Bengali Christians ( bn, বাঙালি খ্রিস্টান) are adherents of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

among the Bengali people. Christianity took root in Bengal after the arrival of Portuguese voyagers in the 16th century. It witnessed further conversions among the Bengali upper-caste elite during the 19th century Bengali Renaissance. Bengali Christians have made significant contributions to Bengali culture, commerce and society. The region is home to venerable Christian missionary institutions, including the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

founded by

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...

Calcutta, Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary-2

Dhaka, Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

History

Christianity was established in Bengal by the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

missionaries in the 16th century. Basilica of the Holy Rosary, Bandel is the first church known to have been constructed in 1599 at

Hugli-Chuchura Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the district of Hooghly and is hom ...

in the Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. Another is known to have been established from the historical records was in Ishwaripore,

Jessore Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...

(erstwhile Chandecan) in 1600 under patronage of

Pratapaditya Pratapaditya was a Mughal vassal of Jessore and a powerful Zamindar of lower Bengal, before being crushed by the Mughal Empire. He was eulogized, in an ahistorical manner, by 20th century Bengali nationalists as a Hindu liberator from foreign (Is ...

which later was ransacked. Chittagong (erstwhile also referred to as Diang) with significant Portuguese and trading settlements had first hermitage and churches erected around this time. The Portuguese settlement in Chittagong hosted the first

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

in Bengal. The Portuguese from there moved to Arakan, where they would transport Hindu and Muslim slaves, about 42,000 in number from 1621 to 1624, and converted 28,000 of those enslaved peoples to Christianity. Jesuit missionaries also established churches in

Bandel Bandel is a neighbourhood in the Hooghly district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is founded by Portuguese settlers and falls under the jurisdiction of Chandernagore Police Commissionerate. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata M ...

and

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

. In 1682, there were 14,120 Roman Catholics in Bengal. William Carey translated the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

into Bengali in 1809. Many upper-class Bengalis in the

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

n capital

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

converted to Christianity during the

Bengal Renaissance Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. The

was founded by the Mother Teresa in Calcutta in 1950. It played a major role in supporting and sheltering refugees during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

Denominations

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church in Bangladesh is based in the

Archdiocese of Dhaka The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dhaka ( la, Archidioecesis Dhakensis) is the Latin, main Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan Metropolitan diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bangladesh, but no longer the only one. It still depends on the mi ...

, with dioceses in

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( bn, দিনাজপুর ) is a city and the District headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka in Bangladesh. It is bound ...

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north- ...

, Sylhet and

Rajshahi Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous division and district. Located on the north bank of the P ...

and Archdiocese of Chittagong, with dioceses on Barisal and Khulna .World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, p. 368-371 *Province of Dhaka: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka **

Diocese of Dinajpur The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dinajpur ( la, Dioecesis Dinaipurensis) is a diocese located in Dinajpur District, Rajshahi Division, in the Ecclesiastical province of Dhaka in Bangladesh. History * May 25, 1927: Established as Diocese of Dinajpu ...

** Diocese of Mymensingh ** Diocese of Rajshahi ** Diocese of Sylhet *Province of Chittagong: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Chittagong ** Diocese of Barisal ** Diocese of Khulna The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in West Bengal is based in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. *Province of Calcutta: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta ** Diocese of Asansol ** Diocese of Bagdogra ** Diocese of Baruipur **

Diocese of Darjeeling The Diocese of Darjeeling is a Latin Roman Catholic suffragan diocese situated in the north east of India, in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta, yet depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Ev ...

** Diocese of Jalpaiguri ** Diocese of Krishnagar ** Diocese of Raiganj

Anglican Communion

There are three dioceses of the Anglican

Church of Bangladesh The Church of Bangladesh is a united Protestant church formed by the union of various Protestant churches in Bangladesh, principally the Anglican and Presbyterian denominations. The Church of Bangladesh is a member of the Anglican Communion and Wor ...

: *Diocese of Dhaka *Diocese of Kushtia *Diocese of Barisal

St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata St. Paul's Cathedral is a Church of North India (CNI) cathedral of Anglican background in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, noted for its Gothic architecture and dedicated to Paul the Apostle. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. The corne ...

is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta (1813) of the Church of North India (CNI). *Diocese of Barrackpore *Diocese of Durgapur *Diocese of Calcutta

Other denominations

Other denominations include: * Assemblies of God in India(AG) * India Pentecostal Church of God(IPC) * The Pentecostal Mission(TPM) *House church of Bangladesh (HCB) *

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination in India. It operates in Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is si ...

Brethren in Christ Church The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a River Brethren Christian denomination with roots in the Mennonite church, Radical Pietism, and Wesleyan holiness. They have also been known as River Brethren and River Mennonites. The Canadian denominat ...

Church of God (Anderson) Church of God is a name used by numerous denominational bodies. The largest denomination with this name is the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) Adventist Churches of God * Church of God General Conference (Church of God of the Ab ...

* El Shaddai * New Life Fellowship Association *United Missionary Church of India *The Salvation Army *Victory Family Centre (VFC) *Bangladesh Methodist Church(BMC) *Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS) *Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship (BBCF) * Isa-e Church (Bangladesh)

Demographics

Bengali Christians are considered a

model minority A model minority is a minority demographic (whether based on ethnicity, race or religion) whose members are perceived as achieving a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average, thus serving as a reference group to outgro ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

and usually enjoy a high literacy rate, low male-female sex ratio and a better socio-economic status. Christian missionaries operate many schools, hospitals and shelters for the poor. They receive support from the Indian and Bangladeshi governments.

, Chittagong,

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Di ...

, Khulna and Northern District Side have significant Christian populations.

Culture

Lusophone heritage

Most Catholic Bengali Christians have Portuguese surnames. In a tradition similar to

Bengali Muslims Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

(who have Arabic and Persian names), Bengali Christians adopted Portuguese surnames due to the early influence of Portuguese missionaries in spreading Christianity. Common Catholic Bengali Christian surnames include Gomes, Rozario, D'Costa, Gonsalvez, Cruze, Dias, D'Silva and D'Souza among others.

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

is known as "Borodin" (Big Day) and is a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

in both Bangladesh and Indian West Bengal.

Notable Bengali Christians

movement. * Golaknath Chatterjee,the Rev. Bengali Missionary and grandfather of

Amrit Kaur Dame Rajkumari Bibiji Amrit Kaur ('' née'' Ahluwalia) DStJ (2 February 1887 – 6 February 1964) was an Indian activist and politician. Following her long-lasting association with the Indian independence movement, she was appointed the firs ...

Lal Behari Dey Reverend Lal Behari Day (also Dey, 18 December 1824 – 28 October 1892) was an Indian writer and journalist, who converted to Christianity, and became a Christian missionary himself. Biography Lal Behari Dey was born on 18 December 1824 to a ...

, Bengali Christian Missionary, writer and journalist * Kali Charan Banerjee, Lawyer, Indian independence movement activist and founding member of the Indian National Congress. *

Kali Charan Chatterjee Kali Charan Chatterjee Doctor of Divinity, D. D. (1839–1916), also spelt as Kali Charan Chatterji or K.C. Chatterjea, was a Bengali people, Bengali Christian missionary who worked with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, A ...

, Bengali christian Missionary and first moderator of the Presbyterian Church in India. *

Krishna Mohan Banerjee Krishna Mohan Banerjee (24 May 1813 – 11 May 1885) was a 19th-century Indian thinker who attempted to rethink Hindu philosophy, religion and ethics in response to the stimulus of Christian ideas. He himself became a Christian, and was t ...

, Educationist, linguist and Bengali Christian missionary, First President of the Bengal Christian Association. * Gyanendra Mohan Tagore, First Asian Barrister, *

Brahmabandhav Upadhyay Brahmabandhav Upadhyay (born ''Bhavani Charan Bandyopadhyay'') ( bn, ব্রহ্মবান্ধব উপাধ্যায়; 11 February 1861 – 27 October 1907) was an Indian Bengali theologian, journalist and freedom fighter. H ...

, Bengali theologian, journalist and freedom fighter in the Indian independence movement

Religious Leaders

*Rev. Nirod Biswas, first Indian Anglican Bishop of Assam *Cardinal

Patrick D'Rozario Patrick D'Rozario, CSC ( bn, প্যাট্রিক ডি'রোজারিও, translit=Pyaṭrik ḍi'rojario; born 1 October 1943) is a Bangladeshi prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Dhaka from 2011 to 2020. He beca ...

*Poulinous Costa, Archbishop *Michael Rosario, Archbishop *Moses Montu Costa, the late Archbishop of Chittagong *Rt. Rev Samuel S Mankhin, Moderator Bishop, Dhaka Diocese *Rt. Rev Shourabh Pholia, Bishop of Barishal Diocese *

Theotonius Amal Ganguly Theotonious Amal Ganguly, CSC, (18 January 1920, in Hashnabad, Bangladesh – 2 September 1977) was Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dhaka from 1967 until his death on 2 September 1977. Archbishop Ganguly was a religious of the Congregation o ...

, former Bishop of Dacca *Rt. Rev Hemen Halder, Bishop of Kushtia Diocese * Joy Govinda Shome, theologian and founder of Calcutta Christo Samaj *Alvin P Bhakta, Reverend *Nathaniel Shetu Munshi Reverend *Nibaron Das

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Freedom Fighters

* Kali Charan Banerjee

Arts

Michael Madhusudan Dutt Michael Madhusudan Dutt ((Bengali: মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্ত); (25 January 1824 – 29 June 1873) was a Bengali poet and playwright. He is considered one of the pioneers of Bengali literature. Early life Dutt ...

, 19th century poet and playwright *

Toru Dutt Toru Dutt ( bn, তরু দত্ত; 4 March 1856 – 30 August 1877) was an Indian Bengali translator and poet from British India, who wrote in English and French. She is among the founding figures of Indo-Anglian literature, alongside Henr ...

, poet *

Badal Sircar Sudhindra Sircar (Born 15 July 1925), also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out of the pros ...

, noted Bengali playwright and dramatist. * Samar Das, musician * Debabrata Biswas, musician * Andrew Kishore, Bangladeshi playback singer *

Robin Ghosh Robin Ghosh ( bn, রবিন ঘোষ, ur, ; 13 September 1939 – 13 February 2016) was a Pakistani-Bangladeshi playback singer and film music composer, best known for singing and composing music for Lollywood films from 1961 to 1986. Pla ...

, Bangladeshi playback singer and film music composer *

Tony Dias Tony Dias is a Bangladeshi television actor and director. Career In 1989, Dias joined the theatre group "Nagorik Natya Sampradaya". Personal life Dias is married to Dancer, Actress, Model Priya Dias. Together, with their daughter Ahona, they per ...

, Bangladeshi television actor and director * George Lincoln D'Costa, Bangladeshi Metal Singer

Industry

Samson Chowdhury Samson H. Chowdhury ( bn, স্যামসন এইচ চৌধুরী; 25 September 1925 – 5 January 2012) was a Bangladeshi business magnate. He was the chairman of Square Pharmaceuticals. Personal life Samson H. Chowdhury was born o ...

, founder of

Square Pharmaceuticals Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a Bangladeshi multinational pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1958 by Samson H. Chowdhury along with three of his friends PK Saha, Kazi Harunur Roshid and Radhabinod Rai as a private firm. It went public in ...

,Bangladesh * Tapan Chowdhury (businessman), Bangladesh *

Anjan Chowdhury Anjan Chowdhury ( bn, অঞ্জন চৌধুরী ; born 17 July 1954) is a Bangladeshi industrialist. He is one of the main stakeholders of Square Group, a Bangladeshi business conglomerate engaged in pharmaceuticals, textiles, toile ...

, Bangladesh

Scholars

Chandramukhi Basu Chandramukhi Bose ( bn, চন্দ্রমুখী বসু; 1860 – 3 February 1944, a Bengali from Dehradun, which was located in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh) was one of the first two female graduates of the British India. In ...

, first female graduate of

* Radhanath Sikdar, Indian mathematician *

Ashis Nandy Ashis Nandy ( bn, আশিস নন্দী; born 13 May 1937) is an Indian political psychologist, social theorist, and critic. A trained clinical psychologist, Nandy has provided theoretical critiques of European colonialism, developme ...

, Indian sociologist *

Sukumari Bhattacharji Sukumari Bhattacharji (12 July 1921 – 24 May 2014) was a Sanskrit scholar, author (Bengali and English) and indologist. Born in Kolkata, Bhattacharji initially studied English due to scholarship restrictions but later pursued a master's degree ...

, Indologist *

Patrick Das Gupta Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

, physicist and retired Professor, University of Delhi * Antony Gomes, physiologist and retired Professor, University of Calcutta * Aparna Gomes, Biologist and Retired Scientist, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology * James Gomes, Professor of Biology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi * Premen Addy, historian and journalist

Educators

*Reverend Lal Bihari Shah, set up the first school for the Blind in Eastern India at Behala, Kolkata * Mona Hensman, née Mitter, former Principal,

Ethiraj College for Women Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore. History Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous col ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

* Surendra Kumar Datta, former Principal,

Forman Christian College Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by America ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. * S. K. Rudra, first

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Principal of St. Stephen's College,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

Journalists

Prannoy Roy Prannoy Lal Roy (born 15 October 1949) is an Indian economist, chartered accountant, psephologist, journalist and author. He is the former executive co-chairperson of NDTV and is considered to be one of its co-founders, along with his wife R ...

Pritish Nandy Pritish Nandy (born 15 January 1951) is an Indian poet, painter, journalist, parliamentarian, media and television personality, animal activist and maker of films, TV and streaming content. He was a parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha from Mahara ...

Politicians

Harendra Coomar Mookerjee Harendra Coomar Mookherjee (3 October 1887 – 7 August 1956), also spelt as H.C. Mukherjee, was the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly of India for drafting the Constitution of India before Partition of India, and the third Governor o ...

, First Governor of West Bengal * Hubert Costa, Bangladeshi-Polish Member of Parliament *

Promode Mankin Promode Mankin (18 July 1939 – 11 May 2016) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician and State Minister of Social Welfare Affairs. He was the first Catholic and first member of the country's Christian community to become a government ministe ...

, First Catholic and first member of the country's among Christian community to become a government minister in Bangladesh (as a member of the

Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

) and formerly representing

Mymensingh-1 Mymensingh-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2016 by Jewel Areng of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Dhobaura and Haluaghat upazilas. History The const ...

(constituency) (whom his son became his successor). *

Jewel Areng Jewel Nongbak Arengh ( bn, জুয়েল আরেং) is a Bangladeshi Garo Garo may refer to: People and languages * Garo people, a tribal people in India ** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe Places * Kingdom of Gar ...

, son of

. He is the youngest member of parliament (as a member of the

) and the only Catholic, currently representing

(constituency) (whom his father was also his predecessor). * Gloria Jharna Sarker, Bangladesh's first Christian Woman MP (201

Bangladesh Army

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

John Gomes

Indian Defence Services

* Lionel Protip Sen,

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

Sports

* Sudhir Kumar Chatterjee, Indian footballer *

Paresh Lal Roy Paresh Lal Roy () (20 December 1893 – 30 December 1979) was an Indian amateur boxer, credited with popularising the sport among Indians. He is known as the Father of Indian Boxing. His grandson is the Indian journalist and founder of the ND ...

, Indian boxer *

Hemanta Vincent Biswas Hemanta Vincent Biswas ( bn, হেমন্ত ভিনসেন্ট বিশ্বাস; born 13 December 1995) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sheikh Russel KC. He became the first Bangladeshi footba ...

, Bangladeshi national team footballer

References

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Bangladesh’s-first-Catholic-woman-MP-dedicates-her-victory-to-all-Christians-46249.html {{Christianity footer Christian communities of India Christianity in Bangladesh Indian Christians Ethnoreligious groups in India Social groups of West Bengal Social groups of India Social groups of Bangladesh