North East Catholic Research Forum

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India Blacklisted!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

On March 4, 2026, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released in Washington its Annual Report 2026. The USCIRF website( www.uscirf.gov) states that, “The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an.....

International Women’s Day 2026: “Give to Gain”, a slogan well coined

Opinion | Articles | Joseph M Thohrii |

“I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world”. (Malala Yousafzai) India's women have made significant progress since the days when they had to endure severe exploitation and conform to well-defined societal norms. In the last few decad.....

Asia’s Fragile ecosystem may well be further complicated by the US-Israeli war with Iran

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal |

The eruption of hostilities between Israel, the United States, and Iran — codenamed “Operation Epic Fury” — has thrust Asia into a precarious and highly sensitive geopolitical and humanitarian crisis, evoking a hesitant response of protest rallies and pea.....

Sowing the Wind

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

At the beginning of the year, shortly after Trump invaded Venezuela, I had written “As Thick as Thieves”. I re-read it before writing this piece. I had then warned that the Venezuelan “success” would embolden Trump to flex his muscles elsewhere too. Tr.....

The Gujarat Carnage 2002: Never Forgotten!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

It took place in 2002! A tragedy that will NEVER be FORGOTTEN! The Gujarat Carnage 2002 is easily one of the bloodiest chapters in post-independent India. The burning of the S-6 compartment of the Sabarmati Express (from Faizabad to Ahmedabad) some distan.....

Cries for Justice in India grow louder!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Cries for Justice in India grow louder! Come 20 February and the world will once again observe the ‘World Day of Social Justice’. It is an annual feature during which many all over (particularly the politicians) will wax eloquent on the need and import.....

Ignorance, Intelligence, and Wisdom

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

We are about to enter the holy season of Lent. By now “good Christians” will have decided what to give up for the next forty days. Most of these “sacrifices” are linked to food and drink. Several will abstain from non-vegetarian food. This year Lent wi.....

Catholic Education, Indigenous Primacy, and the Courage of This Moment

Opinion | Articles | James Pochury |

A reflection for the Church in Northeast India The recent unease surrounding curricular changes in a Catholic school in Dimapur — particularly the introduction of AI-related initiatives — has stirred discussion across our region. Some parents have felt.....

I feel very Lonely: A Deafening Sentiment Parents Refuse to Hear

Opinion | Articles | Peter F Borges |

A Lonely Child

“I am very, very alone.” “Mummy, Papa, sorry.” These are not just words. These are last conversations that children never got to have. These are sentences that should force every parent to stop mid-breath. Because children do not die leaving apologies.....

Kanpur Christians Set example for Christian unity in Trouble times

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Representatives of different churches during 8-day Octave

The Christian community in Kanpur celebrated the Christian Unity Octave (CUO) from 18th to 26th January 2026 with devotion and dedication. For the first time all 8 days of the Octave were booked; three by Catholic churches, two each by the CNI and Methodi.....

As Thick as Thieves

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

There are some common English sayings like – “As thick as thieves”, “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Fools seldom differ”. By now an intelligent reader like you would have guessed where this is going. It’s pointing to Trumpeting Trump and his cote.....

History of Lakhuti Catholic Church: 1951 to 2026 (75th Anniversary Jubilee

Opinion | Articles | Abraham Lotha |

The story of the Catholic Church in Lakhuti evolved from “dhorum khicho” (took religion) to “Catholic dhorum hansi yicho” (brought Catholic religion) to “Catholic kümcho” (became Catholic). This unfolded at the confluence of British colonial expansion in.....

ICF Writes to the President of India

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | 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.....

Let there be CHRISTMAS

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

Let there be Christmas to help us realise that Joseph together with his young, pregnant wife had to trudge a long distance to get themselves registered in Bethlehem due to a Roman decree by Caesar Augustus, which required everyone to return to their ances.....

Editorial

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.....

From a Murderer to a Pilgrim of Faith

Prior to June 27, 2025, not many people in this country and elsewhere would have heard of Chengu@Sudharsan@Chandu Hansda, who at the age of 13 turned into a murderer when he joined the mob that brutally burnt alive an Australian missionary, Graham Stewart.....

Previous Articles

Execution of Pro-democracy Activists in Myanmar: Why Delhi is Unable to go Beyond Expressing Concern?

Opinion | Articles | Pamreihor Khashimwo

India expressed ‘deep concern’ over the detention of top Myanmar and the military takeover in February 2021. Since then Myanmar’s position in the world has declined significantly. The military junta’s execution of four political activists on July 25, 2022.....

Custodians of what Tradition?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

The magician was dressed in .flowing robes. He had his back to the audience. He claimed to be an alchemist that could change lead into gold – transubstantiation. In between his secret mumbo-jumbo he would suddenly turn around to face his audience, raise h.....

Bishops, Pawns and Politics: Indian Church loses friends and makes new enemies

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal

No boat on a choppy Sea of Galilee would have been tossed as violently as the Church in India finds itself shaken today, trying to negotiate its way between competitive political space with Muslims and Hindus in distant Kerala, rampant persecution by non-.....

APCA felicitated Bishops of North East Region

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association (APCA) hosted an impressive reception in honour of the Bishops of North East region, in Itanagar where 17 Bishops gathered for their Annual Conference, the first to be held in Arunachal Pradesh. The reception was.....

Nongstoin Diocese gets a New Bishop

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

According to a press release issued by Rev. Fr (Dr) Stephen Alathara, the Deputy Secretary General of CCBI, Rev. Fr Wilbert Marwein has been appointed as the new Bishop of Nongstoin Diocese. The communiqué also adds that Fr. Wilbert Marwein was born on 1.....

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.....

Journalists need to be credible and courageous

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

The arrest of News Click founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha, the human resources chief Amit Chakravarty and a few other journalists associated with News Click on October 04, 2023 has sent a shock wave throughout the country. Amid growing restrictions o.....

Let us be the Change that we want to see

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

Christian Churches have played an important role in bringing people together from different walks of life as one people, as one Christian family. It is in the name of Jesus that we are able to acknowledge one another as our own brothers and sisters. It is.....

Hat-Trick

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

The just concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) would be fresh in people’s minds. Hence one cannot be faulted for presuming that this piece is about cricket! It isn’t. It’s not about red balls but about red hats, the red Berettas given to Cardinals. They a.....

Diocese of Kohima bids Tearful Adieu to Fr. Dominic Selosie

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

Priest, Nuns and the Laity of the Diocese of Kohima gave an emotional farewell to late Rev. Fr. Dominic Selosie, on 26th November 2022 at the St. Joseph Parish Church, Chumoukedima. Late Rev. Dominic Selosie breathed his last on 24.11.2022. The requiem ma.....

A brief History of St. Peter’s Church Kiphire Town

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

A brief History of St. Peter’s Church Kiphire Town St. Peter Church marked its beginning on 18th Jan. 1972 with the visit of Late Rev. Fr. Castelino S.J and Late Rev. Fr. Edwin Goveas S.J, and later when Fr. Castelino S.J settled down here on 16th Feb .....

Education

Don Bosco University Assam

University | NECARF Rep |

Where Quest for Excellence is a Mission

In search of Excellence.....

In the Serene Crest of Green Chandel

School | NECARF Rep |

St. Peter's Higher Secondary School

In the serene crest of Chandel stands St. Peter's Higher School where every hidden qualities of students is turned into excelence.....

Job Fair in Don Bosco Kohima

College | NECARF Rep |

Job Fair Notice

For kind attention of young boys and girls who are interested in getting recruited in different Comnpaies......

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

College | NECARF Rep |

Niscort Media College

For those who aspire for the world of Mass media.....

Avail Early Bird Discount in Media Studies

College | NECARF Rep |

Admission Notice

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

College | NECARF Rep |

aa

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

Opinion

FCRA Amendment designed to kill the Poor!

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

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.....

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

Editorial | John S. Shilshi |

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.....

Did God Create Cockroaches?

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

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 .....

Amazing (F)acts

Articles | Chhotebhai |

During Eastertide, till the Ascension, the daily Mass readings are invariably taken from the Acts of the Apostles. Some of these acts are amazing. This is how biblical scholars describe this compilation. It is usually attributed to Luke, a non-Jewish S.....

Current Updates

History and Spread of Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Map of Arunachal Pradesh

• Home • About Us • Education • Opinion • Current Updates • Reports • Photo Gallery • Archives • Contributors • Contact Us History and Spread of Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh **//** Easter: The Beginning of a New Story **//.....

ICF Writes to the President of India

Editorial Pick | 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

Editorial Pick | 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

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Sr Rose Paite

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

Editorial Pick | 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, .....

North East Catholic Community of Delhi puts up a Glittering show

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Mr Lalduhoma and Archbishop Anil J T Couto, with other dignataries

The North East Catholic Committee of Delhi (NECCOD) accorded a warm welcome to their new members who had joined them in the Delhi NCR region with spiritual and a social gathering worthy of the colours mix of the region they come from. This was the 33rd oc.....

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