B’luru: Anti-Conversion Bill Bound to Affect Religious Harmony, Says Archbishop Peter

Bengaluru: Terming the move to introduce a Bill to ban the purported conversion activities in some parts of Karnataka State as ‘unnecessary, arbitrary’, Most Rev. Dr. Peter Machado, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bangalore said this would only embolden the fringe groups to create more trouble.

“Christians are peace-loving people and the government’s proposal for anti-conversion bill (ACB) is unnecessary as it would affect religious harmony. It is arbitrary as it tends to target only the Christian community,” said Dr Machado while addressing a Press Conference in Bengaluru on Monday, along with the prominent and distinguished leaders of the Christian Community.

Dr Machado is President of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council and President and the President of All Karnataka Christian Forum for Human Rights (AKUCFHR),

The Prelate hoped wise counsel would prevail upon the State’s leaders against the introduction of the ‘Anti-Conversion’ Bill, and thereby preserving and contributing to communal peace, tranquillity and brotherhood, which is the hallmark of any progressive State.

He, however, refused to comment on the government’s move to conduct a survey of both official and non-official Christian Missionaries’ functioning in State citing that the matter was in the court. The Government’s Backward & Minority Welfare Department of Karnataka had apparently directed its Administration and the Police Intelligence to conduct a survey of the religious personnel and places of worship, institutions and establishments only of the Christian Community.

Incidentally, a couple of weeks after a delegation of Catholic bishops from the state met Chief Minister Mr Basavaraj Bommai last month to voice concern over the proposed anti-conversion law, the CM had stated that similar laws that are in force in other states will be studied and “a strong anti-conversion law will be brought into effect soon” in Karnataka.

With regard to the anti-conversion bill, the Archbishop said, “The entire Christian Community in Karnataka opposes the proposal in one voice and questions the need for such an exercise when sufficient laws and court directives are in place to monitor any aberration of the existing laws. The Indian Constitution Article 25 very clearly states: ‘All persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health.’ Further, Article 26 says that all denominations can manage their own affairs in matters of religion.’”

Therefore, to introduce such laws would infringe the rights of the citizens, especially of the minority communities. Moreover, anti-conversion bill would become a tool for the fringe elements to take law into their own hands and vitiate the atmosphere with communal unrest in the otherwise peaceful State. At the same time, random and sporadic incidents should not be construed to portray the entire Christian community in bad light.

Dr Machado questioned the need for introduction of the bill when thousands of schools, colleges and hospitals are run and managed by Christian community across the State. “Lakhs of students are graduating from these institutions year after year. Thousands of patients irrespective of caste, creed and colour receive the best medical attention from our hospitals and care centers, let the Government prove that even one of them has ever been influenced, compelled or coerced to change his or her religion. Notwithstanding this, if the Government is still bent on introducing ‘Anti-Conversion’ Bill, we are afraid it will only fall into the hands of the undesirable elements and the fringe groups who will target the Christian community and attack our churches and institutions. It is sure to vitiate and bring in communal conflagration and disturb the peace in the society,” he rued.

“In view of this and many more factors, we passionately appeal to our Honourable Chief Minister, not to introduce ‘Anti-Conversion’ Bill,” he urged.

“Further, Christians in the state would be urged to observe prayers and fasting on the second Friday of November. Moreover, if the demand to revoke plans to enact the law are not met, a silent morcha or a candlelight procession will be held to indicate the concerns around the proposed ACB”, he added.

Ms. Margaret Alva, secretary-general of Indian National Congress and who is the former governor of Goa, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, said the population of the Christian community has come down and questioned the rationality of the fear of mass conversion. “Can you give us a percentage of such conversions happening in our schools or institutions? She asked. “I still get hundreds of requests from across the country seeking my recommendation for admissions to schools run by Christian managements with none of them forced to convert at any point,” she said.

Former Karnataka Home Minister K J George too said, “It is a needless move. Our party will discuss and decide the course of action.” On the question of the purported survey, he said, “No police personnel can ideally summon and gather information from priests unless an anti-conversion Bill is passed and a set process is in place. It shouldn’t become a tool to target a religion,” he said.

Former Mangalore MLA John Richard Lobo too voiced his concerns. “If all the Christians are engaged in conversion, then all the beneficiaries of Christian missionaries in the field of education, health care and social service sectors should have been converted by now in the country. Christianity is not a new religion in the country. The religion had entered Kerala in the first century and Mangaluru in 1,500 AD. In spite of it, the Christian population in the country is only 3.5 per cent while in Karnataka it is only 2.5 per cent. Moreover, the constitutional provisions do not restrict anyone from professing any religion or opting for the faith of their choice,” he added.

Anglo-Indian MLA Vinisha Nero too expressed her displeasure over the BJP government’s move on the ACB and to survey Christian missionary works. Also present was another Congress Party leader Mr Praveen Peter.

2 comments

  1. i don’t think, any ‘logic or syllogism’ will work out to convince the BJP government and thier right wing organization when their mind is simply corrupted and colored by the agenda of majoritarian religious domination. Otherwise, a man of simple reasong can understand there is no ‘ compulsory Conversion in India’ in our social media era. If anyone is ‘compelled by at the gun point’, surely, they would react badly ;and constitutional remedy already exists in our Constitution in such cases. It is clear as the day , despite the British ruled for 300 years and since Independence has passed another 74 years, the Christian Population still draggs on to 2.3 percent. ‘Fradulent means’ again has no meaning. However, it is pity to note that, unlike in the past where CBCI played a constructive role to express the ‘unity of the Church’ through prayers and public protest Nationally, today it is ” left to the local Churches” to manaage their fate.

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