In a symbolic move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began his first official visit to India on May 22, 2026, with a personal visit to Mother Teresa’s Home in Calcutta. He attended Mass there, spoke openly about his Catholic faith, and expressed tremendous respect for the Sisters of Charity and their service to the poorest of India.
This is the same Missionaries of Charity that the extremist RSS ecosystem has repeatedly attacked over the years through their online platforms and media outlets, accusing Mother Teresa and her sisters of forced conversions and fraudulent activity. Predictably, additional attacks on Mother Teresa resurfaced on these platforms immediately after Rubio’s visit.
Indian minorities – including myself – were closely watching how Secretary Rubio would address the distressing situation facing Indian Christians, particularly the impact of stringent anti-conversion laws, repeated incidents of violence, and the controversial FCRA amendment bill.
While the details of his private meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials remain confidential, Rubio was widely expected to raise these concerns. The attacks on Christians and the proposed FCRA changes directly affect funds sent by ordinary American Christians to support legitimate philanthropic work through churches and Christian institutions in India.
The symbolism of Rubio’s visit to Mother Teresa’s home was hard to overstate. Indians understand symbolism because our culture is steeped in it. The repeated denial of visas to American Christian pastors and workers who want to visit India are often on the basis of accusations that they are going for “conversion events”, and thus visas are denied. The paranoia that Hindu extremists create around conversions has reached dangerous levels, resulting in hate campaigns and physical violence, especially in North India.
Coming in the wake of the earlier suspension (and later restoration) of the Missionaries of Charity’s FCRA licence, Rubio’s visit was not merely about the future of one iconic home. It was about every legitimate Christian philanthropic ministry in the country. If a law meant to regulate foreign funds is amended to allow retrospective seizure of assets of churches and Christian organizations, the message is loud and clear: FCRA is no longer about regulation; it has become a tool for control and eventual possession of Christian institutions.
In the end, Secretary Rubio’s message was unmistakable. The Christian world is aware and watching what is happening to Christian citizens in India. The global Muslim community has largely remained silent as Indian Muslims are increasingly treated like second-class citizens.
But global Christians, spread across free democratic societies, will not be mute bystanders when their fellow believers are threatened, attacked, and targeted through opaque mechanisms like the FCRA department.
Unfortunately this will impact the goodwill the Hindu community receives in Western nations. The storm troopers of extremist Hindus don't realise this. Christians living in democratic countries will raise their voices and put pressure on their own governments and leaders, including figures like Secretary Rubio.
It is in India’s own interest that Prime Minister Modi addresses this. The blatant demonization and targeting of Christians harms not only the community but also millions of needy Indians who benefit from Christian-run schools, hospitals, and social services. Especially at this time of major economic distress.
The Prime Minister’s symbolic gesture of attending a Christmas service in Delhi last year, even amid attacks by Hindu extremists in several states, was a step in the right direction. Now is the time for him to take decisive action against this growing hate culture. This would draw a fine line between the Prime Minister and those who want to drag him into anti-Christian activities and religious violence.
One clear and powerful sign would be for the Prime Minister to drop the proposed FCRA amendment bill. This would be a significant and symbolic step and statement to the many Christian majority nations who are watching developments.
As a senior Christian leader from the Muslim world told me recently, this kind of stealth takeover of Christian institutions through legislative changes has not happened even in many Muslim-majority countries where Christians face severe persecution.
India must protect its great tradition of religious freedom and protect Christian citizens and their institutions — not just for the sake of religious freedom, but for India’s global standing and its commitment to being a truly pluralistic democracy.
Archbishop Joseph D'Souza is a renowned civil rights activist. He is archbishop of the Anglican Good Shepherd Church of India, the President of the All India Christian Council. He also serves as a convenor of the newly formed ecumenical National Federation of Churches of India.
