Attacks on Christians in India

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

21 June 2015

The Christian Conference of Asia is shocked at the news of the rape of a 47-year-old Nun from Kerala, belonging to the Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate, on 19 June 2015 by two unidentified men in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.  It was equally shocking to hear that she was discovered the next morning gagged and tied to her bed at the medical center in which she serves. The medical center “Khrist Sahay Kendra” (Christ help center) has been functioning in the area for the last 60 years. ‎

Earlier on March 15, a 71-year-old nun of the Religious of Jesus and Mary (RJM) was gang raped in Ranaghat, ‎West Bengal state.

It is the opinion of church leaders that the frequent attacks and the failure of the authorities to book the culprits show that these are planned attempts to intimidate, threaten and humiliate missionaries through the rape of helplessly vulnerable nuns. This is seen not as an isolated incident but as part of an orchestrated violence targeting Christians, which began with attacks on Christians, then churches, and now sexual violence on nuns.

We the Christian Conference of Asia representing 101 member churches and 17 Councils of Churches across 21 countries in Asia, express our deep sorrow and concern over the increasing sexual attacks on Nuns and Christian Missionaries, and attacks on Priests, Churches and Christian institutions in India. The CCA and the global community are deeply concerned at the growing violence against Christians and the minorities. The growing trend of using rape of defenseless and vulnerable women and girls including nuns as a means of manifesting religious and communal intolerance is cowardly and unbecoming of a nation that is renowned for its rich traditions and cultural heritage of tolerance and peace.

Though the Indian Government had enacted strong legislation after the fatal gang-rape of a student in New Delhi in December 2012, the continuing reports of gender-based violence against women and girls, including nuns, women and girls with disabilities, expose the wide gap between good policies and poor implementation, and lack of police accountability.

We join hands with the Churches in India in condemning these acts of brutality and violence against religious minorities in India. We assure all concerned that Christianity and Christian missionaries in India have a long history of service in the fields of health and education, and have contributed considerably to nation building in the true biblical spirit of love and compassion for all. Let us not forget the sacrifices of ‘women religious’ who have left their home and families to work among people in remote areas in spite of risks to themselves. Incidents of violence against women and religious minorities, raise serious concerns over the security and safety of minorities in India and tarnishes the image of the country.

We, therefore, urge the Indian government to provide adequate security for the religious minorities and to safeguard their rights; to consider rapes and violence against women based on religion and attacks on women and children in general, as serious violations of their human rights; to take special interest to arrest the culprits involved in these crimes, and to ensure police accountability.

These measures would go a long way to inspire confidence in Christians and other minorities and will assure them that they are valued as citizens of India.

Christian conference of Asia, CCA, asia christanity
Photo: Candlelight vigils were held in many places across India to protest the violence of rape