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.

An official of the Indian bishops’ conference has questioned a Hindu leader’s claim that former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee supported converting tribal Christians to Hinduism to save them from becoming anti-nationals. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called the claim “fabricated” on Jan. 17, two days after the media published the statements of Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the powerful Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In a statement, the bishops’ conference questioned the motive behind publishing a “fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India.” Bhagwat told a public function in central Indian Indore city on Jan. 13 that Mukherjee supported the campaign to convert Christians during a private conversation with him in 2017. Mukherjee died in 2020.
The bishops’ statement questioned the media ethics of “posthumous publication” of statements attributed to a pre-sident by “an organization with questionable credibility.” It also questioned why Bhagwat “did not speak” about this when Mukherjee was alive. “It is unfortunate” that RSS, which was banned thrice and often associated with violence in India “as seen over the past several decades, is allowed with impunity to call the non-violent, peace-loving and service-oriented Christian community as anti-nationals,” said the statement issued by the bishops’ public relations officer Father Robinson Rodrigues. The RSS is seen as the umbrella organization of all Hindu groups working to make India a nation of Hindu hegemony.
Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) spearheads a campaign called Ghar Wapsi (homecoming) in northern India to convert Christians to Hinduism, claiming Hinduism is the “home” religion of all Indians.

Indian Christians face an existential threat if the government fails to act immediately to stop the spiralling incidents of hate crimes, says an ecumenical Christian group. Incidents of anti-Christian violence rose steeply from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024, revealed the latest report released by the United Christian Forum (UCF) on Jan. 24. “If the trend is not stopped immediately by political will and concerted government action, it will threaten the identity and existence of the Indian Christian community in their motherland,” the New Delhi-based body of several Christian denominations said in a statement. A.C. Michael, a UCF office-bearer, said practicing the Christian faith in the country is going to be a challenging task unless the government reins in the right-wing Hindu groups. “Chri-stians are being treated like they do not belong to this country,” Michael told. Michael, a former member of the Delhi state’s minority commission, said that the Church’s charitable works were falsely portrayed as “a façade for religious conversion through false narratives” by the right-wing organizations.
Michael Williams, president of UCF, said the attacks against the community have become “more frequent, brutal, and systematic.” “Christians who have long been a peaceful and integral part of India’s diverse society are now living in fear,” he said. Williams said the data collected by UCF wasn’t just numbers. “They are the stories of real people, individual lives shattered, families torn apart, and communities destroyed because of their faith,” he added. The findings of the latest report are “very disturbing” as there has been no let-up in violence against Christians in states like northern Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in central India.

The Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church has lauded the Vatican for appointing Cardi-nal George J. Koovakad as the new prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The Jan. 24 appointment of Koovakad is “a matter of great pride for his mother Church and the Indian Church,” said Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil. Koovakad becomes the second Indian cardinal to head a Vatican office after Cardinal Ivan Dias, who was Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2006 to 2011. Dias died in 2017. In his message, Thattil, said, “Koovakad will be able to promote harmony between different religions and accelerate dialogues for peace.” The dicastery is responsible for nurturing dialogue with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and members of other world religions.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Oswald Gracias as the Archbishop of Bombay on Jan 25 and elevated Coadjutor Bishop John Rodrigues as his successor in India’s largest diocese. Although retired from the archbishop’s office, Gracias continues serving on the Council of Cardinal Advisers. Gracias joined the Council of Cardinal Advisers in 2013 when Pope Francis established it and handpicked Gracias to be part of the nine-member team to advise him on revising the Roman Curia. Gracias “was a giant of a man, and now as his successor, I have mighty big shoes to fill,” Rodrigues, 57, said in a Jan. 25 statement. He thanked “Gracias for his dedicated service” to the archdiocese, the Church in India, and the Universal Church,” adding that they are proud of him. Rodrigues also urged his bishops, priests, religious men and women, and the Catholic community to work with the authorities and citizens “to further unity and true development in society.” Pope Francis appointed Rodrigues as coadjutor bishop on Nov. 30, and his installation took place only last week on Jan.23. Gracias said in a video message on Jan. 25 that Pope Francis “has accepted my resignation as the Archbishop of Bombay.” He said he submitted his resignation five years ago, when he turned 75, the canonical retirement age. However, the Vatican did not accept it then. He “reminded Rome about it recently,” Gracias said. His successor “comes with great knowledge, competence, experience and holiness of life,” he added.

An Indian archbishop says he is waiting for a response from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a week after seeking his intervention to stop harassment of Christians using laws that criminalize religious conversion. Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore told on Jan. 2 that he has “not yet received any response” to his letter to Modi’s office seeking he address some “pressing concerns of the Christian community” in India. Machado wrote to Modi’s Office on Dec. 23, seeking “five gifts” from the PM that would make the Christian community in India happy during Christmas. “We only apply and apply, hoping for a good response to our pressing concerns from the Prime Minister,” Machado said, expressing hope he will have a response. Machado told Modi that anti-conversion laws, currently in force in 12 states, are “distre-ssing, often leading to unjust persecution of Christians. “These laws, misnamed ‘Freedom of Religion Bills,’ impose stringent and unreasonable restrictions, violating personal liberty and human rights,” the letter said. He wanted Modi “to foster genuine freedom of religion by directing states to adopt a more tolerant approach.”
The prelate also wanted Modi’s inter-vention in “resolving the burning Manipur issue” of ethnic violence between Christian-majority Kuki and Hindu-majority Meitei groups in north-eastern India. He said Christians in Manipur have received a raw deal, but the prime minister has not visited the state since the onset of the civil unrest more than a year ago. Machado also wanted Modi to intervene and stop all attacks on Christians and their institutions. He noted that the Delhi-based United Christian Forum recorded 767 incidents in 2024 targeting Christians, and 80 Christians were jailed because of their faith in Christ. Machado also wanted the government to extend to Christians of Dalit origin the social welfare benefit guaranteed in the constitution for lower caste people. The government blocked Chri-stians and Muslims from receiving these benefits meant to help lower caste people on the ground that their religions do not approve of the caste system. Are Christians and Muslims “not citizens of this country with equal rights and privileges guaranteed to all in the country according to our constitution?” he asked in the letter.