Khammam Priests Urged to Strengthen Pro-Life and Family Ministry

KHAMMAM, October 1, 2026: More than 70 priests of the Diocese of Khammam were called to strengthen their pastoral response to challenges facing marriage, family life and the protection of human life during a monthly recollection at the Bishop’s House on September 30.

Ajin Joseph, Associate Secretary of the CCBI Family Commission, urged the clergy to deepen their prayer life, strengthen their preaching and help Catholic families engage more effectively with issues including abortion, contraception, in-vitro fertilisation, divorce and pornography.

The day-long recollection focused on priestly identity, marriage and family life, and the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life. Joseph’s reflections centred on the priest’s call to embody Christ’s pastoral mission and to become a stronger witness to the Gospel within families and society.

Drawing on John 21:15–19, Joseph reflected on Christ’s commands to Peter — “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep” and “Feed my sheep” — as a threefold model for priestly ministry: nurturing the faithful, reaching out to those who have strayed and proclaiming the Gospel.

He also encouraged priests to deepen their spiritual lives through practices including the Liturgy of the Hours and daily Eucharistic Adoration, and urged them to ground their homilies in Sacred Scripture, the Catechism and apologetics.

In a second reflection, “Holy Family & Holy Marriages – The Root of All Vocations,” Joseph addressed contemporary pressures on marriage and family life and reaffirmed the Church’s teaching that marriage has both unitive and procreative dimensions.

He called for renewed efforts to present the Church’s teaching on human life, marriage and family through documents including Humanae Vitae, Evangelium Vitae, Familiaris Consortio and Amoris Laetitia. He also called for what he described as a “Purity and Chastity Revolution.”

Joseph further urged priests to mobilise Catholic communities for the sixth March for Life in India, which is scheduled to be hosted by the Archdiocese of Hyderabad in collaboration with the Telugu Council of Catholic Bishops.

The recollection placed emphasis on practical pastoral responses to the challenges confronting families and on the priest’s role as a witness to Christ’s love and the Church’s mission.

By Catholic Connect Reporter