Church leadership needs to listen to the people and heed their concerns and insecurities “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” — Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition leader In my two decades in public life, including three terms in Parliament, I have written columns on a range of subjects, but never one on the church in India. This is a first. It needed to be written. More silence on the subject would make me complicit. A former Provincial (head of a province) of a large religious congregation told this columnist: “Bishops must continue to lead the Church on all spiritual issues. But is it time for the lay Catholic leaders to unite and set the direction for the church in social and political spheres? It is time this is debated. It is time Christians from the grassroots (referred to by the Church as the laity) start openly asking direct questions of the few hundred bishops who comprise the key decision-making body of the Catholic Church in India.” More priests and nuns, usually bound by strict rules of discipline, have also begun to speak up. A nun, who is a leading educationist, told this columnist: “That the bishop’s

MUMBAI, India – Shocked by the surge of violence especially during the Christmas season in India, over 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups issued an urgent appeal on Dec. 31 to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for immediate action to address the surge in violence against Christians. The appeal comes after at least 14 incidents of violence, threats, and disruptions targeted Christian gatherings across the country during the Christmas season, the leaders and church groups wrote in a press release. Prominent signatories of the appeal include Bishop Thomas Abraham, Bishop David Onesimu, Bishop Joab Lohara, Richard Howell, Mary Scaria, Cedric Prakash S.J., John Dayal, Prakash Louis S.J., Zelhou Keyho, E.H. Kharkongor, Allen Brooks, K. Losii Mao, Akhilesh Edgar, Michael Willams, A.C. Michael and Vijayesh Lal. They pointed to troubling statistics, including over 720 incidents of violence targeting Christians reported to the Evangelical Fellowship of India and 760 cases recorded by the United Christian Forum between January and November 2024. The appeal highlights systemic concerns, including the misuse of anti-conversion laws, growing threats to religious freedoms, escalating hate speech, and exclusionary policies denying Dalit Christians Scheduled Caste status. The leaders also urged the prime minister to take a visible role

New Delhi: Over 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups on Tuesday (December 31) have issued an urgent appeal to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for immediate action to address the surge in violence against Christians. The appeal comes after at least 14 incidents of violence, threats, and disruptions targeted Christian gatherings across the country during the Christmas season, the leaders and church groups wrote in a press release. The signatories, including prominent Christian leaders such as Thomas Abraham, David Onesimu, Joab Lohara, Richard Howell, Mary Scaria, Cedric Prakash S.J., John Dayal, Prakash Louis S.J., Zelhou Keyho, E.H. Kharkongor, Allen Brooks, K. Losii Mao, Akhilesh Edgar, Michael Willams, A.C. Michael and Vijayesh Lal, expressed deep concern over the alarming trend of rising intolerance and hostility. They pointed to troubling statistics, including over 720 incidents of violence targeting Christians reported to the Evangelical Fellowship of India and 760 cases recorded by the United Christian Forum between January and November 2024. The appeal highlights systemic concerns, including the misuse of anti-conversion laws, growing threats to religious freedoms, escalating hate speech, and exclusionary policies denying Dalit Christians Scheduled Caste status. The leaders also urged the prime minister to take a visible role