Christians in India of all denominations united in a day of prayer and fasting on Sunday, opposing a draconian bill to regulate foreign funding. Source: The Tablet.
During the nine-hour Eucharistic Adoration on June 28 at its headquarters in New Delhi, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India led prayers for the repeal of the proposed Foreign Contribution Regulation Act Amendment (FCRA) Bill 2026, which would introduce significant restrictions on funding for religious organisations and other non-government bodies.
Parishes across India said specially prepared prayers and observed fasts as a “peaceful protest” against the legislation.
CBCI President and Hyderabad Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Poola had asked Christians to unite in prayer on June 28 for an “ecumenical expression of our common faith and concern”.
The FCRA, after its tenth amendment, has “raised concerns regarding its possible implications for the charitable, educational, healthcare and social ministries carried out by churches and Christian institutions across our country”, he warned.
The cardinal said the Church in India has “consistently served society, particularly the poor and the marginalised, as an expression of the Gospel values of love, justice and compassion”.
Church leaders strongly objected to the amendments in the legislation announced on June 23, which allow asset seizure, cancellation of licences and control of the funds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and minority bodies upon the expiry, surrender or denial of renewal, besides cumbersome compliance barriers.
“We object to the clause for selection of activities from the federal government-mandated list and new provisions that place significant operational and financial burdens on non-profit organisations across the country,” Fr Mathew Koyickal, CBCI deputy secretary general, said.
Every entity is required to obtain purpose‑specific registration, clearly declaring the activities for which foreign contributions will be used and the geographical space where they will operate.
CBCI spokesman Fr Robinson Sylvester Rodrigues said health care is notably missing from the 105 permitted sectors for NGO service, which heavily impacts institutions that have long served the marginalised – notably the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), which has more than 3500 member institutions across the country catering to over 21 million people each year.
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Indian Churches join in prayer against restrictions on foreign donations (By Rita Joseph, The Tablet)
