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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.....

Brief History of Catholic Faith in Zhavame Village

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

The seed of Catholic faith was sown in Zhavame village on 18th October, 1964 when a group of traders Mr. Akha, Mr. Tho-o, Mr. Theba and Mr. Thesii came across Mr. Panii of Liyai village from Mao Parish on their journey to Imphal. They embraced the Catholi.....

The Hug, Unplugged

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

On 31st October 2021, Christians in India woke up to a screaming headline, accompanied by a large photograph of Pope Francis and Narendra Modi hugging each other. It evoked mixed reactions. As per views expressed in the Catholic media, it gave an impressi.....

NECCOD Breaks Free Finally

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

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After months of being confined to restricted engagements in view of the pandemic, members of the North East Catholic community, Delhi (NECCOD) came together for a full-fledged monthly Eucharistic celebration on November 7, 2021 at the Sacred Heart Cathedr.....

Bridging the Gap through Sports

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

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In an initiative that could go a long way in bridging the gap between Priests and young Catholics, a Basketball match was organized at the St. Paul’s School Campus, in Manipur’s Chandel district, between young priests of the Archdiocese of Imphal and the .....

CM Meghalaya Visits Bishop’s House, Itanagar

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

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On October 18, 2021, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma, called on Most Rev. John Thomas Kattrukudiyil, Bishop of Itanagr, at the Bishop’s house in Papunallah. Besides the Bishop, the CM was warmly received by Taw Tebin, president of APCA, Nab.....

The Realm of the Raconteur: Khasi Women and Storytelling

Opinion | Articles | Desmond L. Kharmawphlang |

The connection between memory and culture cannot be overemphasized. In oral cultures memory functions as an instrument that does not only connect the present with the past but that which makes sense of the world and its myriad dimensions. Humans require m.....

Battle of Imphal: The Forgotten Chapter of Manipur’s History

Opinion | Articles | Irene Salam |

In school days, we have studied something about World War-I and World War-II. But did this include the Battle of Imphal which was the fiercest Battle of World War-II fought in Imphal and Kohima. Are we aware of the reasons why this battle was fought in Ma.....

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-.....

Roman Synod or the Greek Tragedy?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

In my previous piece I wrote about some of the salient features of Synodality, for which Pope Francis began the process in Rome this 10th October. It will culminate, again in Rome, in October 2023. This Roman Synodal process will take two years because it.....

St. Thomas Church Tuensang: A stepping Stone for Catholic Church in Eastern Nagaland

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

St. Thomas Church is the first Diocesan Catholic Mission Centre to be opened in Nagaland, also the third Catholic Mission Centre of Nagaland after Kohima and Lakhuti Catholic Mission Centres’. The establishment of St. John’s School, Tuensang may be said t.....

Arrival of Catholic Church Among the Tangkhuls

Opinion | Articles | Joseph M Thohrii |

Introduction The Tangkhul land, now called Ukhrul District of Manipur is a beautiful mountainous country. The Tangkhuls are Naga tribe of Tibeto-Burman dialect speaking people and belong to the mongoloid race. They inherit a rich cultural like any othe.....

A brief history of St. Thomas Church, Phelungre village, Kiphire District.

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang |

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Phelungreans were the first to receive the Catholic Faith in 1975, under Tuensang district (Present ENPO Area). The Church is dedicated to St Thomas the apostle, who in A.D. 52 brought the Christian Faith to the Southernmost part of the country. The Catho.....

The Horror stories of Kandhamal riots lingers in memory of Indian Christians

Opinion | Articles | John Dayal |

Exactly 13 years since brutal violence scarred an eastern state, victims are still waiting for justice Feb. 24, 1784, was the day the Christian community in India shed its innocence, discovering its vulnerability in a land where social, religious and o.....

Editorial

Care for the Creation

Before Pope Leo announced a five-week ‘Season of Care,' the world witnessed two instances of human suffering caused by the fury of nature. In the middle of August, Mon district headquarters in Nagaland were flooded, resulting in loss of lives and property.....

Why the proposed Amendment to the FCRA is matter of concern

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 has created a sense fear among the Charitable and Social organisations. It is widely suspected that the bill was intended to target minority faith-based NGOs working for the poorest of the poor in.....

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.....

Previous Articles

Entrepreneurs: The Wealthy Unemployed

Opinion | People's Edit | Kh.Siile Anthony

An entrepreneur is a person who can take calculative risks with innovative ideas for profit. To be an entrepreneur is a dream that many professionals aspire, but those with real guts achieve it. Getting entrepreneurship ideas is not a hard thing but to co.....

CAN Hosts an Impressive Convention at Jakhama

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The 39th – year convention of the Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN) was hosted at the St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama, wherein over one thousand participants from 36 Parishes and 21 quasi Parishes took part. The four-day event was graced by Most Rev (D.....

Four, Five and Eleven

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

This is obviously not a mathematical equation. Let me tell you why I chose these random numbers. The number Four reminded me about the Readers’ Digest. It invariably carried a feature, “Drama in Real Life”; of how human beings endured and overcame insurmo.....

Uniformity, Conformity, or Deformity?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

TV Debates and newspaper headlines are replete with news and views on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC). They have generated more heat than light. That, sadly, may be what the UCC is all about. Let us go b.....

Time Catholic laity woke up

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

In the month of June this year, I had an opportunity to interact with a few members of a Mahila Sangh (Women’s Association), Catholic Sabha (Men’s Association) and the Youth Associations in one of the dioceses in North India. During the interaction the me.....

NECCOD extends a helping hand to Archdiocese Covid Centre

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

In the midst of Covid induced hardships that hit every family, members of the North East Catholic Community, Delhi (NECCOD) collected a sum of Rs. 56, 5061 through generous donations and handed over to the DCA Covid Centre project. The cheque was handed o.....

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.....

The Holy Week’s Lessons - For Leaders

Opinion | Poem | Anthony Dias

The Holy Week provides Precious lessons, on compassionate, Humble and courageous leadership Through the Teachings and Actions The cataclysmic Crucifixion Of the Historical, Jesus of Nazareth! Who demonstrated What a genuine servant-leader shou.....

Harvesting Souls?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Back in 2000 Arun Shourie wrote a book “Harvesting Souls – Missionaries, their designs and claims”. It was a condemnation of everything remotely connected with missionaries. In the Indian context it was about our Christian presence. For those who came.....

St. Paul’s Parish, Pallel Extends Covid Relief

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The Pandemic spares no one, but hit the poor the hardest. In St. Paul’s Parish, Pallel, under the Diocese of Imphal, there are 2252 members spread across 18 Villages belonging Lamkang, Moyon, Monsang, Chothe and Marings tribes. In all these villages, the .....

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.....

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, .....

Opinion

The Need for Lay Solidarity with the Synodal Church can’t be more pressing than now

Articles | John S. Shilshi |

In the early Church, the terms "royal priesthood," "a Holy nation," and "God's own people" were used to describe the collective Christian faithful. This position changed in the early Middle Ages, where a dualistic concept of membership in the Church was i.....

Scribes Scribble Scrabble Scramble

Articles | Chhotebhai |

Pardon my penchant for words. On a more serious note, like a moth to the flame, I have a fatal attraction to the Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus, the Word, and “the Word was God” (Jn 1:10). I had been mulling over these thoughts from the 5th September wh.....

A Life without Reserve

Articles | Benjamin Chang |

The life of Lt. Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam stands as a luminous witness to missionary zeal, pastoral charity, and unwavering fidelity to God and His people. Belonging to the Diocese of Kohima, Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam offered the best years of his life,.....

Black Theology Is an Outcome of Black Experience

Articles | Yumri Taipodia |

In between 1517–1840, around twenty million blacks were cruelly captured in Africa. By ship, they were transported to America and sold into slavery. It was a profitable income for the traders. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, many captives died.....

Care for the Creation

Articles | John S. Shilshi |

Before Pope Leo announced a five-week ‘Season of Care,' the world witnessed two instances of human suffering caused by the fury of nature. In the middle of August, Mon district headquarters in Nagaland were flooded, resulting in loss of lives and property.....

Two strategic pullbacks by the BJP

Articles | John Dayal |

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s two pullbacks in August of high-profile bills it had every intention of passing may have seemed a rainbow in a sky otherwise made dark and gloomy by unabated acts of violence and systemic persecution of Christians in sta.....