The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) through its Office for Interreligious Dialogue and its social action wing Caritas India joined in the launching of the National Multi-Faith Action Coordination Committee (MFACC) and joined as its core member during its setting up meeting organized by the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA) and UNICEF. They participated in its historic first meeting held on May 29, 2015 at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Fr. Dr Anthoniraj Thumma, National Secretary of CBCI Office for Interreligious Dialogue, and Mr. Navneet Yadav, Lead – Humanitarian Action & DRR at Caritas India, represented the CBCI Centre in this meeting and assured cooperation to MFACC and support to UNICEF and GIWA in this visionary initiative.
In the remarkable presence of former President of India, honourable Shri Ram Nath Kovind, the leaders of seven Faith traditions and representatives of various Faith-based Organisations working in India attended this first-ever meeting of its kind, under the guidance of Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji. The purpose of the MFACC is to serve as a national platform and mechanism to support knowledge sharing, priority setting and action planning to effectively respond to “the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth” by bringing together multiple faith leaders and faith based organisations (FBOs) and other key stakeholders. It aims to promote joint coordinated action in key sectors, such as public health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and education, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate action. MFACC has decided to hold its next meeting shortly in Delhi to work out its action plan and to meet every quarter to monitor its activities.
Reported by Fr Dr Anthoniraj Thumma,
National Secretary, CBCI Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism,
New Delhi, 30-05-2025
