By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, May 9, 2026: Church leaders from across India launched the National Federation of Churches in India (NFCI), pledging unity amid violent attacks, restrictive laws, and property disputes threatening the Christian community nationwide.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) formally launched the NFCI during the Fourth National Ecumenical Bishops’ Fellowship Meeting on May 8, at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences.
The new body was created in response to what church leaders described as “a critical situation facing many challenges and difficulties such as violent attacks on pastors and faithful, stringent anti-conversion laws in some States, and the attempts to takeover Church properties.”
The NFCI, envisioned as an umbrella organization, will serve as “a national ecumenical body of Churches, an apex body of Christ’s disciples in India.” Its mission is to present “a united face of Christianity and serving as the single voice of the Christian Community to the Nation.”
Leaders said it will promote collaboration while respecting the traditions and structures of individual denominations.
Unity emphasized in ecumenical fellowship meeting
About 45 participants attended the fellowship, including archbishops, bishops, church heads, and delegates from various denominations.
The gathering began with an Ecumenical Prayer Service for Christian Unity, adapted from resources jointly prepared by the Roman Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches.
Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad and President of CBCI, delivered the welcome address, highlighting “the pressing concerns of the Christian Community” and insisting on unity to address them effectively.
Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt of Palai, Chairman of the CBCI Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism, gave the inaugural address, quoting eminent ecumenists on the need “to reach out and unite with others to attain better understanding of truth and to achieve a task.”
The open-house dialogue was moderated by Archbishop Joseph D’Souza, President of the Good Shepherd Church in India and the All India Christian Council. Participants approved the NFCI Guidelines after incorporating suggestions from the floor.
Leadership elected, federation formally dedicated
In elections that followed, Cardinal Poola was chosen as Chairman of NFCI. Archbishop D’Souza, Bishop Kallarangatt, and Bishop Vincent Vinod Kumar of the Church of South India were selected as conveners.
The federation was formally launched with a prayer of dedication led by Bishop Akhlesh Edgar, General Secretary of the Council of Evangelical Churches in India. The meeting concluded with a benediction pronounced by Bishop Vinod Kumar.
Organizers said the NFCI will serve as a platform for ecumenical dialogue on pressing national issues, strengthen fellowship among bishops and church heads, and advance the ecumenical movement in India.
A CBCI report on the meeting noted that the formation of NFCI is “a significant step towards Christian unity, a milestone in the ecumenical journey, and new chapter in the fraternity and solidarity of the Churches in India.”