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New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Kerala nuns' arrest: Church wary of politics, in talks with PMO
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP's Christian outreach programme appears to be having a positive impact as the Catholic Church has decided to take a cautious and conciliatory path over the arrest of two nuns from Kerala in the saffron party-ruled Chhattisgarh. The Congress and the CPM have already raised the issue as an example of Sangh parivar's true face against the Christian minority. However, on the ground, the intervention of the offices of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister has brought relief for both the Church and the BJP. Though the Church condemns the nuns' arrest, it is conscious of the need to stay away from the trap of political controversies. 'The Church has no politics whatsoever,' Catholic Bishop's Conference of India (CBCI) deputy secretary general Fr Mathew Koyickal told TNIE. 'Church has no affiliation with any political organisation. The nuns were persecuted by alleged Bajrang Dal workers. We have contacted the PMO and the home minister's office, and they have assured us that action will be taken. Dialogues are going on in this regard,' he said. According to Catholic Church authorities, this is the first time they are experiencing the results of the Christian outreach programme started by PM Modi. 'The relation between the Church and the Union government has been good ever since the PM hosted a Christmas programme and his visit to the CBCI centre premises in New Delhi,' Fr Mathew said. It was on December 26, 2023, that Modi hosted a Christmas programme. On December 23, 2024, Modi took part in the Christmas celebration organised by CBCI.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
CBCI's response hides facts: VHP on nuns' arrests
Kochi: State unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alleged that Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) leadership's response is hiding facts of the case in which nuns are accused in Chhattisgarh. Advocate Anil Vilayil, state general secretary, said Chhattisgarh has laws to prevent religious conversions or attempts through enticement and financial promises and to prevent human trafficking. He said the cases were registered under Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act and Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, which were brought by Congress govt in 1968 when Chhattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh. "Such individuals and institutions should be prepared to stop illegal activities carried out only in Hindu areas. There were minors with the nuns. There is clear evidence that one child gave a statement to police that the nuns forcibly took him to Agra. In this situation, locals informed police under the impression that human trafficking was taking place for religious conversion," he said. "Some Kerala Christian movements, which work with the aim of completely evangelising India, are operating in northeastern states. Local believers may be opposed to the systematic conversion efforts by misrepresenting and interpreting Hindu rituals and spending a lot of money. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Argentina: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo "Calling such objections a planned conspiracy and spreading news that such things are being done by Sangh movements, including VHP and Bajrang Dal, is condemnable," said Vilayil. "CBCI should take the lead in studying the matter clearly and responding and also deterring individuals and organisations making systematic conversion efforts. VHP strongly opposes the move to attribute all responsibility to Sangh Parivar movements, no matter what happens," he added.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
CPI(M), Congress attempt to put BJP on the defensive over arrest of Keralite nuns in Chhattisgarh
The ruling front and the Opposition seem to have seized on the arrest of two Keralite nuns on 'questionable charges' of forced conversion and human trafficking in Chhattisgarh last week as part of their larger political gambit to blunt the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts to woo the electorally significant Christian community in the State ahead of the local body polls and the Assembly elections. Seemingly stung by widespread criticism from civil society and Church leaders, and chary of losing the ground the party believed it had gained among Christians, the BJP in Kerala dispatched an express delegation headed by State general secretary, Anoop Antony, to Chhattisgarh to secure the early release of the nuns, Sisters Vandana Francis and Preeta Mary of the order of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), and ensure an 'unbiased investigation' in the case. 'Fear-inducing' It also seemed not to help the BJP that Deepika, the mouthpiece of the Syro-Malabar Church, flagged an alleged dichotomy between the BJP's words and actions, chiefly in BJP-ruled States, wherein Christians allegedly faced severe persecution. Church leaders, including Mar Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), termed the arrest 'unsettling, fear-inducing and unconstitutional'. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State fommittee accused the Chhattisgarh police of siding with Bajrang Dal activists, who falsely accused the nuns of 'smuggling' three women from the Durga railway station in Chhattisgarh to Agra for 'coerced conversion' after an extrajudicial public trial. Of Stan Swamy, Staines The CPI(M) reminded the public about the 'Sangh Parivar-backed custodial murder' of Jesuit priest Stan Swamy and, earlier, the 1989 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and family allegedly at the hands of Bajrang Dal activists in Odisha. The Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said the overzealous arrest of nuns on 'trumped up' charges by the BJP government in Chhattisgarh revealed the actual fascist nature of the party. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who visited the ageing parents of Sister Preeta Mary at Angamaly, portrayed the BJP as a 'wolf in a sheep's clothing'. VHP justifies arrest Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad State general secretary Anil Vilayil justified the arrests. He accused the CBCI of obfuscating the 'facts' of the 'human trafficking' case. He alleged that the women travelling with nuns included an underage tribal community woman.
New Indian Express
20 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Christians living in fear of persecution, says CBCI president over detention and arrest of two Malayali nuns
KOCHI: Calling the detention and arrest of two Malayali nuns — one from Kannur and the other from Angamaly — in Chhattisgarh a "deeply painful incident", Mar Andrews Thazhath, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), said the matter had been taken up with the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and MPs Suresh Gopi and George Kurien. 'But the general atmosphere is one of fear,' he told reporters at Mount St Thomas, the Syro-Malabar Church headquarters in Kakkanad on July 28. "The fact that these nuns were arrested on trumped-up charges of human trafficking is extremely alarming. They have also been accused of religious conversion. These actions by the authorities infringe upon the Right to Religious Freedom and amount to a gross violation of the Constitution," he said. Mar Thazhath added that a section of the population continues to see Christianity as a foreign religion. He said the Chhattisgarh incident is a clear violation of minority rights and religious freedoms guaranteed by the country's secular Constitution. 'The Durg incident is just one among several recent episodes of persecution of Christians. There have been cases where priests were even denied the right to wear cassocks and move freely within the country.'
New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
‘Baseless charges': Church condemns Malayali nuns' arrest in Chhattisgarh
KOCHI: The arrest of two Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh on Friday has triggered outrage, with Christian organisations demanding immediate and decisive action to curb religious fanaticism. Nuns Preetha Mary and Vandana Francis from the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate under the Syro-Malabar Church in Cherthala, who were accompanying three girls, were arrested by the Chhattisgarh police at Durg railway station and charged with forced religious conversion and human trafficking. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) said the nuns were arrested despite possessing written consent letters from the parents of the girls, who are over 18 years of age. The CBCI urged the state governments to ensure the safety and protection of all women, especially those in religious service, and sought the urgent intervention of the Union government to prevent such incidents. The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council's (KCBC) Social Harmony and Vigilance Commission, in an official statement on Sunday, said the police's action was reportedly prompted by false and baseless allegations of religious conversion and human trafficking made by members of the Bajrang Dal. 'This distressing incident is part of a broader and deeply troubling pattern of increasing hostility towards Christians and missionary personnel across various Indian states. The weaponisation of anti-conversion laws by extremist groups is not only unjust but also poses a serious threat to the constitutional rights of religious minorities in the country. We affirm that Catholic missionaries do not engage in forced conversions,' the commission said. The CBCI said the Catholic Church will raise the issue on all appropriate platforms and 'strongly oppose any attempt to malign the dignity of religious nuns and priests or to curtail religious freedom.'
