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The Dawn of Faith in St. Peter's Church, Tesophenyu

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

As the pioneer cradle of Catholicism among the Rengma people, Tesophenyu Village holds a unique and revered place in the history of the regional Church. Looking back to the historical years of God's grace, the community reflects with profound joy and grat.....

Ninth of August 2026 spells ‘COURAGE '!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

The Ninth of August 2026 spells ‘Courage’: It was on this day in 1942 that the ‘Quit India Movement’ went into action and thousands of our freedom fighters who were on the streets were arrested. The previous day (8 August), at the Bombay session of the Al.....

The Merchant Navy: A rewarding Career on the Sea

Opinion | Articles | Capt. Eddie Viegas |

Though the Merchant Navy is one of the attractive career options for young students with a science background, it is not adequately explored and understood by many, except in states where shipping as a career is traditionally prevalent and widespread. In.....

From Catechism to Atheism

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Can catechism lead to atheism? Not surprisingly, it can. I am sharing below the testimony of a Sunday School teacher of 20 year’s standing. It brought me to tears. If you too are a parent, priest, pastor, catechist, student or a critically aware young per.....

Bishops, Theologians, and Cockroaches

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

About 10 bishops and 50 theologians from across the country gathered at the Pastoral Centre, Agra on 25th/ 26th July for the 27th Colloquium of the CBCI’s Commission for Doctrine. As a layman I was the only cockroach. The theme was: A Rereading of the The.....

The origin of the Catholic faith among the Rengma Nagas

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

Until 1967, the Catholic Church remained entirely unknown to the Rengma people of Nagaland. The seeds of the faith were first planted through the dedicated efforts of a devout layman, the late Mr. Pralie Paulus Angami of Kohima Village. In 1966, Mr. Prali.....

Bishop Albert Hemrom Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Guwahati

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

New Delhi, 16 July 2026 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Albert Hemrom (57), Bishop of Dibrugarh, as the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Guwahati, Assam. The appointment was made public on Thursday, 16 July 2026......

Does God Need our Money?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

The theft and alleged misappropriation of offerings at the Ram Janambhoomi Temple in Ayodhya has been hogging the headlines. Will the big fish be caught? Were huge sums of money siphoned off to purchase the loyalty of wayward MPs from some Opposition Part.....

If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today ….

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Exactly five years ago, on 5 July 2021, Jesuit Father Stan Swamy was murdered. He was killed because he refused to kow-tow to a brutal, fascist regime. He was killed because he took a stand for justice and truth! He was killed because he accompanied the A.....

Fallout of Ayodhya Temple Episode on our religious sites

Opinion | Articles | Isaac Harold Gomes |

The Ayodhya Temple defalcation allegations have badly dented the high-moral-plank of the twelve-member Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (SRJTK) Trust and in the process, that of the U.....

FCRA Amendment designed to kill the Poor!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

The ruling regime continues in a systematic yet manipulative manner, with its vicious, anti-people agenda. The latest is its insensitive and draconian proposed changes to the FCRA. On 25 March, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, w.....

Denial of Burial Touches India’s Conscience

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal |

Amid the constant noise and near normalising of persecution against religious minorities in India, why does the denial of burial to Christians by villagers in Chhattisgarh—and in pockets elsewhere— stir anger, no just in the wider Christian community bu.....

Did God Create Cockroaches?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Yes, cockroaches are the flavour of the season (yuck), thanks to the intemperate remarks of the CJI, Hon’ble Sri Surya Kumar, and the satirical movement of Abhijeet Dipke, then ensconced in the USA. To his credit he returned to India to face the music at .....

Communications must be Human

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

The Catholic Church observed the 60th World Day of Social Communications on 17 May 2025. In his first message for this significant day, Pope Leo XIV focussed on the need and importance of 'Preserving Human Voices and Faces'. The message which was written .....

Editorial

Football opened a window to an unknown Nation

One is not sure how many people in the world would have known or heard about a country by the name of Cabo Verde prior to the commencement of the FIFA World Cup 2026. But beginning with the night the former Portuguese colony created history by holding Spa.....

Culture of Presumption: Disservice to a Man who saw no Evil

In May 2026, a popular priest, Fr. Bomax Pereira, suffered a cardiac arrest, and he was treated at the Goa Medical College. He was in the intensive care unit for a few days before he finally gave in and left while still in the ICU. Fr. Bolmax was one prie.....

Thank you Kerala, for keeping the Spirit of India alive

The most notable bright spot of the 2026 assembly elections is clearly the manner in which voters in Kerala exercised their franchise; Not because they voted any particular party to power, but because they avoided voting along communal lines. The victorie.....

Some Accountability for Social Media platforms

In March, a Los Angeles court hearing a petition filed by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, who was a minor at the time of filing the case, held Meta and Google guilty of coming up with attention-grabbing applications, resulting in minor addiction to YouTube an.....

Sanju Samson's Silent Prayer was the Loudest Thanks giving

In a country where cricket is not just a game but considered next only to religion, a spectacle unfolded on March 1 inside the mammoth and iconic Eden Gardens cricket stadium in Kolkata, where the Indian and West Indies teams played the last of the Super.....

Stooping Beyond a Limit

When Himanta Biswa Sarma exited his parent party, the Indian National Congress, in 2015 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, not too many eyebrows were raised since such leapfrogging from one political party to the other was nothing new in Indian politi.....

The Culture of othering is an unhealthy trend

A German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller, was against the Communist ideology and also against Semitism. His distaste for them made him a natural ally and supporter of Rudolf Hitler. When Hitler ultimately assumed power and insisted on the supremacy of t.....

Persecutions in the land of Tagore, Vivekananda, and Gandhi

India is fortunate to have given birth to three outstanding sons, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired generations not only in India but across the world. Apart from their liberal thinking, their thoughts on religious f.....

The determination was written on every Indian player’s face

On the intervening night of November 2nd and 3rd, the Indian women’s cricket team created history by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup for the first time at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. They defeated South Africa, a team dubbed by many cricketing.....

Zubeen Garg unites people even in his death

Many ordinary people who are not connected to music and art might not have even heard of Zubeen Garg, despite being an iconic artist and a person who cared for others. However, after his unfortunate and untimely demise on September 19, 2025, social media.....

How serious are educational Institutions about the mental health of young people?

During the monsoon session of the Parliament in July 2025, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the house that student suicide cases accounted for 7.6 per cent of all suicide cases reported across India in 2022, showing a slight.....

Religious Persecutions in the Land of Vivekananda and Gandhi

The dictionary meaning of ‘persecution’ reads as ‘unfair or cruel treatment based on race, religion, or political belief’. Therefore, persecution can occur through racial discrimination or political exploitation and is not necessarily limited to the relig.....

Previous Articles

Christian Forum disturbed by increasing instances of attacks on Churches

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

New Delhi, June 13, 2022: The United Christian Forum (UCF), an ecumenical group, has demanded urgent judicial and government intervention to check what it says is the rapid rise in incidents of violence, coercion and false arrests that traumatize the comm.....

New Delhi – New York, Via Newcastle

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

What’s new? In recent times, a lot. Let me begin with the adage “Don’t carry coal to Newcastle”. This is because Newcastle, in north east England, was known for its industry and coal fields. Hence any attempt to send coal there would be superfluous. Can.....

Catholic Church in Manipur supplements Government’s Covid care effort

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

In what may be termed as a major move by the Catholic Church towards combating Covid – 19, the Archbishop of Imphal, Manipur, wrote to a letter to the Government of Manipur on May, 20, 2021, offering to make several Catholic service centres, including a p.....

Sportsmanship Transcends over Ethnic division

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

On September 10, 2023, the Indian under -16 football team lifted the glittering Trophy in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. The team, affectionately referred to as the "Blue Colts", trounced neighbour Bangladesh by two goals to emerge Champions. Apart from.....

Does Catholic Fellowship Matter?

Opinion | Articles | Michele Faihnle

Eleven years ago I took my son to a Protestant church for vacation Bible school. The second I walked in the door, people introduced themselves, welcomed me, asked my name, and directed me where to go.Every morning that week was more of the same: It began.....

Make Love Not War

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Make Love Not War As teenagers in the 1960’s we were exposed to the anti-establishment pop culture of the Beatles, and the anti-war protests of the hippies. The latter’s war cry (sic) was “Make love not war”. As I write this the Russian invasion of.....

Statement of Concerned Catholics

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team

On Thursday 4 April 2024, Pope Francis in a very incisive message to the participants in the First Colloquium between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in the Vatican said, “We n.....

Lay Ministry in North East Region: Need for a Paradigm shift

Opinion | Articles | John S. Shilshi

Lay Ministry in North East Region: Need for a Paradigm shift Introduction: In contemporary Catholic world, the term “missionary” immediately brings to mind aged-old images of priests braving adverse situations and extending spiritual and humanitarian.....

Unlocking Value, while Locking Democracy

Opinion | Articles | Victor Ferrao

Some critics of the Government have declared that the new policy of monetization of the asset has put India on clearance sale. If not sale, it is surely putting India on rent. While the private players will look for the profit and the Government will get.....

Mother Teresa: Saint who taught us Compassion

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash

Today (5 September) is a very special day for the world: it is the Feast Day of Mother Teresa, the Foundress of the Missionaries of Charity. She died on this day in 1997. The Catholic Church throughout the world venerate her as a Saint – and rightly so. F.....

Why Do Catholic Priests become Fanatics?

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Prior to second Vatican Council the Catholic Church believed that all those who belong to other religions will not get salvation. The second Vatican Council changed this fundamentalist view. Respect for other religions, inter-religious dialogue and incult.....

Opinion

The Dawn of Faith in St. Peter's Church, Tesophenyu

Articles | Benjamin Chang |

As the pioneer cradle of Catholicism among the Rengma people, Tesophenyu Village holds a unique and revered place in the history of the regional Church. Looking back to the historical years of God's grace, the community reflects with profound joy and grat.....

Ninth of August 2026 spells ‘COURAGE '!

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

The Ninth of August 2026 spells ‘Courage’: It was on this day in 1942 that the ‘Quit India Movement’ went into action and thousands of our freedom fighters who were on the streets were arrested. The previous day (8 August), at the Bombay session of the Al.....

The Merchant Navy: A rewarding Career on the Sea

Articles | Capt. Eddie Viegas |

Though the Merchant Navy is one of the attractive career options for young students with a science background, it is not adequately explored and understood by many, except in states where shipping as a career is traditionally prevalent and widespread. In.....

From Catechism to Atheism

Articles | Chhotebhai |

Can catechism lead to atheism? Not surprisingly, it can. I am sharing below the testimony of a Sunday School teacher of 20 year’s standing. It brought me to tears. If you too are a parent, priest, pastor, catechist, student or a critically aware young per.....

Bishops, Theologians, and Cockroaches

Articles | Chhotebhai |

About 10 bishops and 50 theologians from across the country gathered at the Pastoral Centre, Agra on 25th/ 26th July for the 27th Colloquium of the CBCI’s Commission for Doctrine. As a layman I was the only cockroach. The theme was: A Rereading of the The.....

The origin of the Catholic faith among the Rengma Nagas

Articles | Benjamin Chang |

Until 1967, the Catholic Church remained entirely unknown to the Rengma people of Nagaland. The seeds of the faith were first planted through the dedicated efforts of a devout layman, the late Mr. Pralie Paulus Angami of Kohima Village. In 1966, Mr. Prali.....

Current Updates

Bishop Albert Hemrom Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Guwahati

Articles | NECARF Rep |

New Delhi, 16 July 2026 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Albert Hemrom (57), Bishop of Dibrugarh, as the Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Guwahati, Assam. The appointment was made public on Thursday, 16 July 2026......

History and Spread of Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh

Articles | Editorial team |

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Arunachal Pradesh, located in the eastern Himalayas, is one of India’s most culturally diverse and geographically isolated states. Formerly known as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), it became a Union Territory in 1972 and attained full statehood in.....

ICF Writes to the President of India

Articles | Editorial team |

Hon’ble Smt Draupadi Murmu, PRESIDENT OF INDIA Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi presidentofindia@rb.nic.in 31st December 2025 Respected Rashtrapatiji, Sub: Christmas attacks on Christians Namaskar! I respectfully place before you some of the.....

Attacks aginst Christians increased by 500% since 2014: Rights Groups

Articles | Editorial team |

Attacks Against Christians Increased by 500% Since 2014: Rights Groups New Delhi: On November 4, Christian rights activists assembled at the Press Club of India to release a report about an alarming and sustained annual surge in incidents of violence a.....

An MSMHC Nun from Mizoram did the North East Proud

Articles | NECARF Rep |

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October 14, 2025: Sr Rose Paite, an MSMHC nun from Mizoram, received the prestigious National Award from the Catholic Mental Health Ministry (CMHM) at the World Mental Health Day Conference in Kerala. The prestigious award was handed over to the recipie.....

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez’s address

Articles | Editorial team |

Synodality: Why No, and Why Yes Some have hoped that our new pope would ease up a little on this matter of synodality. Instead, Pope Leo has expressed a strong desire to continue along the path of synodality. For example: “Synodality becomes a mindset, .....