37th CBCI General Body Meeting to Reflect on Faith, Constitution, and National Responsibility

New Delhi / Bengaluru, February 1, 2026:

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) will convene its 37th General Body Meeting (GBM) from February 4 to 10, 2026, at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru. This biennial assembly will bring together Catholic bishops from 174 dioceses across the country for prayerful reflection and collective discernment on matters of ecclesial and national importance.

The theme of the General Body Meeting, “Faith and the Nation: The Church’s Witness to India’s Constitutional Vision,” echoes the CBCI motto, “United in Witness.” Rooted in the Gospel and inspired by the love of Christ, the meeting seeks to reaffirm the Church’s commitment to nurturing faith, strengthening unity, and promoting justice, peace, and harmony within India’s pluralistic society.

The General Body Meeting will open on February 4 with a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided over by Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal. He will also deliver the Inaugural Address during the opening ceremony at St. John’s Auditorium. The Presidential Address will be delivered by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, President of the CBCI.

Over the course of the week, the bishops will engage in in-depth deliberations on the theme, examining its ecclesial, social, and political dimensions. Special attention will be given to contemporary challenges facing constitutional values, as well as growing concerns regarding attacks on Christian communities in various parts of the country.

The 37th General Body Meeting is being carefully prepared under the guidance of the CBCI leadership, particularly Fr. Mathew Koyickal, Deputy Secretary General of the CBCI, with the active collaboration of various CBCI offices and commissions. The officials of St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, an institution managed by the CBCI, are also extending their full support for the smooth conduct of the meeting.

Inviting the prayers of the faithful across the nation, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath has called upon Catholics throughout India to pray for the fruitful outcome of the General Body Meeting, that it may strengthen the Church’s witness to faith, unity, and the constitutional values of the nation.