New Delhi: Freedom, equality, and justice the values enshrined in the Constitution must be safeguarded with greater vigilance in today’s climate of growing challenges, said Mar Andrews Thazhath, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). Issuing a statement on the occasion of India’s 79th Independence Day, he emphasized that in a nation as diverse as India, constitutional unity remains the cornerstone of peace and development.
Mar Thazhath stressed that it is the responsibility of the government and every political party to uphold and protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. “In a land where people of different faiths and traditions live side by side, the security, dignity, and freedom of minorities form an inseparable part of the nation’s integrity,” he noted, warning that recent attacks on minority communities by anti-social elements pose a direct threat to India’s unity. Such threats, he urged, must be addressed without delay.
Reflecting on the historic role of Christians in India’s struggle for freedom, the CBCI President recalled figures such as Akkamma Cherian, Madhusudhanan Das, Joseph Baptista, and Amrit Kaur, who stood courageously for India’s independence. Since then, he said, the Christian community has remained deeply committed to nation-building, contributing tirelessly in fields like education, healthcare, social upliftment, and rural development.
“From the freedom struggle to the present day,” Mar Thazhath affirmed, “Christians have walked alongside the nation, sowing seeds of progress and harmony. The values guaranteed by the Constitution must continue to be our shared foundation.”