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Published Dec 19, 2025 | 9:46 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 19, 2025 | 9:46 AM
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at the CBCI event in New Delhi.
It was an event meant to celebrate Jesus Christ, but the name that kept echoing was that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Under the banner with the hymn, ”Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of goodwill,” proclaiming the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan kept repeating Modi’s name, almost eclipsing the divine birth at Bethlehem on a starry, winter night.
The event was hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) at its headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday, 18 December, evening.
Radhakrishnan drove down to 1 Ashok Place, the CBCI headquarters, shortly after a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The CBCI event and the praise of Modi gained significant attention as it came at the fag end of a year that had witnessed multiple atrocities against Christians in the country, including the detention of two nuns in Chhattisgarh.
Radhakrishnan’s speech opened with familiar biblical virtues—hope, humility, service, harmony, love but soon veered into political cheerleading.
He acknowledged the Christian community’s contributions to the country’s cultural, developmental, and social spheres. Yet, it was impossible to miss the recurring nods to Modi and the vision of a Viksit Bharat@2047, emphasising unity under the national agenda.
Amid the applause, Radhakrishnan recalled a famous Modi anecdote from his first days in Parliament. When reporters asked which moral code he would follow—the Quran, the Bible, or the Gita—Modi reportedly answered instantly, the morals of the Indian Constitution.
Radhakrishnan, unusually careful throughout his speech, repeatedly reassured the organisers, saying, ”Don’t worry, we will be with you.” The phrase kept echoing throughout the speech, suggesting an awareness that something, indeed, has been worrying the Christians.
Yet, instead of addressing that concern directly, the Vice President chose a different emphasis. He highlighted that Jews have not been attacked in India.
”The Jews in Kochi and Mumbai were never attacked in our country. Mumbai Jews were attacked once, but by foreign terrorists” he said.
Besides the Jews of Kochi and Mumbai, Radhakrishnan referred to the Tamil icon, Veeramamunivar.
Originally named Constantine Joseph Beschi, Veeramamunivar was an Italian Jesuit priest and missionary who emerged as one of the most celebrated scholars in Tamil literature. He embraced the Tamil way of life and made lasting contributions to the language and culture during his years in South India between 1711 and 1747.
Radhakrishnan underlined Veeramamunivar’s commitment to learning the native language and mastering it completely, projecting him as a model of cultural assimilation.
The emphasis was notable, perhaps overlooking the irony of a central government led by the BJP that has consistently pushed Hindi across institutions and welfare schemes, including its recent moves within the rural employment programme.
Before concluding his speech, the Vice President did not forget to extend a Christmas invitation to the CBCI leadership—this time to his official residence.
Assuring the gathering that ”no one will stop you, I will be there” he clarified that the invitation was not limited to the bishops alone but was open to everyone present at the event.
The audience included BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, CPI(M}’s Rajya Sabha member John Brittas, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, who was given a special opportunity to speak along with KCM MP Jose K. Mani, among others.
The programme was led by CBCI president and Thrissur Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, who briefly referred to attacks against Christians, only to immediately underline that Christians are, above all ”a people of hope.”
That hope, however, has more in speeches than on the streets.
Perhaps the event was best summed up by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who reflected that every saint has a past and every sinner a future, and spoke at length about the love of Jesus.
His closing line, however, seemed unintentionally apt for the entire occasion, ”Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
