The Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, expressed deep anguish in his New Year message regarding a growing sense of insecurity among minority communities in India. He cited "unwarranted" attacks on Christians during Christmas celebrations as evidence, stating that some communities face persecution for observing their festivals, sometimes with tacit official approval. Ferrao appealed to authorities to act decisively to bring perpetrators to justice and uphold constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.