Christine Nathan, a Mumbai-based labor rights champion and president of the International Catholic Migration Commission, has been appointed as a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
It is a significant recognition of a woman who has spent four decades fighting for migrant and unorganized workers. Theologian Astrid Lobo Gajiwala called it a “proud moment for India,” while Sister Rani Punnasseril of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India praised Nathan as a capable yet humble woman with deep knowledge of workers’ issues.
Christine Nathan expressed gratitude to the Pope and reaffirmed her commitment to the Church’s mission of upholding the dignity of migrants and refugees over the coming five years. She said the post is a great opportunity to serve the Church’s efforts to uphold the dignity of migrants and refugees. It is also a great honour for the ICMC, which she has served as international president for the past four years.
Nathan has engaged in grassroots activism for four decades, championing the labor rights of migrant and unorganized women workers. From 2006 to 2014, she served as a regional specialist at the International Labor Organization (ILO), directing activities across 21 Asia-Pacific countries. Her appointment is not a reward It is a reckoning.
