["post-31723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-india-news","tag-catholic-church-in-india","tag-catholic-news","tag-christianity-in-india","tag-elections"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}“I Will Not Misuse Public Funds”<\/h3>\n
Celebrating Catholic Identity<\/h3>\n
Addressing the ‘Joseph’ Factor<\/h3>\n
Pilgrims Gather for Thanksgiving<\/h3>\n