New Delhi, March 24 -- The passing of Rev Fr Xavier Vadakkekara, a trailblazing Capuchin priest, journalist, and media leader, has left a void in the Catholic media landscape in India. As the former editor of Indian Currents weekly (1997-2006) and Assisi magazine (Malayalam), Fr Xavier was a driving force behind the Catholic Church's efforts to engage with the world through media. His visionary leadership, intellectual curiosity, and passion for social justice inspired a generation of Catholic journalists, writers, and thinkers.

Born on January 25, 1953, at Neeloor near Thodupuzha in Kerala, Fr. Xavier's family migrated to Vadakkancherry in Palakkad. Fr Xavier pursued his capuchin priestly training in various parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu...