Churches Across India Observe National Day of Prayer Against FCRA Amendment Bill, CBCI, NCCI and EFI

The Union Government introduced the Bill in Parliament in March 2026, and it is expected to come up during the Monsoon Session. JAFM said the day drew lakhs of devotees from various denominations, with special prayer meetings held by religious institutions and community organisations across the country for the nation, constitutional governance, democratic freedoms and the withdrawal of the Bill.

In a circular dated 17 June addressed to all bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful, CBCI President Cardinal Anthony Poola, Metropolitan Archbishop of Hyderabad, asked Catholics across the country to set aside 28 June for prayer, asking that the day bring the Church together around the nation, those who govern it, and the Church’s own ability to keep serving. The circular pointed to worries that the Bill could disrupt the work the Church does in charity, education, healthcare and social service, and Cardinal Poola framed this work as flowing directly from the Gospel call to love, justice and compassion. He asked Catholics to mark the day alongside other denominations as one shared expression of concern, through Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, organised prayer services and fasting by those who chose to. The circular further suggested that dioceses, parishes and institutions could prepare memoranda on the Bill for submission to the government through local MPs and MLAs. At the CBCI Centre in New Delhi, nine hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration was held on the day, opened with prayers led by Fr Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of CBCI, for guidance, protection and wisdom for the country’s leaders and people.

NCCI marked the day with a campaign built around the theme “We Oppose FCRA Amendment Bill 2026,” listing the direct and indirect impacts it said the Bill could have, including the takeover of church properties, loss of rental and lease income from properties used for poverty alleviation, a deadlock on the educational and healing ministries of churches and missions, continued subjugation of Dalit and tribal communities whose causes churches have addressed, violation of the constitutional rights of minorities without recourse to judicial relief, reduced involvement in humanitarian assistance programmes, and an impact on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal targets. NCCI had earlier written to parliamentarians opposing the Bill, with its General Secretary, Rev. Asir Ebenezer, describing it as raising serious concerns, including the absence of judicial process before assets are taken over.