St Thomas Church, Hyderabad, India. (Photo: Getty/iStock)
India has witnessed a blend of joyful Christmas celebrations in many parts of the country, alongside reports of hate, hostility, and attacks on Christians this season, particularly in northern and central regions.
The nation—and the world—is observing how the demonization of the Christian community has, in some cases, escalated into violence, humiliation of their faith, and disruption of their annual Christmas festivities.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at a Christmas morning service at the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in New Delhi on December 25, 2025, was a welcoming gesture of inclusivity, it does not erase the reported realities in several states where Christians face targeted persecution, false accusations, and assaults. In many instances, police have been accused of inaction or complicity.
Consider these widely circulated incidents:
In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, a local BJP leader, Anju Bhargava (or Bhargav), along with supporters, allegedly disrupted a Christian gathering for visually impaired and hearing-impaired individuals. A viral video showed her confronting and physically assaulting a visually impaired woman, making derogatory remarks, including that her disability was due to past deeds and would persist in her next life because of her association with Christianity. This act drew widespread condemnation for targeting a disabled person, though no major BJP condemnation from the state followed immediately.
In another incident in Madhya Pradesh, right-wing groups allegedly disrupted church prayer meetings, with reports of intruders forcing their way in, chanting Hindu slogans, and humiliating worshippers—sometimes by taking over services with their own religious chants.
In Chhattisgarh, during a statewide bandh called by Hindu organizations protesting alleged conversions, a mob vandalized Christmas decorations at Raipur’s Magneto Mall on December 24, 2025. Armed with sticks, the group damaged festive installations while police registered cases against unidentified persons.
In Odisha (and similar reports elsewhere), street vendors selling Christmas items like Santa Claus caps were harassed and forced to shut down, with attackers claiming India is a “Hindu Rashtra” and accusing them of promoting conversions.
I reflect: Little has changed in parts of the world where the birth of Jesus—the Messiah who came to save all peoples—still provokes terror and hate. Just as Herod ordered the massacre of innocents fearing Jesus’ spiritual kingdom would challenge despots indifferent to the poor, today’s oppressors target the vulnerable.
Mary’s Magnificat foresaw this: God would scatter the proud, bring down rulers from their thrones, and lift up the humble—sending His Son as the true Messiah for the poor, needy, deaf, blind, outcasts, and those treated as less than human.
In my homily today, I shared that Christmas brings joy, peace, and happiness, but also God’s judgment on wickedness—in His time. Empires like Rome under Nero and Caesar fell; regimes like Hitler’s Third Reich, Idi Amin’s, and Stalin’s collapsed. So too will those perpetrating evil face accountability.
Unlike the curse hurled at the visually impaired Christian woman, I believe that in resurrection, she—and all who believe in Jesus—will receive glorious, perfect bodies with full sight. The persecuted, defamed, and harmed will rise to their eternal glory.
Despite false propaganda about forced conversions, Indians continue to be drawn to Jesus through His love, power, and transformative work. No force can eradicate His followers, for the Christmas Child is the living God, alive forevermore.
