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.
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.
ARTICLES
Premier Christianity | How many civilians must die before the Russian Orthodox Patriarch intervenes?
I’m perplexed. This week a Russian Orthodox priest said to his congregation, “Hopefully soon, we’ll have Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, and the Baltic states join our great Russia.” I feel like someone put me in a time machine and transported me back to the dark ages. Are the Russians engaging in some kind of crusade? This behaviour by a person of the cloth is, simply put, abominable. How is it possible for any Christian leader who reads the Bible that I read, to do anything but condemn - in the most direct terms - the senseless, brutal invasion of [...]
Premier Christianity | India is cracking down on Christian charities just when they are needed most
Thanks to international pressure, the Indian government has finally renewed the license of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. But there are thousands more Christian organizations still in limbo. In the aftermath of Covid-19, we need them more than ever, says Archbishop Joseph D’Souza. If you could apply for sainthood at the Catholic Church, you would be hard-pressed to find a more impressive resume than Mother Teresa’s. Teresa, who died in 1997, spent decades caring for the poor, sick, and destitute in India’s slums. She founded Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic institution that now cares for the homeless and poor [...]
Washington Examiner | India’s Government Must Protect Its Christians
Western nations have always been interested in leveraging India, but increasingly, it is India that is in the driver’s seat. India is the world’s great hedge against China’s worst vices. So, some of us are asking: Why then is the Indian government risking this golden moment of international power and prestige by neglecting, and sometimes enabling, the harassment of its ancient and cherished Christian community? Violence against Christians in India is rapidly increasing, and authorities are doing too little about it. Unfortunately, their nonchalance, intentional or not, is being taken as an ad hoc endorsement by extremists who now [...]
These are Dr. D’Souza’s most recent articles. For a complete list, please visit: https://thekcompany.co/dignity-freedom-network/