We, the 202 Bishops of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) who gathered together for the 37th General Body Meeting held from 4–10 February 2026 at St. John’s Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, prayerfully reflected on the theme “Faith and the Nation: The Church’s Witness to India’s Constitutional Vision.” In the present socio-cultural and political scenario of our country, we discern how important it is to renew our commitment to the message of Jesus Christ and also to the guiding principles enshrined in our Constitution.

1. Proud Indians and authentic disciples

We are grateful to the Almighty for our wonderful nation, where our Christian community co-exists amidst people of various cultures, languages, and religious traditions. With joy and hope, we contribute to India’s growth, harmony, and unity, and cherish the freedom to practice our faith. However, alongside growth and aspiration, we witness rising inequality, ecological degradation, misinformation, polarization, and anxiety about identity and belonging. In this context, the Church is expected to offer a mature, hopeful, and credible public witness, as we are called by our Lord to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Mt 5, 13–14).

We are urged to stand ever more steadfast in our Christian identity, drawing strength from our rich spiritual heritage. Each time our faith is questioned, or our Christian way of life is confronted, we are presented with a providential moment to deepen our relationship with Christ, who unfailingly grants us the grace needed to persevere (Cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). Instead of being silenced or withdrawing from our mission, we are urged to live our Christian identity with courage and conviction, so that the fragrance of Christ (Cf. 2 Cor. 2:15) may permeate every aspect of society, inspiring hope and promoting unity among all peoples.

2. Safeguarding Constitutional values

Genuine Christian living inspires us to be law-abiding citizens who promote peace and defend human rights. Fidelity to the Constitution of India flows from our Christian faith and our commitment to the common good, freedom of conscience, the dignity of every person, and the protection of India’s plural, secular, and democratic character. The socially uplifting initiatives of the Church spring from our deep rootedness in Christ and our faithfulness to the Constitutional values. We encourage all the faithful to continue participating actively in nation-building, guided by truth, compassion, and moral courage.

At a time when freedom and human rights are increasingly disregarded, we reaffirm our faith in the Constitution of India which envisions our country as “a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic which secures to all its citizens justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity” (Cf. Preamble to the Indian Constitution). Whenever Constitutional rights are unjustly restricted, particularly concerning the poor, the marginalised, the Dalit and tribal people, it is important to advocate for the protection of fundamental rights for all individuals, regardless of caste, creed, and language. The denial of rights to Dalit Christians continues for decades as an indirect form of discrimination, despite numerous appeals for equality and justice. We express our concerns about the denial of rights to the minorities, as such acts weaken the democratic fabric of our society. While maintaining our commitment to eliminate any type of discrimination existing in the ecclesial communities based on caste or language, we urge the government to ensure equality and justice for all.

As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and right to privacy. Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees that, “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion.” Let us remember the great example of Mahatma Gandhi whose entire life was for forming “an India in which the people shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people” (Young India, 10-9-31, p.255).

3. Development of leadership among the youth

We give special attention to young people, who face uncertainty due to unemployment, migration, digital vulnerability, and social pressures. They look not only for opportunities, but meaning and moral direction. We continue our commitment to accompany youth through leadership formation, civic education, and ethical engagement and encourage them to participate actively in public life and democratic processes. It has become the need of the hour that our youngsters, as exemplary Christians and as responsible citizens of India, actively engage in politics as a vocation to service.

4. Option for the poor

We reaffirm the vital role of Christian educational and social institutions in forming conscience, and ethical leadership. Academic excellence must be inseparable from inclusivity, justice, and a preferential option for the poor. We uphold the vision set by Pope Leo XIV: “Wherever access to education remains a privilege, the Church must push open doors and invent new pathways because to ‘lose the poor’ is to lose the very meaning of the school” (Drawing New Maps of Hope, 2025).

While acknowledging the immense contributions of our church towards the betterment of the poor and the marginalised, we realise that the forms of poverty also get diversified as plurality of deprivations, “where the lack of a voice is often more devastating than the lack of bread” (Dilexit te, 1.14). We pledge to undertake more endeavours to uplift the poor through our faith communities and institutions. We also acknowledge that the Church’s moral credibility in society is inseparable from justice, transparency, accountability, and ethical governance within her own institutions.

5. Dialogue and reconciliation

In a context of polarisation and mistrust, we maintain the Church’s calling to foster dialogue, reconciliation, and fraternity. The Christian faith has always inspired us to seek the way of forgiveness whenever we have been deprived of human dignity and rights. We take upon sustained inter-religious dialogue and civil-society engagement, standing in solidarity with all those who face injustice or exclusion, and working together for peace, social harmony, and the protection of human dignity.

6. Rooted in Christ and faithful to the Constitution

We recommit ourselves to be a Eucharistic presence in the heart of the nation – serving the common good with humility, courage, and wisdom. Entrusting our mission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and seeking the maternal protection of Mother Mary, the Queen of Peace for our country, we move forward in solidarity with all people of goodwill, working for a just, inclusive, and fraternal India.

“Hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5).

✠ Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath
President

✠ Archbishop Anil J.T. Couto
Secretary General