New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is continuing its efforts to have the case registered against a group of nuns in Chhattisgarh quashed. CBCI President, Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, stated at a press conference in New Delhi that the Church fully respects and has complete faith in the country’s legal system. However, he noted that the case has not yet been withdrawn and efforts to dismiss the FIR are ongoing.
At the same time, Archbishop Thazhath expressed concern that the anti-religious conversion bill enacted by various states could be misused to target minorities. He clarified that the Church is not opposed to any legislation in principle, but is deeply worried that these laws may be misinterpreted to falsely accuse minorities, including Christians, of forced conversions.
He highlighted that whenever the Church extends support to the poor, there is often an unfounded tendency to accuse them of attempting religious conversion. Communal organizations, he said, frequently misuse these laws in ways that infringe upon the constitutional right to religious freedom. He pointed out that incidents of harassment against Christian missionaries are, unfortunately, becoming a regular occurrence.
Archbishop Thazhath further noted that false cases have been registered against missionaries in different parts of the country. Despite Christianity having a history in India that spans more than two thousand years, there are still attempts by some to portray it as a foreign religion.
He concluded by stating that the Church has raised its concerns about attacks on Christians with the Prime Minister and other important political leaders to take appropriate and necessary action.