Roman Catholicism in Nepal

Catholicism was first propagated in Nepal during the 18th century, though from 1810 to 1950 no missionaries were allowed in Nepal. Since 1951, missionaries have again been allowed, though conversion to Christianity is still illegal. In 1983 a mission sui iuris covering Nepal was created, and in 1996 it was raised to an Apostolic Prefecture. The 1990 Nepali constitution did not guarantee religious freedom for Christians, but as of May 2006 Nepal has been declared a secular state. The interim constitution, finalized in 2007, guarantees some religious freedom but prohibits people from trying to convert others. On February 10, 2007, Benedict XVI elevated the prefecture of Nepal to the rank of a vicariate and appointed Anthony Sharma as the first vicar and first Nepalese bishop of the Catholic Church.

The history of Catholicism in Nepal begins with its inclusion in the diocese of Funchal, Portugal, and in 1533 as part of the diocese of Goa. From then on until 1983, it was a part of many different Indian dioceses. Missionaries entered Nepal proper in 1715, whenCapuchin fathers entered the Kathmandu Valley at the invitation of the Malla Kings. Father Sharma Anthony Francis, who has headed the Catholic mission and then prefecture since 1983, has stated, "The priests were given full authority to preach Christianity and even build a church, called Our Lady's Assumption, somewhere in Lalitpur District". Assumption was built in 1760, and another church called Annunciation of Our Lady was built in Bhaktapur. After the unification of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah into a Hindu kingdom, the priests were asked to leave for fear they were British spies. In 1769 the priests and many Nepalese Christians left for India and settled in Chuhari, Northern Bihar, where they have remained. One Catholic priest did remain until his death in 1810. After that, there was no Christian presence until 1950.[2] On May 19, 1893, the whole of Nepal was added to the Prefecture of Bettiah, India.[3] It was then a part of the Patna, India apostolic vicariate from 1919 until the establishment of the mission covering only Nepal in 1983.

With the introduction of democracy in 1951, Jesuit missionaries started educational institutions but were not allowed to evangelize. Saint Xavier's School was established in 1951. The Catholic Mission was established in 1983 with territory taken from Patna diocese in India and entrusted to the care of the Jesuits. In 1992 the Church of the Assumption, a new church built with its name hearkening back to the original Assumption church, was officially recognized. In 1996 the Mission was elevated to the rank of Apostolic Prefecture.

Father Sharma spent Easter day in 1986 in a police station for preaching to non-Christian relatives of some of the faithful attending church with them. Conversion to Christianity was forbidden by law, and was reiterated by the 1990 constitution that created a multi-party democracy. Since 1990, the law had not been enforced.

Protestant Christians in Nepal

Protestant Christians came to Nepal primarily through the Nepalese who were living outside of Nepal during and prior to the Rana Regime. After the collapse of Ranas rule in Nepal in 1950, Nepali Christians living in India came in, along with some western missionaries. United Mission to Nepal, International Nepal Fellowship and others are a few earliest western mission agencies that came in and brought Christianity. 

Until 1990, most of the church groups in Nepal were united with few exceptions like Assembly of God and Church of Christ. But the democratic changes of 1990 brought relative freedom to practice one's faith. This freedom contributed towards a proliferation of various denominations and groups. Church as a whole in Nepal is an indigenous phenomena with no direct involvement of foreign missionaries. Nepalese themselves took upon the challenge of sharing the gospel and churches came into existence. However, missionaries began to enter the open doors in the decades since 1990.

As a result of missionaries and foreign missions, there are a plethora of foreign funded churches and mission groups in Nepal. Although the church leadership appears to be Nepali in nature, but the Nepali Christian leaders have adopted some of the names and practices as demanded by their donors. The state of the Protestant church in Nepal is a divided house. The single most cause of division has been the leaders' desire to tap in foreign donation. Doctrinally, Nepali church is very much like the New Testament Church and there is hardly any theological debate taking place in Nepal. The denominational division taking place is not for doctrine but for money.

By 2011, Christianity had been growing in Nepal, due to a desire on the part of lower-caste Hindus trying to get opportunities for social advancement.

Although the Maoists are responsible for the deaths of many Nepalese, the secularization of Nepal is largely due to their revolution. Persecution during the Maoists war was not a wholesale rejection of Christianity, it was rather related to individual cases where the Christians refused to co-operate. For that they would persecute anyone, not just Christians. By and large, the church in Nepal continues to enjoy relative freedom and Nepali population is very tolerant of their presence.

Christianity is still considered a foreign religion by the majority of Hindus and Buddhists. If any family member becomes Christian, he or she is sure to face severe opposition from the family and even be completely ostracized by them.