Inter-religious Dialogue
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 organised 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 Theme, National Secretary of CBCI Office for Interreligious Dialogue, and Mr NavneetYadav, 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.
Fr Dr Anthoniraj Thumma,
National Secretary,
CBCI Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism,
New Delhi, 30-05-2025

Apocalypse Looming
Israel launches attack on Iran: It remains to be seen how Putin is going to respond.

And to an extent, how does Xi?

The rule-based architecture to resolve major global disputes that was assiduously built at the conclusion of the WWII–to avert a repetition, now appears to be just in ruins.

The implications may turn out to be quite apocalyptic. Even though no one would really like it that way.
Sukla Sen

Haroon’s Last Words
A man named Husam Haroon was shot and killed in the Netzarim Corridor, according to medical sources. His last words: “I beg you not to let go of my kids, please care for them, I left them hungry.”

Israeli army opens fire on thousands of Palestinians who were trying to reach an aid distribution centre in Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, June 10 2025.

An overland aid convoy of buses and cars crossed into Libya on June 10 as it makes its way to Egypt, aiming to break Israel’s crippling humanitarian siege on the Gaza Strip. Consisting of 12 buses and 100 private cars, the Sumoud (resilience in Arabic) convoy of more than 1,000 participants, led by Tunisian civil society as well as participants from Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and Libya, set off from the Tunisian capital on June 9. “We crossed through several Libyan cities and are now close to Al-Zawiya, 51 km west of Tripoli,” Mohammed Ameen Binnour, a medical coordinator of the convoy, told the Anadolu news agency. Binnour said the aid convoy was greeted by Libyans on the streets and given a formal salute by Libyan security forces.

Convoy sets off for Gaza from Tunisia to protest Israeli blockade. Around 1,700 activists reached Libya.

The ‘March to Gaza’ took place from 13th to 15th June. Guests Melanie Schweizer (German delegation) and Moz (UK delegation) outlined Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, media censorship, and the movement’s rapid grassroots growth. They discussed fundraising, logistics for 54-country delegations travelling from Cairo via Al-Arish to the Rafah crossing, and the challenges of securing Egyptian permits - all in a show of global solidarity and pressure to end the siege.
S  Shankar

State Repression in Odisha
13th June, 2025: In a strongly worded letter to the District Collector, Rayagada, concerned citizens from across India, including social activists, academics, lawyers and members of various people’s organizations and movements vehemently condemned the absolutely high-handed manner in which the Odisha police restrained and harassed social activists, who were visiting Rayagada for a peaceful program marking the International Environment Day on 5th June. They also expressed profound alarm and disapproval of Order No. 1556/VII-14/2025, issued by the Collector on 4th June, 2025, prohibiting 24 activists and adivasis from entering Rayagada for a period of 2 months and participating in protests. They demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of this questionable and unjust order. The full letter is attached below.

The letter initiated by the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and the National Alliance for Justice Accountability and Rights (NAJAR) was also sent to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary of Odisha, SP Rayagada and Focal Point of Human Rights Defenders in NHRC, in the light of unlawful restraint of activists on 5th June in Rayagada. In fact, at 4:30 am on 5th June, well-known social activists Medha Patkar, Lingaraj Pradhan, Narendra Mohanty, and Hara Bania were taken into police custody, as soon as they arrived at the Rayagada railway station. 
The local people’s protest is a response to the destructive impacts of ongoing mining activities that have ravaged livelihoods, forests, and cultural heritage in the region. Rayagada is also a 5th Scheduled Area, governed by the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, which empowers Gram Sabhas and Panchayats to take decisions regarding any ‘developmental activity’ in their region. Additionally, Section 5 of the FRA–Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 empowers Gram Sabhas to protect their habitat from destructive activities. Concerned citizens condemn the repeated attempts by the state police and administration to suppress the people’s movements and enable the bauxite mining interests of mega corporations like Vedanta, Adani, and Birla.
National Alliance of People’s Movement

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Frontier
Vol 58, No. 2, Jul 6 - 12, 2025