National Lawyers Forum Calls for Stronger Legal Ministry in Religious Congregations

GREATER NOIDA, August 24, 2026: The National Lawyers Forum of Religious and Priests has called on religious congregations and Church leaders to strengthen legal ministry and promote greater legal awareness among clergy, religious and lay faithful.

Affiliated with the Justice, Peace and Development Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, the Forum made the appeal in a letter addressed to priests and religious, urging them to encourage and support priests and religious men and women with legal qualifications to use their expertise in service of the Church and the faithful.

The Forum, which has been serving the Church and society for the past decade, stressed the need to develop stronger personnel and collaborative networks for promoting justice, legal awareness and pastoral legal ministry. It called for greater cooperation at regional, diocesan and congregational levels.

The Forum also urged greater participation in its capacity-building initiatives. Its annual Capacity Building Conference is aimed at enhancing the legal skills of members while keeping them informed about emerging legal issues and challenges affecting the Church and wider society.

The next Annual Capacity Building Workshop of the National Lawyers Forum is scheduled to take place in Jalandhar, Punjab, from October 22 to 25. The workshop will focus on the theme, “Evolving Role of the National Lawyers Forum in Nation Building.”

Highlighting the social dimension of legal ministry, the Forum called on legally trained Church personnel to stand in solidarity with people facing injustice, particularly those from marginalised and vulnerable communities.

It also proposed establishing legal cells at diocesan, parish, congregational and provincial levels in collaboration with the Justice, Peace and Development Commission and the National Lawyers Forum. Such cells could assist in addressing legal matters involving Church institutions and the faithful and facilitate timely legal advice and intervention.

The Forum further stressed the importance of legal literacy among clergy, religious and lay faithful. Continuous education, training and awareness programmes, it said, could help strengthen understanding of rights, responsibilities and legal safeguards while promoting justice.

The Forum expressed confidence that greater encouragement and pastoral support from Church leadership would enable religious congregations to make better use of the legal expertise available among their members. It called for continued collaboration to develop legal ministry as an effective instrument of service to the Church and society.

By Catholic Connect Reporter