HINDU fundamentalists have launched an attack against the Catholic Church in India in the rural Catholic stronghold of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, and the more sophisticated region of Goa. The attacks are directly linked to conversion issues in both states.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of India spoke out against the potential misuse of anti-conversion laws in its 26th biennial general meeting on Jan 7. In response, Hindu activists demanded an inquiry into the assets and activities of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.
Meanwhile in Jhabua, government officials claimed the Jan 13 murder of a nine-year-old girl, whose body was found in the grounds of a Catholic school, was a “well-planned conspiracy” against the Catholic community. Finally, Hindus claim a stone found recently in the Bishop’s Palace in Panaji, Goa, is an ancient Hindu relic. Catholic officials fear the stone may give grounds for “re-possession” of the Palace, which some Hindus claim was built on the ruins of an old Hindu temple.
In Mumbai, brothel owners have accused Christian activist Anson Thomas – who has rescued scores of girls 18 years and younger from prostitution – of “unlawfully converting” Hindu sex workers to Christianity. When a report of the allegations appeared in the Times of India, activists from the Hindu political party Shiv Sena protested Thomas’ activities by gathering outside a local police station. Law enforcement authorities warned Thomas to refrain from giving Hindu child prostitutes Bibles. Thomas denied that he forced anyone to convert to Christianity. “By falsely giving a religious angle to my work, they are trying to stop me from organizing raids to rescue minor girls and those who are forced into the trade,” he said. – Compass |
