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Joseph D’souza Bio

Bishop Joseph D’souza is an internationally renowned civil rights advocate and Christian Bishop whose work in India and around the world has drawn the praise of countless civil and religious leaders.

As Moderator Bishop he serves as the primate of the Good Shepherd Church of India and its associated educational, medical, economic, job development, theological and literature ministries.

Bishop D’souza is also the founder and International President of the Dignity Freedom Network that works on behalf of poor and marginalized groups. The Dignity Freedom Network now has offices in Canada, the UK, Switzerland, Brazil, and Sweden, as well as network partners in over 25 nations. As the word Dalit means “broken” the Dignity Freedom Network espouses the cause of “broken” people everywhere especially broken women.

DFN’s global network includes sister organizations located in:

Finally, he serves as the distinguished, founding president of the ecumenical All India Christian Council, one of the largest interdenominational coalitions of Christians in India. The Council proactively addresses the persecution and oppression of Christians and other minorities in India and is known for strong ties to Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikhs, and other faith community leaders.

Bishop D’Souza is an eloquent spokesperson for the need for Church movements to be transformative within societies, addressing both spiritual and social needs. He has stated “I love India and I love Jesus Christ and there is no contradiction between the two loves.”

He is best known internationally for his constant advocacy on behalf of religious freedom for all, as well as for his respect for co­religionists even as he maintains his own faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ. He is a tireless campaigner for the freedom of conscience in India, and an apologist for India which he believes is worthy of compliment as the world’s largest pluralistic democracy and the extraordinary developments made in the economic development even as religious freedom continues to be under threat by extremist elements. He is an activist for peace and is an enemy of all forms of religious extremism and violence of any kind.

Bishop D’Souza has a particular concern for all the poor and especially for women, tribals, Dalits, and backward castes in India and abroad among all the major Indian faiths including Christians. In the tradition of Mahatma Phule, who fought for the rights of the Sudras (backward castes), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian constitution, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Bishop D’Souza imagines an India, and globe, where racism and caste­ discrimination have been eliminated. He has worked especially on the impact of caste discrimination on the trafficking of women and children, and he has worked with leading outcaste activists and prominent members of multiple faith communities to inaugurate a public debate in India and abroad about the need for eliminating caste within the Church and other main stream religions in India.

Bishop D’Souza played an indispensable role in pacifying unprecedented riots in 2002 in Gujarat and also in the Indian state of Orissa in 2008. He has testified on Dalit rights before European political bodies, including the UK Conservative Party Human Rights Commission. He has also served as an expert witness before a US Congressional Sub­Committee hearing on caste­based discrimination, and has been a witness at various United Nations’ hearings including before the Geneva­based Sub­Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. Bishop D’Souza has keynoted countless events and held just as many meetings with members of Parliament in Canada, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom, and Congressional leaders in the United States. He has also held the Presidency of the Christianity Solidarity Worldwide and serves as a member of the Council on Faith and International Affairs and he is a member of the Global Council of Christian Leaders.

D’Souza is the author of several books and many articles, and has been quoted and interviewed by many notable news outlets such as CNN, BBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Newsmax, Christianity Today, Charisma, Christian Today and the Church of England Newspaper.

Contact Bishop D’Souza

ARTICLES

Washington Examiner | How an extremist ideology destroyed a nation and how it can happen again

Sri Lanka’s recent economic collapse is one more case of extremist ideologies destroying nations and economies. On July 13, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee Sri Lanka. Left in the wake of disastrous economic policies, Sri Lanka’s citizens now scramble to find bare necessities such as fuel, milk, and toilet paper. The Rajapaksan ideology introduced an organic farming policy that dealt a death blow to the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka. This was nothing short of environmental extremism that ignores the needs of the poor and fails to seek a balanced approach in addressing environmental issues. The global [...]

August 18th, 2022|0 Comments

Premier Christianity | Britain’s asylum resettlement plan is more colonial than reformative

Growing up in India, I remember slowly realising that not everyone in my country was treated the same or as equals. Depending on their birth - and sometimes color of skin - some of my friends were not allowed to go into the houses of wealthier people or even into some public places, such as places of worship. On the other hand, friends who belonged to families from higher castes that were often wealthier and had better social standing were treated better. Because the caste system was not abolished by law during India’s independence, many people are still given [...]

July 12th, 2022|0 Comments

Christian Post | The Holy Spirit: Signs, wonders and righteousness

We live in an age of self-obsession. But one of the great characteristics of Christianity is that personal, spiritual renewal is ultimately always about the world we’re living in and not just our own individual lives. This is a lesson of the Charismatic renewal a century ago that we must pass along to a new generation. In the spring of 1906, a series of revivals erupted in a neighborhood of Los Angeles. People spoke in tongues, miracles took place and many reported experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. At the center of it all was the great African-American [...]

March 31st, 2022|0 Comments

These are Dr. D’Souza’s most recent articles. For a complete list, please visit: https://thekcompany.co/dignity-freedom-network/

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