Church calls for ban on extremist religious groups
He stated that encroaching on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be allowed. Extremist religious organizations must be banned and the Union govt should ensure that those who take the law into their own hands are held accountable and punished. The action taken against the nuns, he said, is a disgrace to India's secular and democratic values.
The Catholicos was speaking at a solidarity meeting held at the Devalokam Catholicate Palace, the church's headquarters, to express support for the nuns.
He noted the irony that the Chhattisgarh chief minister himself studied in schools established by Christian churches, yet supports such actions. "Appeasement on one side and persecution on the other is a clear double standard," he said.
He questioned whether the central govt is truly capable of controlling extremist organizations or if it fears losing its supporters by doing so. If the govt is sincere in its commitment to justice and secularism, the Malankara Church hopes it will take a fair and firm stance on the issue, he added. All metropolitans of the church joined the solidarity declaration.
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