Catholic Church in India

The Latest

The offertory at the installation Mass for the new Archbishop of Imphal Archdiocese, Linus Neli, on Dec. 8, 2023..

More than 10,000 Indian Catholics welcome new archbishop in conflict-torn Manipur

Dec 11, 2023

By Anto Akkara

More than 10,000 Catholics from across the state of Manipur attended the Dec. 8 installation of the new archbishop of... Read more

Cardinal George Alencherry preaches at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam, India, on Palm Sunday 2021.

Pope Francis accepts resignation of head of Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Alencherry

Dec 7, 2023

By Daniel Payne

Pope Francis on Thursday accepted the resignation of Major Archbishop Cardinal George Alencherry of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, based in... Read more

Father Caleb Laldawngsanga leads refugees from violence-torn Manipur in the praying of a rosary.

Refugees of ethnic clash in India find open arms in majority-Christian state

Dec 6, 2023

By Anto Akkara

“We are grateful to God [that] we are safe here,” said Mercy Tungdian, who now lives with her three small... Read more

Photos of martyred Christians at a public event in Bhubaneswar in 2010.

Vatican puts 35 Catholic ‘martyrs of Kandhamal’ in India on road to sainthood

Oct 26, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The Christians were killed in the 2008 Christian persecution that took place in the remote jungle district of the eastern... Read more

Journalists gather at the courtyard of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi on Oct. 17, 2023, ahead of India’s top court ruling on same-sex marriages and abortion rights.

Church in India celebrates two recent Supreme Court verdicts 

Oct 19, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The cases, involving abortion rights and gay marriage, came down within the same 24-hour period. Read more

Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo blesses refugee Christians at Barakhama in Kandhamal in January 2008.

Thousands mourn Indian Cardinal Telesphore Toppo at funeral Mass

Oct 11, 2023

By Anto Akkara

Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, Asia’s first tribal cardinal who died on Oct. 4, was remembered for his humility, simplicity, and... Read more

Indian Cardinal Telesphore Toppo arrives for a meeting of pre-conclave on March 9, 2013, at the Vatican.

Pope Francis remembers Cardinal Toppo of India for ‘zeal for the spread of the Gospel’

Oct 6, 2023

By Joe Bukuras

Cardinal Telesphore Toppo was the “first and only cardinal of the tribal communities of Asia,” said Archbishop Andrews Thazhath. Read more

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the his supporters during a political event organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the GMIT College Grounds on March 25, 2023, in Davangere, India.

Indian priest who joined Hindu nationalist party relieved of duties by bishop  

Oct 4, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The priest’s action took place at a time of rising persecution of Christians in India. Read more

U.S. President Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pay respect at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10, 2023.

India’s Modi government invites Christian rights watchdog to discuss concerns 

Sep 15, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The head of the Christian human rights group had written to the prime minister’s office about three major grievances. Read more

Kolkata Archbishop Thomas D’Souza gives a message at the tomb of St. Teresa of Kolkata in the Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata, India, after a Mass on her feast day, Sept. 5, 2023.

Mother Teresa is ‘teacher of love’ says Kolkata archbishop on anniversary of saint’s death

Sep 6, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The feast of St. Teresa of Kolkata was celebrated by Catholics and non-Catholics alike with Mass, prayers, tributes, and visits... Read more

Christian refugees living among the brush since they were not allowed to return to their native villages after refusing to participate in a "reconversion ritual" in February 2009.

Journalist documents power of forgiveness on anniversary of Christian persecution in India

Sep 6, 2023

By Zoe Romanowsky

Anto Akkara held a recent screening of his sixth film about the killings of Christians in Kandhamal, India, in 2008. Read more

Students and teachers in Hyderabad, India, on Aug. 24, 2023, celebrate the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon. India on the previous day became the first nation to land a craft near the moon’s south pole.

India’s bishops elated after successful moon landing 

Aug 24, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Catholic bishops in India lauded the touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, marking mankind’s first successful mission to the moon’s south... Read more

Father Isaac Honsan, pastor of St. Paul's Church, in Imphal, capital of Manipur state, stands in the rubble after the church was set on fire in a recent attack,

On Indian Independence Day, bishops reiterate Christians’ patriotism

Aug 16, 2023

By Anto Akkara

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India also called for “resolving internal challenges with empathy, understanding, and unity.” Read more

A St. Thomas Christian cross at the installation of Mar Joseph Srampickal at Preston North End stadium, England, on Oct. 9, 2016.

Pope Francis appoints delegate to resolve Syro-Malabar liturgical dispute in India

Aug 10, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

The controversy centers on a complex debate about which direction the priest should face when celebrating the liturgy. Read more

Goa, the former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, was evangelized by St. Francis Xavier whose mortal remains are preserved in the Bom Jesus Cathedral (pictured).

Hindu nationalists demand arrest of Catholic priest in India for saying king was not a god

Aug 9, 2023

By Anto Akkara

Hindu groups had staged demonstrations in front of the police station calling for criminal charges to be brought against Father... Read more

Residents of Ngbam, Benue state, Nigeria, on April 8, 2023, the day after gunmen killed at least 43 people and injured another 40.

House chairman: State Department is giving religious freedom violators ‘a pass’

Jul 19, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

“I am concerned that the U.S. State Department is not using all the tools provided to hold guilty parties accountable,”... Read more

Sister Cyril Mooney, an Irish sister who changed education for impoverished children throughout India has died at age 86.

 Irish nun who changed education for India’s poorest children dies

Jun 28, 2023

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

Winner of the prestigious Padma Shri award, Sister Cyril Mooney’s school model was adopted by the entire country of India. Read more

Pope Francis prays at his Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 12, 2023.

Pope Francis prays for victims of train crash in India that killed 275 people

Jun 4, 2023

By Courtney Mares

“May our heavenly Father welcome the souls of the deceased into his kingdom,” the pope prayed. Read more

Bishop Franco Mulakkal.

Pope Francis accepts resignation of Indian bishop cleared of rape charge in civil trial

Jun 1, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Vatican did not indicate whether it carried out its own investigation into the accusations against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who... Read more

State officials walk past injured victims on hospital beds being treated for wounds following an attack by gunmen at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, southwest Nigeria, on June 5, 2022.

Human rights commission ‘outraged’ as State Department excludes Nigeria from watchlist

Dec 5, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

In Nigeria at least 60,000 Christians have been killed, many by their Muslim countrymen, over the past two decades. Read more