ASIA/INDIA – Appeal by lay Catholics: Stop hatred and violence against Christians
ASIA/INDIA – Appeal by lay Catholics: Stop hatred and violence against Christians
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – Act quickly to put an end to hatred and targeted violence against religious minorities, especially Christians and Muslims in India: this is what the All India Catholic Union (AICU) asks the Prime Minister of the Indian Union, saying he was “deeply disturbed by the hatred against religious minorities which has erupted in recent months like so many volcanoes in the sea of religious harmony in India”. AICU has written to the Federal Government and to the governments of the various States of the Federation, asking that urgent measures be taken to put an end to the campaign of hatred and persecution that is raging in the national territory.
In a note sent to Agenzia Fides by the organization of Indian Catholic laity, born more than 100 years ago, Lancy D’Cunha, National President of AICU said: “If it is not controlled now, hatred could cause incalculable damage to national peace”.
“We’ve gone far beyond polarizing through so-called ‘religious freedom laws’ that criminalize interfaith marriages under the guise of curbing conversions through force or deception,” D’Cunha notes.
AICU recalls the most recent and serious episodes of violence in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana, where local thugs, militants and political leaders terrorized religious minority communities (Christian and Muslim), the clergy and institutions.
“Over the centuries, ancient civilizations like India have overcome eras of violence to become leaders of peace and development,” the president observes. “We must learn from the mistakes made by other nations, which have ruined their economies and their social fabric and brought them to the brink,” D’Cunha said.
“Political and religious leaders must act together to strengthen peace and friendship. They cannot avert their eyes from their responsibilities. The Catholic Union is committed to working for peace, harmony between religious groups and social issues and the integrity and progress of our country,” he added. AICU, along with other Christian groups, has already challenged discriminatory laws in the Supreme Court that deny Christian Dalits the protection of constitutional provisions granted to Dalits who profess the Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religion.
AICU, Along With Other Religious Groups And Civil Society Movements, Reports It Will File Legal Challenges Against Anti-Conversion Laws That Contrary To The Letter And Spirit Of The Constitution and trigger targeted violence.
Founded 103 years ago as a Catholic lay body, AICU has seen the nation face such challenges as the partition between Pakistan and India in 1947, violence against Sikhs in 1984, bloodshed and clashes between Hindus and Muslims after the demolition of the Babri Mosque. in 1992. In all these situations, he made his voice heard by proclaiming evangelical values such as dialogue, tolerance, peace, justice, religious social harmony, protection of the common good. (SD/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 05/25/2022)
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