Nepal Protestant leader: Churches in Nepal must speak with one voice

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

A prominent Protestant leader says ecumenism must be strengthened and that Christians in the country must be united in dealing with social, political and ethical issues.

In an interview with UCA News, K.B. Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Nepal (NCCN) and vice president of Interreligious Council Nepal, speaks on how Churches can join the political mainstream and help solve problems faced by society.

KATHMANDU (UCAN) — A prominent Protestant leader says ecumenism must be strengthened and that Christians in the country must be united in dealing with social, political and ethical issues.

Rokaya says Churches should speak up on issues that are directly related to the people and not remain isolated as closed communities.

In 2007, he was appointed by the Constitutional Council of Nepal as a member of the National Human Rights Commission in 2007, the highest national office a Christian has held in Hindu-majority Nepal.

When the Nepali government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) were in conflict, Rokaya helped in conflict resolution and peace building. This work led to his nomination as a member of the Government-Maoist Ceasefire Code of Conduct National Monitoring Committee in 2006.

After 10 years of armed insurgency, the Maoists signed an accord with the government in 2006 and joined mainstream politics. That same year the government declared Nepal, until then the world’s only officially Hindu nation, secular.

Rokaya has also played an active role in initiating and promoting interreligious cooperation and in the formation of Interreligious Council Nepal.

To read an interview with K. B. Rokaya, click here: UCAN interview