The Conference of Catholic Bishops in India (CCBI), during their 27th Plenary session in Bangalore from February 3 - 9, 2015, represented by 140 Bishops from around the country, expressed their anguish and concern over the attacks on Christians, Churches and Christian institutions.
Here is their appeal to uphold the rule of law, peace and harmony.
We, the 140 Bishops
from across the country attending the 27th Plenary Assembly of the Conference
of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) during February 3–9 in Bangalore,
hereby express our deep anguish and concern over increasing threats to peace
and communal harmony in the wake of various untoward incidents affecting the
Christian community in different parts of the country.
Hardly a day has
passed off in recent months without reports of attacks on Christians, Churches
and Christian institutions from across the nation. Churches have been torched
even in the national capital while reports of ‘Ghar Waspsi’ and blatant threats
to hold mass reconversions are causing anxiety to the Christians scattered in
the far corners of the nation.
Amid canards being spread and open threats against religious minorities by belligerent groups and their leaders, even elected representatives of people have made shocking statements brazenly challenging the freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution of India under Article 25. (1) which lays down that: “Subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.”
We are distressed
over divisive steps from passing of resolutions to ban Christian practices at
village level to an aborted national level bid to keep educational institutions
open even on Christmas Day. Such concerted efforts at different levels raise
concerns of a planned program to undermine the Christian community as second
class citizens in our motherland where the community has made immense
contributions in the field of education, healthcare and social service even in
the remote hinterlands.
As citizens of this
country, we have every right for ‘Equality before Law’ guaranteed by Article 14
of the Constitution which mandates that “The State shall not deny to any person
equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the
territory of India Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race,
caste, sex or place of birth.”
The police
manhandling of peaceful gathering of even women, children, nuns and priests at
the gate of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the heart of New Delhi on February 5,
2015 raises questions whether these constitutional guarantees are not
applicable to the Christian community.
The recurring
assaults and vandalism against Christian targets in different parts of country
and failure of the guardians of law to bring the culprits to book have only
worsened the air of impunity.
The silence of those
responsible for upholding our Constitutional Rights and their failure to protect
the community are indeed baffling.
It is high time for
the Government - that has the bounden duty of protecting its citizens and their
rights - to enforce the rule of law and curb the belligerence of the outfits
defiling peace and communal harmony in the nation.
Oswald Cardinal Gracias
President
Abp. Filipe Neri Ferrao
Vice-President
Bp. Varghese Chakkalakal
Secretary General
