1.37 billion people have yet to hear or accept Christ, leaders say

Guwahati, Mar 12: Senior Catholic Church leaders from across Northeast India have charted a regional strategy for “Mission 2033,” a long-term pastoral vision aimed at expanding outreach, strengthening youth engagement and leveraging digital platforms for evangelisation.

The two-day strategic planning meeting, hosted at the North East Diocesan Social Service Societies (NEDSSS) in Guwahati, brought together archbishops, bishops, major superiors of religious congregations, priests, women religious and lay leaders from across the region under the leadership of the North East India Regional Bishops’ Council (NEIRBC).

Inaugurating the meeting, John Moolachira, Archbishop of Guwahati and President of NEIRBC, said the Church in the Northeast has already begun preparing for the Pastoral Plan 2033, a national initiative of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).

He noted that since 2024, each of the region’s 15 dioceses has been developing a nine-year action plan aligned with the national pastoral vision.

“The purpose of this meeting is to develop concrete action plans to reach the unreached and bring the Gospel to every level of society while implementing the National Pastoral Plan 2033 in the context of Northeast India,” Archbishop Moolachira said.

Opening the meeting, Dr GP Amalraj, Deputy Secretary General of NEIRBC, welcomed participants, while the opening prayer was led by Sr. Teresa Joseph MSMHC, Secretary of the Regional Unit of the Catholic Religious in India, along with Sr. Benedicta BS.

During the discussions, George Pallipparambil, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Miao and Chairman of the Proclamation Commission of NEIRBC, stressed the need for the Church to refocus on its core missionary role.

“We have discussed many topics over the years, but it is time to reorient ourselves to the one mission that defines us as Christians—evangelisation,” he said.

Addressing the gathering on the theme “Mission 2033 for the Northeast Region,” Manoj Sunny, Jesus International Coordinator of Global 33, highlighted what he described as “Gospel poverty” in India, noting that about 1.37 billion people have not yet heard or accepted Christ.

Quoting the missionary vision associated with Pope Francis, Sunny said depriving people of the joy of the Gospel would be “the greatest injustice.”

He outlined four strategic priorities for the Church in the coming years: building a synodal missionary Church, empowering the laity to proclaim the Gospel, strengthening youth engagement, and addressing practical challenges such as time constraints and financial limitations.

Stephen Alathara, Deputy General Secretary of CCBI, said the Pastoral Plan 2033 emerged from extensive consultations across dioceses and grassroots church communities across India.

“The Pastoral Plan 2033 that we are implementing is the result of extensive consultations and discussions at the grassroots level,” he said, commending the missionary commitment of the Church in Northeast India.

The role of digital outreach also featured prominently in the discussions. Cyril Victor Joseph, Coordinator of the CCBI Media Apostolate, highlighted the importance of digital evangelisation in the diverse linguistic landscape of Northeast India.

“Digital media has become a culture that shapes human interaction. It provides a powerful platform for evangelisation and offers new opportunities for the Church to live out the vision of a synodal community,” he said.

The meeting concluded with the launch of ‘Digi Word’, a digital platform developed by the Claretian Missionaries in Northeast India. Led by Fr. John Thurackal CMF, Secretary of the Bible Commission of NEIRBC, the initiative will offer daily scripture readings, reflections, devotional hymns, Bible quizzes and catechetical resources through major social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Church leaders said the initiative marks a step toward integrating technology with pastoral outreach as the region moves toward the Church’s Mission 2033 vision.