Church leaders in India have welcomed the Vatican’s decision to add the feast of St. Teresa of Kolkata to the universal liturgical calendar, saying it will help Catholics across the globe emulate the nun’s sense of service to the poor.” This is a great recognition and appreciation of her work for the poorest of the poor and the abandoned men, women and children,” Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta told UCA News on Feb.19. The archbishop was responding to the Feb. 11 Vatican decree that said Pope Francis had added the saintly nun to the liturgical calendar, making the feast day Sept. 5, the day of her death in 1997. The Vatican decision “would also provide a tremendous boost to the work of her congregation — the Missionaries of Charity — in all corners of the world,” D’Souza said. The Vatican decree said the decision follows requests from “bishops, religious and associations of the faithful” and also considers “the influence of the spirituality of Saint Teresa of Calcutta throughout the world.”

Police in central Indian Madhya Pradesh state filed a criminal case against a Catholic nun and three others on Feb. 16 for violating the state’s anti-conversion law. Indore city police filed the case against Holy Spirit Sister Sheela Savari Muthu and her three colleagues – two women and a man – after they organized a program for the children of domestic workers. The case is based on the demand of some right-wing Hindu activists. The Hindus wanted action against Christians for allegedly trying to convert some 120 children who attended the health and hygiene awareness camp conducted in a public garden. The police detained the accused for close to nine hours but released them at nine at night despite some 600 Hindu activists shouting slogans against their release and missionary activities. The Hindu mob also tried to instigate the children and women brought to the police station to give testimonies against the nun but failed. They also unsuccessfully attempted to get the nun’s female colleagues to give statements against her inside the police station, eyewitnesses told. “Neither the children nor the women succumbed to their pressure, but still the police, under pressure from the Hindu activists, registered the case,” says an eye witness to the incident, who did not want to be named. Sister Muthu said it was “totally a false case.” “We organized a health and hygiene camp for the domestic workers’ children. We did it in the open public garden with permission from the local government officials,” she told. Within a few hours of the program, people gathered and started shouting slogans against missionaries and religious conversions. “Soon, we sought police help,” she said.” The police took us to the police station.

A Church leader from India’s Manipur expressed optimism after the strife-torn state in north-east region was brought under direct federal rule days after its chief minister resigned.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh from the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quit on Feb. 9 after facing pressure to step down for failing to stop the continuing violence in the state for nearly two years. The ethnic clashes bet-ween the state’s majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities broke out in May 2023 over economic benefits, land rights and job quotas.
More than 250 people have been killed and over 60,000 displaced, most of them indigenous Christians from the Kuki-Zo group. The office of President Droupadi Murmu on Feb. 13 announced President’s rule, which allows the Delhi-appointed gover-nor to administer the state on behalf of the federal government. Murmu’s office said in a state-ment that the federal rule was imposed because of the situation in which the governance of that state could “not be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India.”
A Church leader in the troubl-ed state told that “the federal government can work towards healing wounds and restoring peace, provided it is sincere.” Christians have been demanding the chief minister’s dismissal since the violence began almost two years ago.
“The chaos cannot continue indefinitely. There should be an end [to violence],” added the Church leader who did not want to be named, fearing retribution. He said the discriminatory atti-tude towards indigenous commu-nities adopted by Singh, a Meitei, has “divided both the communities to such an extent that they do not like to see each other or share the same space.”

Catholics in India have joined their counterparts across the world to pray for Pope Francis, who has been undergoing treatment for double pneumonia in a Rome hospital. Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, on February 19 called on the country’s Catholics to pray for the Pope after the Vatican announc-ed that the pontiff’s condition had worsened. The archbishop said the Pope was diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory tract infect-ion. “Recent tests reveal a complex clinical picture, requiring an extended hospital stay for the 88-year-old Pontiff in Rome,” said a statement issued by the conference. Abp Thazhath, while praying for the Pope’s health and recovery, entrusted him “to the mercy and care of Our Lord. Let us join together in prayer for his strength and healing.” Earlier, Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, too urged his people to pray for Pope Francis whose health condi-tion caused concern. “According to the infor-mation we have received, the Holy Father’s health condition is worrying. Therefore, I request all Syro-Malabar Catholics to pray for the Pope,” the major archbishop’s February 19 message said. He urged all churches and institutions under his Church to offer Masses for the Pope and Catholic families to pray for the pontiff during the evening prayers.
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão the President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) has issued a heartfelt appeal to all members of the Catholic Church in India, urging them to join in prayer for the swift and complete recovery of Pope Francis. In a circular addressed to archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, catechists, and lay faithful, Cardinal Ferrão expressed deep concern for the health of the Holy Father. He called upon the faithful to unite in fervent supplication, seeking God’s healing grace for the Pope, who carries the great responsibility of shepherding the Universal Church. “At this time, as he is facing serious health challenges, let us, as one family in faith, turn to the Lord in earnest supplication, entrusting our beloved Pope to the healing grace of our Divine Physician,” Cardinal Ferrão stated.

An Indian archbishop who led a group of bishops on a Feb. 5 visit to eastern Odisha’s Kandhamal district — the epicenter of anti-Christian violence nearly 20 years ago — has said the land will become a pilgrimage centre for Catholics. “I am sure, one day, this land of martyrs in Kandhamal will become a pilgrimage site for Catholics,” Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore and newly elected vice president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) told UCA News on Feb. 6. He said the 23 bishops accompanying him interacted with many survivors of the 2008 violence that tore through churches and Christian villages in the district. “The survivors are safe now after being rehabilitated by a Catholic Church initiative with the support of the government, but their lives are not without fear,” Machado noted. More than 100 people were killed and hundreds wounded during the attacks that began on Aug. 24, 2008, and lasted more than four months, rendering more than 56,000 people homeless. The violence followed the Aug. 23 murder of Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, a Hindu nationalist leader in Odisha. Local left-wing Maoist rebels claimed responsibility, but local Hindu groups blamed the murder on Christians instead. The four months of violence left a trail of destruction as over 300 churches and 6,000 homes were razed. Many Christians were forced to flee into nearby forests, where some succumbed to hunger and even snakebites. “Although there is no visible violence [now] against Christians in this region, people can sense hatred and suspicion from dominant Hindu groups,” Father Manoj Kumar Nayak, a survivor of the violence from Tiangia village, told on Feb. 7. Now the parish priest of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church in Mondasoru village, which has 300 Catholic families, Nayak said the victim families have been rehabilitated in small houses. But “one cannot miss the lingering fear of the Hindu nationalists,” he added. Nayak said Catholics were reassured by the visit of the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli on Jan. 31 to Kandhamal district to show solidarity with them. He said the 23 bishops, led by Archbishop Machado, visited Our Lady of Charity Church in Raikia and Nandagiri, where 82 families have rebuilt their lives after being forcibly removed from their original village of Beticola.

Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão has been re-elected as the Presi-dent of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), while Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore has been elected as the Vice President and Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi as Secretary General. The elections took place during the 36th Plenary Assembly of the CCBI at XIM University, Bhubaneswar. Cardi-nal Filipe Neri Ferrão (72) was first elected the President at the 31st Plenary Assembly held in Chennai in 2019. He was re-elected for a second term in 2023 at the 34th Plenary Assembly in Bangalore. In addition to his leadership in India, he also serves as the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), an office he assumed in January 2025. He is also the member of the Dicastery for Evangelisation and the Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops.
Archbishop Peter Machado (70) currently serves as the Presi-dent of the Karnataka Regional Bishops’ Council and the Chairman of the CCBI Commission for Laity.
Archbishop Vincent Aind (70) was appointed Bishop of Bagdogra on April 7, 2015 and ordained on June 14, 2015. Archbishop Aind is also the Chairman of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine. On December 30, 2023, he was appointed Archbishop of Ranchi.

A Catholic-run hospital and a college in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have offered free meals to Hindu devotees as mi-llions gather to attend the Kumbh Mela, dubbed the world’s largest religious gathering. Father Vipin D’Souza, director of Nazareth Hospital, said they are glad to lend hands to the pilgrims. The hospital, in collaboration with the Allahabad Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, spon-sored free meals outside the hospital premises on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 as thousands of devotees passed by a road leading to the Kumbh Mela venue, about five kilometres away. “We decided to organize the free meals for the devotees as they have been walk-ing more than 10-15 kilometres to reach the place,” D’Souza told. “Recognizing the needs of the weary pilgrims, we planned to give them tea, snacks, and other food items. We gave free medi-cine to some and treated four Hindu monks in our hospital for free,” he said. He added that between 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims received various services from the hospital.  Kumbh Mela (festival of the Sacred Pitcher) is a major, centuries-old Hindu pilgrimage that involves bathing or taking a dip in a sacred river, such as the Ganges. It occurs once every 12 years. The 45-day-long festival began on Jan. 13 on the confluence of the Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), the largest city in Uttar Pradesh state. Hindus believe the ritual dip liberates them from sins and offers spiritual atonement.

A Christian couple convicted of trying to convert people to Christianity in the first such case in India has been granted bail, after they challenged the conviction in the high court of Uttar Pradesh state. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, the northern state’s top court, has granted bail to Pastor Jose Pappachan and his wife, Sheeja Pappachan, said Pastor Joy Mathew, who has been assisting the couple. “The court is yet to release detailed orders, but it is confirmed that they have been granted bail today,” Mathew told. Pappachan and his wife had moved separate applications requesting bail and to set aside the conviction of a special court in Ambedkar Nagar district, which deals with crimes against socially poor castes. In the Indian judicial system, convictions can be challenged in appellate courts, and allowing bail for convicts ordinarily means temporary suspension of sentence. The couple were sentenced on Jan. 22 to five years in jail. They were convicted of violating the state’s law that restricts conversion – the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021.

Bishops of Christian Churches across India have jointly condemned a film, saying it deroga-torily portrays their religion and faith in the language of an eastern Indian state having a history of anti-Christian violence. The movie Sanatani–Karma hi Dharma, made in the Odia language of Odisha state, was released in cine-mas on Feb. 7, despite calls from Christians and other secular groups to stop it. The movie “misrepresents religious conversion as a criminal activity, undermining the freedom of religion,” said the National United Christian Forum. The forum of Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Evangelical bishops also accused the movie of distorting “key aspects of Christian doctrine.” The bishops said the movie, set in the background of tribal villages, can potentially “fuel divisions among tribal communities.” The movie reportedly revolves around Christian conversion and witchcraft in the tribal villages in the state. The name uses the Sanskrit word Sanatani, which refers to those who follow the Hindu religion. It asserts that for such people, Karma hi Dharma, meaning duty is religion. The eastern state has a history of anti-Christian violence. The worst was in 2008 when Hindu groups attacked and burned down hundreds of Christian homes and churches in the tribal-dominated Kandhamal district, killing some 100 people, mostly Christians. Hindu groups, who work to establish a nation of Hindu hegemony, oppose Christian missionary activities and conversion, particularly in the villages where they say missionaries target the socially poor tribal and former lower caste people. The tribal-dominated Kandhamal has a Christian concentration, forming 20 percent of the district’s 750,000 people, with the majority of tribal people following the Hindu religion or their animist traditions.

Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli on January 28 urged India’s Latin rite bishops to become the disciples of Christ and not just his fans. When Jesus worked miracles, he had many fans watching him, but only a few chose to follow him generally, said the nuncio in his homily at the opening Mass of the 36th plenary assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).
The CCBI, the largest national episcopal conference in Asia and the fourth largest globally, represents 132 dioceses and 209 bishops in India. The January 28-February 4 plenary on the theme, “Discerning synodal pathways for mission,” is being held at the Xavier Institute of Management University in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha state in eastern India. The plenary is poised to be a landmark event, fostering collaboration and renewal as the Church discerns its future path in mission and synodality, says a press statement issued by the conference’s deputy secretary general Father Stephen Alathara.
Reminding the bishops that that their episcopal mission in India, the nuncio urged them to pray to the Holy Spirit for a greater opening to respond faithfully to the tasks and responsibilities of the Church. The nuncio referred to the Gospel of the day, where Jesus denounces his sentimental attachments with his mother and embraces universal brotherhood, symbolically opening the door to people of all ethnicities and social statuses. He pointed out that unity comes from journeying together.
The nuncio applauded the Indian Church’s contribution towards the development of society. The current challenge of the Church is to engage with those who are deeply afflicted through climate change, poverty, and digital media, and those who remain excluded from our ecclesiastical structure, he said. Archbishop Girelli expressed his concern about the emerging challenges in India. He affirmed that India is a land of the young, but finding a job for all is a challenge, and that leads to migration. He stressed that the church has a role to play in addressing the causes of migration.