Ecumenical bishops’ meeting advocates rights for India’s Christian minorities

By LiCAS News

The National Ecumenical Bishops’ Fellowship Meeting, aimed at fostering fellowship and fraternity among the Christian community, focused on strengthening the ecumenical movement and addressing urgent national issues.

The event brought together Presidents, Moderators, and Heads of Churches across India for an evening of dialogue, prayer, and fellowship. 

The session was chaired by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, President of CBCI, who welcomed the participants, while Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios, Chairman of CBCI Office for Dialogue and Ecumenism, delivered an inaugural address.

According to the official statement, “The main purpose of our gathering in this Fellowship Meeting was to promote the fellowship and fraternity in the Lord Jesus Christ among the Bishops / Heads of Churches on the national level. It aimed to strengthen the ongoing ecumenical movement in India so that the Lord’s farewell wish and prayer ‘May they all be one’ (Jn 17:21) can be realized soon.”

During the ecumenical dialogue, participants addressed pressing national concerns and matters relating to the Christian community in India. 

The gathering resulted in key resolutions aimed at strengthening unity among Churches. The meeting emphasized the need to come together more often to foster fellowship and fraternity among Church leaders. 

Efforts will be made to strengthen existing ecumenical federations of Churches at both national and state levels and initiate the formation of a national federation of Churches.

Participants also asserted the significant role of Christianity in nation-building and aimed to dispel the misinterpretation that Christianity is a foreign religion, noting its presence in India for about 2000 years. 

Expressing concern over increasing atrocities on Christians and other minorities, the attendees strongly demanded the protection of minority rights and security for all minority communities. 

They reiterated their long-standing demand that the equal status and constitutional rights of the Dalit Christians be implemented without further delay.

Additionally, the gathering decided to organize common ecumenical celebrations for the Jubilee Year 2025 and mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed.

The meeting concluded with a call to the Christian community and Churches to “make greater contribution to the nation and for the common good.”

The National Ecumenical Bishops’ Fellowship Meeting ended with a prayer service for Christian unity and a fellowship dinner, leaving the participants “filled with the delight of coming together as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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