North East Catholic Research Forum

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Convenor of ICF writes open letters to four Indian Cardinals

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

In an open letter to Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Cardinal Antony Poola, and Cardinal George Koovakad, Chhotebhai, the Convenor of the Indian Catholic Forum, wrote that the Catholic community in India is proud of them, that.....

Pope Francis: A man of the moment, someone who gave the world so much

Opinion | Articles | Joseph M Thohrii |

On the 13th March 2013, when the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel was seen, the faithful gathered in the Vatican square exclaimed in joy shouting, “Habemus Papam” meaning ‘We have a Pope’. And the man was none other than Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio,.....

Why Pope Francis couldn’t visit India

Opinion | Articles | Leivon Albert Lamkang |

His presence here could have been a moment of healing and recognition. It would have signalled that religious pluralism is not just tolerated in India—it is honoured. In diplomacy, sometimes what doesn’t happen is as telling as what does. The recent news.....

After Francis, Who?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Focus now shifted to the Camerlengo (the papal custodian till the election of the new pope). It was now his duty to follow the guidelines for the election of a new pope as specified in Universi Dominici Gregis (UDG), promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 2.....

The Messenger is Gone, but not the Message

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

After a very long period, God selected a modern, pro-poor Francis Assisi in the form of a pope to reform the church that was rusting. Definitely, he too had been seriously reflecting on the contrast between the wealthy Vatican and the acute poverty outsid.....

A day after He went, memories of Pope Francis come piercing with Realization

Opinion | Articles | James Pochury |

The news broke quietly, like a whisper lost in the noise of our indifferent world: Pope Francis had passed away. For many, it was a passing headline. For those who understood what he represented, it was the end of an era. And for those of us shaped by rig.....

In Pope Francis’ death the world is orphaned!

Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash |

In Pope Francis’ death the world is orphaned! In the death of Pope Francis, the world has lost one of the greatest personalities of modern times! We are saddened that he is no longer in our midst! He was truly a compassionate pastor with a warm, lovi.....

‘Transitus’ of Francis: End of an Era and a Great Legacy Pope Francis (1936-2025)

Opinion | Articles | George Plathottam |

The world mourns for Pope Francis at his ‘transitus’, to use a word that is both rich in meaning and familiar to the Church and the Franciscan spiritual tradition to describe one’s passing. His death, no doubt, is the end of a remarkable era. He leaves b.....

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.....

The lament of Calvary this Lent!

Opinion | Articles | Vijayan MJ |

Passion week is that time of the year when Christians all over the world remind themselves about the sufferings, anguish, pain and the bloody crucifixion that Jesus Christ took on himself, as part of his mission of emancipating the people and establishing.....

Job Fair in Don Bosco Kohima

Education | College | NECARF Rep |

Job Fair Notice

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

Denial of permission to CAAD is not just what meets the eye

Opinion | Articles | John S. Shilshi |

In recent times, this country has been unfortunately witnessing increasing instances of injustice against the Christian community in different parts of the country. From physically attacking priests and nuns to harassment in different forms, Christians, p.....

From Fundamental Rights to Fundamental Duties: Christian Response to Crisis in India

Opinion | Articles | Acharyasri |

In every Military Academy around the world, the one principle of war taught is ‘Offense is the best form of defense'. I have spent the best years of my life (from 24 years of age when I was Commissioned as a Pilot Officer with the Trophy for the 'Best O.....

Should we believe in Miracles?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

My wife and I were back from Sunday Mass. I was at my writing table while she was on the phone. I heard her say something about speaking in tongues, so I asked her whom she was talking to, as she is not the “charismatic” type. It was on old friend who.....

Editorial

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.....

Ominous Signs and the Catholic response

India is a country that boasts staggering diversity—a colourful mix few in the world have the privilege of sharing. Since independence and the enactment of the constitution, freedom, liberty, and equality before the law has always been our treasured right.....

The New Pope and His Message

This time, 1.39 billion Catholics across the globe were fortunate to see the white smoke come out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on the second day as Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected by the cardinal conclave in the fourth round of voting, one less than .....

The Pope didn’t Sulk or Shun

The Vatican News released a video of Pope Francis extending Easter greetings to a multitude of people at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, which was one day before his final journey to the eternal world. A close look at that video reveals that the Holy Father w.....

The CBCI blinks yet again

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), regarded as a father figure by an estimated 23 million Catholics in this country, has yet again shown lack of wisdom while taking decision on crucial matters. While the organization may like to downplay som.....

Persecution as an Opportunity

The history of the church is replete with stories of persecution; the crucifixion of Christ itself being the greatest of all. Rome, where the Vatican, the supreme seat of the Pontiff, stands today, in fact was one of the foremost places where Christian pe.....

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.....

Previous Articles

Coastal Collateral

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Coastal Collateral In war, and even out of it, those who resort to aerial bombardment use the term “collateral damage” to explain away the loss of innocent lives, or destruction of non-military targets; as is now happening in Gaza. It is a convenient j.....

Ecumenism is non-negotiable

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Ecumenism is non-negotiable When we say that something is non-negotiable, we mean that it cannot be compromised or watered down. Its message and mission must be forthright, sincere and enduring. Ecumenism, commonly understood as Christian Unity, comes .....

Who is Responsible for Human Disasters?

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Soon after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad we have witnessed mixed feelings expressed by public – shock, sadness, anxiety, fear, suspicion and anger. Also, various theories are evolving like bird-hit, technical fault, high temperature, pilot’s mist.....

Bless me, father

Opinion | Articles | Desmond L. Kharmawphlang

Bless me, father Lying flat on his back, wild grasses teasing his face, Rimeki stared at the sky. Mesmerized by the theatre of clouds, like tufts of cotton or tula as the fluffy material is called in these parts, stretched in a pattern as far as his eye.....

Silent Slaves

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Last week an NGO Director in Tamil Nadu sent me a news clipping. It said that in just one-day three young girls were missing in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The report mentions about the network of human traffickers, including bus drivers and co.....

Totalization, Reining Totalities and the Dialectics of One and the Many

Opinion | Articles | Victor Ferrao

When unity is construed as uniformity, diversity suffocates and dies. There is the diversal in the universal. Both sameness and otherness co-exists in the real. This is why what is universal cannot be reduced to sameness. When unity becomes uniformity, i.....

After Namo, What?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

When Nehru was the Prime Minister of India Welles Hagen wrote a book in 1963, “After Nehru, Who?” When Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister a similar sentiment emerged, the TINA factor. There is no alternative. History bears testimony that both Nehru and Rajiv.....

Should we believe in Miracles?

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

My wife and I were back from Sunday Mass. I was at my writing table while she was on the phone. I heard her say something about speaking in tongues, so I asked her whom she was talking to, as she is not the “charismatic” type. It was on old friend who.....

Religiosity Versus Spirituality

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Religiosity Versus Spirituality A few days ago, I read a news report about four nuns of a religious congregation taking their final vows. The report mentioned that these nuns were trained by a priest on “deep spirituality” as per the bishop who celebra.....

Moving Back to the Middle Ages

Opinion | Articles | Thomas Menamparampil

Tagore dreamt of an India where the citizens would have the courage to hold their “heads high”. Martin Luther King dreamt of a homeland that would give equal respect to every citizen. An Iranian composer longs for a civilized culture in her country where.....

Politically religious or religiously political?

Opinion | People's Edit | G.L. Khing

Human beings are political and religious by nature. The combination of both enables the smooth functioning of the State. The sharp contrast between the two brings chaos, fear and violence. As the trumpet of election blows, there emerges a contrasting soun.....

Current Updates

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.....

NEIRBC Gets a new Education Commission Team

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Guwahati, June 25, 2025 – The Northeast Bishops Council’s Commission for Education has appointed a new leadership team, with Fr. Dr. Paul Pudussery, a Holy Cross priest, taking the helm. This transition marks the third leadership handover since the commis.....

Francis’s Bottle Craft: Miniature Homes in Glasses

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

The Miniature Artist of Sikkim

In a quiet corner of Sikkim’s Lingzey, Gairigaon, an artist has been creating entire worlds inside bottles—one intricate house at a time. Meet Mr Francis Rai, the man behind Francis Bottle Crafts, whose passion for miniature architecture has turned into b.....

Convenor of ICF writes open letters to four Indian Cardinals

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

In an open letter to Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, Cardinal Baselios Mar Cleemis, Cardinal Antony Poola, and Cardinal George Koovakad, Chhotebhai, the Convenor of the Indian Catholic Forum, wrote that the Catholic community in India is proud of them, that.....

Christian Today in Conversation with Dr. John Dayal.

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

As India marks its 76th Republic Day, the Christian community faces what many describe as an unprecedented crisis of religious freedom. Recent appeals to both President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paint a troubling picture: over 720 in.....

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.....

Opinion

Iconoclasm: Yesterday and Today

Articles | Chhotebhai |

Iconoclasm is the destruction of things (often held sacred or precious), persons or even ideas. What is an icon? Millennials would be familiar with the icons (symbols) on their mobile phones, laptops or computers. Originally, an icon was usually a religio.....

How serious are educational Institutions about the mental health of young people?

Editorial | John S. Shilshi |

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.....

Why Do Catholic Priests become Fanatics?

Articles | M L Satyan |

Prior to second Vatican Council the Catholic Church believed that all those who belong to other religions will not get salvation. The second Vatican Council changed this fundamentalist view. Respect for other religions, inter-religious dialogue and incult.....

WHERE IS GOD?

Articles | Chhotebhai |

WHERE IS GOD? Those watching TV on 27th August evening would have been jolted by two tragic events. The first was of hundreds of pilgrims washed away in flash floods/ landslides in the Jammu region. The second instant was of two young girls shot dead w.....

Youth- A Time to Focus.

Articles | Capt. Eddie Viegas |

In our Solar system, the largest body is the Sun. It has a diameter of 1,392,000 Km.i.e. it is 109.3 times the size of the Earth. It has an effective temperature of 5,740º K. enough to melt the hardest materials several times. Yet Life on Earth survives .....

Fourth Largest Economy in the world v/s Infrastructure and Citizen’ Happiness

Articles | Basil A. D'Cunha |

Fourth Largest Economy in the world v/s Infrastructure and Citizen’ happiness Our Honorable Prime Minister has stated that in the current year 2025, India stands as the world’s fourth-largest economy in the world. It places us behind only the United.....

Education

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 |

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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

College | NECARF Rep |

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

College | NECARF Rep |

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism

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

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