In Mumbai, the Church’s mission at the heart of the megalopolis

Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Victor Fernandes described the Archdiocese of Bombay as a vital hub for the Catholic Church in India due to its geopolitical importance and pastoral impact. The archdiocese serves approximately 500,000 baptized Catholics within a territory of more than 21 million people, covering the Mumbai metropolis, its suburbs, and several districts in Maharashtra.

The Bishop identified social inequality and urban poverty as the greatest challenges facing the Church. He noted that the archdiocese operates amidst extreme wealth in financial and commercial centers alongside areas of extreme poverty, unemployment, and precarious housing. Much of the Church's mission takes place in the outskirts and slums, including the Dharavi slum, which is one of the largest in the world with an estimated population of one million people.