ASIA/INDIA – “Justice Sunday”: Catholic community defends the poor and calls for safeguards over law on foreign funding

ASIA/INDIA – “Justice Sunday”: Catholic community defends the poor and calls for safeguards over law on foreign funding

Saturday, 22 August 2026

New Delhi (Fides News Agency) – “Justice begins with us” – drawn from Isaiah 1:17 – is at the heart of “Justice Sunday”, which the Catholic Church in India will celebrate on August 23 as a time for reflection, prayer, raising awareness, and an appeal to the authorities and civil society to promote social justice. The first “Justice Sunday” was celebrated on August 20, 1989. Since then, the Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Justice, Peace and Development has worked to prepare a meaningful observance of the day.

On the occasion of Justice Sunday, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore, chairman of the CBCI Office for Justice, Peace and Development, issued a statement stressing that “true worship of God is inseparable from the daily practice of justice”. The statement, sent to Fides, urges every disciple of Christ to move beyond “outward piety” and become a concrete instrument of social equity. “God calls us not only to avoid evil,” he says, “but to actively seek justice, protect the vulnerable and uphold the dignity of every person. Justice is rooted in the very nature of God and reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ, who proclaimed good news to the poor, welcomed the excluded and restored dignity to those who had been forgotten.” Machado’s message echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”

Cardinal Anthony Poola, President of the CBCI, has also called on the authorities to uphold the constitutional principles of justice, equality and secularism in the country. The Cardinal expressed concern over the growing number of incidents of violence and intimidation against Christian communities across India. The observance also comes amid a climate of political tension. Just ahead of Justice Sunday, the Indian bishops rejected allegations surrounding the debate over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 (FCRA), which regulates and places restrictions on foreign funding received by Indian NGOs and social and religious organizations. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on March 25, 2026, and was referred on August 12 to a joint parliamentary committee following strong criticism from the opposition, civil society and several religious organizations.

The Indian bishops have reiterated that the proposed provisions could affect the Church’s humanitarian, educational and healthcare activities serving the poorest and most marginalized, and have publicly called for the bill to be withdrawn or revised (see Fides, 19 and 25/6/2026). Among the provisions under criticism are those concerning property and assets acquired through foreign contributions, which could be taken away from NGOs and placed under the management of a designated authority if their FCRA registration were revoked or not renewed. On July 10, the CBCI submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah, highlighting concerns over the FCRA, along with issues including religious freedom, the rights of Christian Dalits belonging to the ‘Scheduled Castes’ and the humanitarian crisis in Manipur.

Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash, speaking to the Indian Catholic media ahead of Justice Sunday, urged the faithful to recover a “prophetic voice” in society. He recalled India’s “open wounds” of injustice: the caste system, which disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable; “crony capitalism”, which marginalizes the poor; and widespread corruption at the highest levels. The Jesuit also pointed to targeted violence against religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians and Sikhs; the denial of legitimate rights to Dalits who have embraced Christianity or Islam; the dispossession of indigenous and tribal peoples of their land and resources; the exploitation of small farmers, casual workers and migrant laborers; the denial of women’s rights; and the blatant violation of “environmental justice”.

In this context, Prakash notes, “the Indian Church is called to stand publicly alongside the victims of injustice”. Referring to the 1971 Synod of Bishops on “Justice in the World”, he states: “Faced with the present situation of the world, marked by the grave sin of injustice, we recognize both our responsibility and our inability to overcome it by our own strength alone. This situation urges us to listen with humility and open hearts to the word of God, which shows us new paths of action for justice in the world.” For the Catholic Church in India, Justice Sunday is therefore not merely a day of prayer and awareness, but a call to concrete responsibility in the face of inequality, discrimination and violations of human dignity.

(PA) (Fides News Agency, 22/8/2026)

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