Ghar Wapsi: Catholic Church asks PM to intervene

Ghar Wapsi: Catholic Church asks PM to intervene

Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Friday, 30 January 2015 AT 10:21 PM IST

    

Ghar Wapsi, reactions, Catholic Church, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, Catholics Bishops Conference of India, CBCI, Narendra Modi, intervention

Pune: The Catholic Church in the country has issued letters to all its dioceses, asking the Christians to be firm in their faith in the wake of ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaign and also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene urgently to prevent incidents threatening unity of the secular nation.

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Catholics Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of the Catholic Church in the country, has issued a pastoral letter, following a CBCI meeting held in New Delhi on January 20 to discuss the reconversion and other issues.

The CBCI chief has said, Christians in the country need an assurance from the government that they are protected, secure and safe in their motherland.

In his letter, Cardinal Cleemis said, “The untoward incidents in the country in past few months have wounded the sentiments of the minority community especially the Christian community and has shaken the faith in the secular fabric of our nation.”

“The Ghar Wapsi programmes, the ‘saffronisation’ of education and culture, and the demands for a Hindu Rashtra are again posing challenges to the secular ethos of our beloved country,” he added.

The pastoral letter has said, “Conversions of a religious nature are an exercise of one’s free will and one’s constitutional/fundamental right and freedom of conscience and of religion. Ghar Wapsi is a political process, carried out by the powerful exponents of religious nationalism - much against the principle of secularism.”

Christianity has roots in India for 2000 years
CBCI chief Cardinal Baselios Cleemis said that Christianity has its roots in Indian soil for almost 2000 years. Christians in the country have been selflessly serving the people in the fields of education and health care without any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion, he said. 

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Comments

Diago Almeida - Sunday, 1 February 2015 AT 07:49 PM IST

At last we are seeing the writing on the wall. Thanks the cbci chief for taking up strongly with the government. President Obama has already worned the country and it's politicians of the draw back.

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Church renews call to elect secular govt

Church renews call to elect secular govt

- CAMIL PARKHE Sunday, 13 April 2014 - 07:08 PM IST

Pune: On Palm Sunday, just three days before the Lok Sabha polls, the Catholic Church in western Maharashtra renewed its call to people to vote for the parties promising a secular, democratic government in the country. 

The appeal to elect secular parties committed to safeguard interests of the minorities was read out in all churches in Pune diocese during the anticipatory masses on Saturday evening and on masses held on Sunday morning and evening. 

Pune bishop Thomas Dabre has issued the appeal in keeping with a recent circular issued by Catholic Bishops Conference of India.

In a pastoral letter issued in February this year, the then CBCI president and Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias that the “Catholic Church does not identify herself with any political party. But we have a responsibility as bishops to urge every eligible citizen to vote and do so prudently, carefully and judiciously. All our parish priests are urged to impress on the people their obligation in this regard.”

The letter added,” The Catholic Church earnestly hopes that the general elections will give us leaders who understand the anxieties of the people. We need leaders who will uphold the secular character of our nation and promote communal harmony and a spirit of inter-religious dialogue.,care for the minorities and weaker sections of society, safeguard the rights of tribals and grant equal rights to dalit Christians, equal to those given to other dalits.” 

Major Archbishop of Trivandrum Cardinal Baselios Cardinal Cleemis who was elected CBCI president 

had endorsed Cardinal Gracias' appeal and also called special prayers on April 6 to enable “citizens of India to elect best persons who will stand for the moral values and principles in public life and uphold the democratic and secular character of our great nation.” 

For clean politics

Catholic Association of Poona president Diago Almeida said that the Church's appeal did not mean canvassing for any party or candidate but seeking election of non-corrupt and secular representatives.