Archbishops’ letters not directed at any party, says Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India

“They are not directed at voting for a certain party or against a certain party and are just calls for the country and its democratic set-up. While political leaders have contacted me, including those from the ruling party, I have explained to all of them that there is nothing political about these letters and that we do not wish to indulge in politics. We are only thinking and praying for the good of the country,” Father Theodore Mascarenhas, Secretary General of CBCI, said.

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Anil Couto, Archbishop of the Delhi Archdiocese, had in a letter in May called for a prayer campaign for the nation saying that the Constitution is under threat. Weeks later, a communique by the Goa Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao spoke of apprehension among the minority community.

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CBCI authorities said that controversies were being needlessly created. “What concerns the citizens also concerns the Church and especially when it regards the issues of social justice, …,” Mascarenhas said.