NEW DELHI — India has denied a visa to evangelist Franklin Graham, forcing the cancellation of his scheduled Christmastime visit to Nagaland for a major Christian gathering. Organizers said the trip was called off due to “visa-related circumstances beyond their control.” The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs have not offered a public explanation.
Background on Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, leads both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the relief organization Samaritan’s Purse. He has overseen humanitarian and evangelistic efforts around the world and remains a steadfast ally of President Donald Trump.
Graham had been invited to speak at “Nagaland United: A Gathering of Faith, Hope & Revival,” an event local church groups expected would draw thousands.
Local Pushback Against the Denial
Political figures and religious-freedom advocates in Nagaland quickly criticized the government’s decision. The conservative National People’s Party urged the central government to reconsider, calling the move “disappointing” and harmful to the sentiments of Christian communities in the region.
The Naga Students’ Federation also condemned the refusal, arguing the government had acted unfairly and undermined long-standing norms surrounding religious liberty.
Some critics said the denial may stem from Graham’s history of evangelical work in India through Samaritan’s Purse and from remarks he has made over the years that detractors describe as insensitive toward Hinduism and other faiths.
The Union of Catholic Asian News reports:
Father Jacob Charalel, chancellor of Kohima diocese, said that of late, the federal government has been quite biased towards Christian communities.
“Denying a visa to Graham was unjustified, and we have no information about the reason behind it,” he told UCA News on Nov. 30.
Charalel said if religious conversion was the reason, then it was ill-founded because Nagaland is a Christian-majority state, “where there is no chance of conversion.”
However, so far as Catholics in the state are concerned, they were not involved in the program in any way, a Church leader clarified.
No Clarity on Motive
The central government has offered no explanation for rejecting Graham’s visa, leaving unanswered whether the move was bureaucratic, political, or tied to security issues.
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