North East Catholic Research Forum

The North East Catholic Research Forum extends a hearty congratulations to Rt. Rev. Dr. John Thomas, Bishop Emeritus of Itanagar, on his 50th anniversary of priesthood.    **//**    Hearty congratulations to Prof. David Syiemlien and Prof. R. Lalrawna on being honoured with the Padmashri Award for their contributions in the field of literature and education.

Editorial

Weaving a Christian Relationship

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, in his book, Toward A True Kinship of Faith, wrote, “I have boundless respect for my Buddhist faith, but to see it within the context of its brother and sister religions has afforded me a vision of the grandeur and exten.....

We hope the Church Hierarchy is listening

According to the media report, the son of a pastor, Ramesh Baghel, has been prevented from burying the dead body of his late father in the village cemetery because some Hindutva activists from his village did not allow the burial to take place. He appeale.....

The Twin Pillars of the Catholic Church

Dealing with the differences between the laity and clergy, the two pillars of the church, is a perpetual problem for the Catholic Church. Though the problem is real and sometimes threatens to tear apart the cohesiveness of the synodal church, it has alway.....

It is time Christians learn to read things between the lines

The recent statement from the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, proposing a regulatory body to oversee church properties akin to temple boards and waqf boards for Hindus and Muslims, undoubtedly raises concerns. However, given the number of controve.....

Look within, before gazing afar

Pope Francis has already announced the names of 21 new Cardinals who will officially assume the new role on December 8th, 2024. Following their appointment as cardinal-elects, the Holy Father wrote a short but powerful letter to all these men, who would s.....

The AICU needs to explore beyond its current boundaries.

The All India Catholic Union, which is the apex body of lay Catholics in India, was born well ahead of India's independence. It is a union with inclusive representation, upholding the Catholic faithful's mandate from all three rites of the Catholic family.....

Wayanad: Another wakeup calls for Mankind

Wayanad in Kerala is considered to be one of the rural districts in the state that has many attractions: a wildlife sanctuary, lush green forest cover, high altitude comfort, home to animals including Asian elephants, tigers, and leopards, and mesmerizing.....

Democracy has finally triumphed

The Parliamentary Elections 2024 have been one hell of an epic exercise, not because they were conducted in a country known as the world’s largest democracy, but simply because of the manner in which the entire exercise was carried out. Between the first.....

Unleashing Unity: A Synodal Mandate for the Catholic Church in Northeast India

As India engages herself in a general election since April 19th and braces for results on June 4, 2024, the air is thick with anxiety. The potential return of the Modi-led BJP, with its fascist undertones and anti-minority stance, threatens the very fabri.....

Is the CBCI admitting that Catholic Schools are indeed converting people?

Provoked by series of wild allegations on Christian institutes converting students from other religions, the NECARF Review ran an editorial as early as October 2022 under the caption “Forced Conversions: Christian Response to the Allegations." The editori.....

The Silence is deafening

The year 2023 ended somewhat on an unpleasant note for the Catholic Church, as there was a huge controversy over Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops attending a Christmas gathering on an invitation extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Ch.....

A clarion call to Consecrated Men and Women

Since 1997, the Catholic Church has commemorated World Day for Consecrated Life on every 2nd of February, an observation instituted by Saint Paul John II. On this day, the Church prays and encourages the world’s religious men and women to always be open t.....

Previous Articles

The Power of One

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Some of you may have seen my latest YouTube Hindi video 1+1=11 (eleven). It is the title of a 2003 Bollywood movie starring Govinda and Sanjay Dutt. You may also have heard the Hindi saying “Akele channa bhar nahin phor sakta” (A single grain of gram cann.....

Mathematics: The Next Microscope of Life

Opinion | Articles | Victor Ferrao

Science has a deep relation with mathematics. Today even life sciences depend on quantitative measurements and correlations. Charles Darwin, the father of evolution is said to have expressed his regrets when he said, ‘ I have not proceeded far enough .....

As The Pandemic Scourges on - Musings In The Times Of Covid-19

Opinion | Articles | Philip Lyngdoh

Pandemic life has been tough and we all need a fresh start. Especially as Covid now posits a mortal threat not just for people beyond 45 and with co-morbidities but also for younger people. All this while many - rather most, - liked to brush away Covid a.....

Justice for women religious in the Catholic Church

Opinion | Articles | Virginia Saldanha

The message of Pope Francis on the day of Consecrated Life has heartened a number of women religious in India. It is based on his prayer intention for the month of February: “Let us pray for religious sisters and consecrated women, thanking them for their.....

If Jesus re-visits the world

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

These days there is a lot of discussion, debate and writings on the types of liturgies – which one to follow and which one not to follow – all quoting the life and sayings of Jesus of Nazareth and referring to various traditions of the church. In this con.....

Indian Synod: Forward or Backward?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Synod, what’s that? Are we suffering from collective amnesia? The next round, the Continental one, is slated for 24th – 27th February. For Asia it will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. If I correctly recall, our Asian bishops had earlier met in Pattaya, anot.....

Cardinal Poola: The first Dalit Cardinal has a task cut out.

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal

Cardinal Poola: The first Dalit Cardinal has a task cut out. India has just elected a tribal woman as the republic’s president. And this week, it will see its first Cardinal from a group that was, till 1947, considered untouchable — whose very shadow wou.....

Walking Our Sacred Land: Renewing Indigenous Catholic Identity Amid Crisis

Opinion | Articles | James Pochury

As excavators churn up the sacred soil of our ancestral lands, the stakes grow clearer: this is not just about losing territory but about the erasure of identity, culture, and faith. In the Northeast of India, where the earth carries the stories of our an.....

Dialogue, With Care

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal

Dialogue, With Care My heart goes out to Bishop Thomas Dabre of Pune. An apology has been wrested out of him for his remarks at a public function which were carried by the local media. “The Christian Community accepts RSS ideology and principles. We n.....

Covid Tale – The two Crows

Opinion | Articles | KL Moses

On the evening of 24th March, 2020, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi addressed the Nation and announced a ‘sumproona’ nationwide lockdown for 21 days, with the objective of preventing further surge of COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown was total and.....

Catholic education in India: Is it on the right track?

Opinion | Articles | Albert P'Rayan

Catholic education in India: Is it on the right track? Catholic educational institutions across the globe are known for enhancing students’ knowledge and skills and developing their overall personalities. In India thousands, including politicians, bure.....

Current Updates

Statement of Concerned Catholics

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.....

Pope Francis says he is frightened by escalation in war

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Pope Francis in an interview

In an interview on an Italian TV program, Pope Francis laments the risk of escalation in war, says he has no plans to resign, announces Apostolic Journeys to Polynesia and to Argentina, and reflects on ‘Fiducia supplicans’, saying “the Lord blesses everyo.....

Our Baptism made us children of God: Pope Francis

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Pope Francis during Sunday Angelus

During his Sunday Angelus on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis reminds faithful that the day they were baptized, we became children of God forever, and this date of great grace must be remembered and celebrated. At our Baptism, we became.....

Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil receives World Peace Award 2023

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Archbishop Menamparampil receiving the award

Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, whose name is synonymous with a crusader of ‘Peace and Reconciliation’, has been awarded the prestigious Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam World Peace Award 2023 on the occasion of the United Nations International H.....

Synodal myopia in the light of Synodality in the family and apostolates

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Recent statements by prominent ecclesiastics raise important questions about certain assumptions that isolate synodality from theological, ecclesiological, canonical, and practical realities.(The Catholic World Report) This essay is occasioned by (1) the.....

Indian Catholic Forum organised a meeting

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

A one-day meeting was organised by the Indian Catholic Forum in Bengaluru on October 28, 2023. It was held at Nava Spoorthi Kendra. The theme of the meeting was Synodal Church and Secular Society. This was a follow up of the national meeting held in V.....

Opinion

No Other Land

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Many years ago, there was a popular American song which one gustily sang at camps, picnics and other get-togethers. Thanks to its very catchy tune, it was always a hit. The chorus of the lyrics went thus: “This land is your land, and this land is my land.....

Saluting Zakia Jafri: Remembering the Gujarat Carnage 2002

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

February will always be a painful month for some particularly the Jafri family: on 28 February 2002, Ehsan Jafri, a former Member of Parliament and an authentic and much-loved citizen of secular India was murdered; on 1 February 2025, his wife Zakiaben wa.....

Pope Francis is a Miracle

Articles | M L Satyan |

At the age of 88 pope Francis is battling with his life. The health complications he is facing are indeed of grave concern for the doctors. His critical condition has caused grief to not only the Catholics but also to all the people of this world. Pope.....

Penny for your Penance

Articles | Chhotebhai |

There are two common English phrases where the word “Penny” is used – “A Penny for your thoughts”, and “Going to spend a penny”. The first is obvious; the second means going to relieve one’s bladder. That could cost a penny in a British public convenience.....

Weaving a Christian Relationship

Editorial | John S. Shilshi |

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, in his book, Toward A True Kinship of Faith, wrote, “I have boundless respect for my Buddhist faith, but to see it within the context of its brother and sister religions has afforded me a vision of the grandeur and exten.....

Destroying Secularism

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

On 28 January 2025, the well-known Calcutta daily ‘The Telegraph’ carried an article entitled ‘Rub your eyes: Hindu Rashtra Constitution to be unveiled at Mahakumbh on Basant Panchami’. The seemingly innocuous inside-page article, speaks volumes not only .....

Education

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

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Niscort Media College

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Avail Early Bird Discount in Media Studies

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NISCORT, one of the Premier Media Colleges in the National Capital area, announces admission for several graduate and post-graduate level courses in Media studies. Interested students may visit www.niscort.com for details......

NISCORT Announces three different courses in Journalism and Mass Communication

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For those Interested in Journalism studies, the above affordable courses comes as a boon.....

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields

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Annoucment

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields.....

For those interested to make a Career in Mass Media and Journalism, NISCORT provides the opportunity

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NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism.....

NISCORT Online Course

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Online Media Course Details

NISCORT is conducting an Online Certificate Course in Media for Grauates. Those interested to join may contact the Institute.....

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