Archbishop Kalist Calls Church in India to Proclaim Gospel of Life with Courage

CHENNAI, August 11, 2026: Archbishop Francis Kalist of Pondicherry and Cuddalore called on the Catholic Church in India to proclaim the Gospel of Life with renewed urgency and courage, urging bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful to defend unborn children, protect the elderly and strengthen the sanctity of marriage and family life.

Addressing the 5th National March for Life in Chennai, Archbishop Kalist said the Church must confront what he described as a growing culture of death through clear teaching, formation and pastoral accompaniment.

In previous years, he said, he had addressed the issue of contraception in India, drawing on Casti Connubii of Pope Pius XI and Humanae Vitae of Pope St Paul VI. This year, he said, he wanted to focus particularly on abortion through the teaching of Evangelium Vitae of Pope St John Paul II.

‘Speak out for those who cannot speak’

Archbishop Kalist expressed concern that many people in positions of responsibility—including politicians, lawmakers, members of the judiciary, medical professionals and even Church leaders—may not fully appreciate the scale of abortion in India.

Citing a figure of 1.56 crore abortions annually, he said the issue demanded a stronger response from the Church and society. He urged bishops and priests to recognise their responsibility to teach and preach clearly on the dignity of human life.

Quoting Proverbs 31:8, he called on Church leaders to “speak out for those who cannot speak”.

He questioned how frequently abortion, contraception and gender ideology are addressed in Catholic catechesis, schools, colleges, seminaries, formation houses and retreat programmes.

Archbishop Kalist also recalled Pope Benedict XVI’s emphasis that pastoral care cannot be separated from truth. He said that remaining silent or departing from Church teaching in the name of pastoral sensitivity is ultimately neither caring nor genuinely pastoral, because “only what is true can ultimately be pastoral.”

Bishops called to be ‘fishers of families’

Referring to Pope Leo XIV’s homily of May 18, 2025, Archbishop Kalist recalled the Pope’s appeal to bishops, as successors of the apostles and shepherds of Christ’s flock, to become “fishers of families”.

He urged lay Catholics to take up a similar mission by becoming “fishers” of individual members of families and working closely with bishops, priests and religious to strengthen Christian family life.

The Archbishop described the National March for Life as primarily a lay initiative. He recalled that concerns about faith and moral formation within families had been brought to his attention and that the proposal for an annual National March for Life was presented twice at meetings of the CBCI and CCBI Standing Committees before receiving the bishops’ support.

Strengthening pro-life ministry

Archbishop Kalist highlighted the appointment of Ajin Joseph as Associate Secretary of the Family Commission with special responsibility for Pro Life Ministry.

According to the Archbishop, the new responsibility includes visiting Catholic colleges, hospitals and dioceses and helping establish pro-life cells that can promote awareness, formation and pastoral support.

He said his mission experiences had brought him into contact with mothers who regretted having undergone abortions and told him that they might have made different decisions if Church leaders had clearly explained the nature and consequences of abortion when they were newly married or had conceived a child.

He also spoke of families who, after learning more about the Church’s teaching through pro-life initiatives, had sought to imitate the Holy Family in their own lives.

More than social work

Archbishop Kalist urged Catholics not to reduce the pro-life apostolate to social work or charitable assistance.

Rather, he said, it is a mission to uphold the dignity and rights of the most vulnerable, particularly unborn children and elderly people who may become victims of euthanasia or what he described as mercy killing.

He encouraged participants to visit the Pro Life Exhibition organised alongside the March and to deepen their understanding of the Culture of Life.

The sanctity of marriage and family life, he said, must be strengthened through fidelity to authentic Church teaching and through a clear witness against the Culture of Death.

Formation at every level

Archbishop Kalist appealed to bishops, priests, religious and those responsible for Catholic colleges, seminaries, formation houses, priestly retreats and schools to proclaim the Gospel of Life “with urgency and courage”.

He recommended CHARIS India’s Flesh & Bones and Vita pro-life formation programmes and urged greater familiarity with major Church teachings on marriage, family and human life, including Divinum Illud Munus, Casti Connubii, Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae, as well as Catholic teaching concerning gender ideology.

He stressed that formation must reach parish communities and families so that Catholics can understand and live the Church’s teaching on the dignity of human life.

‘Until abortion becomes unthinkable’

Archbishop Kalist thanked Archbishop George Antonysamy for hosting the National March for Life and Cardinal Anthony Poola for agreeing to host a subsequent national gathering in Hyderabad.

He called for the pro-life apostolate launched through the Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore to continue and expand until every parish has a pro-life cell capable of forming consciences according to the Gospel of Life.

The ultimate goal, he said, should be a transformation of hearts and minds so that abortion becomes “unthinkable” in India.

Concluding with a reference to St. John Leonardi, Archbishop Kalist urged Catholics to seek the glory of God above all else and to persevere in defending human life.

He called on the faithful to continue “marching for life” until the dignity of human life at every stage is fully recognised and protected in society and public life.

By Catholic Connect Reporter