About Nepal:
Nepal is a landlocked country in the Himalayas in South Asia, bordered by India to the south, east, and west; and China (Tibet) to the north. Nepal has diverse terrain ranging from the lowland Terai plains to the towering Himalayas, including Mount Everest at 29,000 feet (8,848.86 meters), the world’s highest peak.
Home to 30.9 million people (2024 est.), Nepal has over 120 ethnic groups and languages, predominantly Nepali. Religion is primarily Hinduism (about 80%)and and Buddhism (about 10%) with a very small Catholic Christian population.
A federal democratic republic since 2008, Nepal faces political instability, with frequent government changes (e.g., 2024 saw coalition shifts involving UML and Nepali Congress).
Its economy relies on agriculture, tourism, and remittances, with a GDP per capita of ~$1,400 (2024). Famous for trekking (Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit). It’s rich in biodiversity but faces environmental issues like deforestation and climate-driven disasters. In 2024, Nepal faced devastating floods and landslides, killing over 240 people.
History of the Catholic Church in Nepal:
Capuchin friars from northern Italy were assigned by the Vatican’s Propaganda Fide in 1703 to plant the faith in Tibet. Six set out; two made it. Confronted by devout Buddhist monks, the missionaries focused on merchants in Kathmandu, a nearby trading center. The Capuchins were evicted about 66 years later, when a unified Kingdom of Nepal emerged — and the monarch suspected Catholics of potential links to the British East India Company.
Fast-forward almost 200 years and in 1951 Jesuit missionaries teaching in Patna, India, relocated to Kathmandu on the king’s invitation. King Tribhuvan endorsed U.S. Jesuit Father Marshall Moran’s offer to establish a school for Nepali students in what was, then, the world’s only Hindu nation. Other religions were not tolerated; possessing a Bible was illegal.
The Jesuits agreed to his two rules: not to evangelize in Nepal nor to leave the Kathmandu Valley. The king’s sons, future kings themselves, Birendra and Gyanendra, had studied with the Jesuits at St. Joseph’s School, in Darjeeling, India.
Catholic places of interest in Nepal:
Kathmandu: Nepal’s capital, is set in a valley surrounded by the Himalayan mountains.
The main Catholic place of interest in Kathmandu…and indeed, the entire country of Nepal, is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral. It began as the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption which was dedicated by Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, on August 15, 1995.
It serves as the center for the country’s small Catholic population and hosts English-language masses.
Address: M8F4+2P6, Jhamsikhel Road, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal
Phone: +977 1-5526732
We are not aware of any website for the church itself.
Traveling to Nepal:
People travel to Kathmandu primarily by air, landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), the country’s main international gateway. For those traveling from India, an overland bus journey is an option, crossing the border at points like Sunauli.
In 2025 Nepal’s government placed a ban on about two dozen social media platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube, among others, after they failed to comply with a new government requirement to register and submit to state oversight. Other platforms that were blocked included LinkedIn, WeChat, Viber, and Botim. The curb ignited youth-led demonstrations (no surprise there) across the country on Monday September 8, 2025 that saw more than a dozen protesters killed in the capital Kathmandu. These protests led to a government collapse.
As of September 9, 2025, several countries, including the U.S., Great Britain and India, have issued travel advisories urging citizens to defer travel to Nepal until the political situation stabilizes.
If you do plan to travel to Nepal, you need a passport with at least six months of validity and must secure a visa, which is often available “on-arrival” at the airport in Kathmandu or at land border crossings. Indian citizens have visa-free entry. U.S. citizens should ensure that you have a passport-sized photo and be prepared to pay the visa fee in US. dollars, as cash is required. It is also advisable to consult a doctor about necessary vaccinations and malaria medication and to bring a first-aid kit.
Note: A 2018 law prohibits encouraging or enticing someone to change their faith, which carries penalties including up to five years in jail for Nepali citizens and expulsion for foreigners.
While personal conversion is allowed and the 2015 constitution guarantees religious freedom in the secular state, the law targets proselytizing. So much for “religious freedom”!
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