Bangalore Archbishop writes to CM against anti-conversion law
In the third such memorandum to the CM since September this year, Machado noted that the Christian community in the state opposes the proposed law to ban “forcible religious conversions” in one voice.
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Bangalore Archbishop Rev Peter Machado. (File)Expressing resentment to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s recent statement that the state will soon implement an anti-conversion law, Bangalore Archbishop Reverend Peter Machado wrote to the former appealing the Cabinet not to promote the “undesirable and discriminatory” bill.
In the third such memorandum to the CM since September this year, Machado noted that the Christian community in the state opposes the proposed law to ban “forcible religious conversions” in one voice. “We would also like to question the need for such an exercise when there are sufficient laws and court directives in place to monitor aberration of the existing laws,” Machado, who is also the president of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council, highlighted.
Further, Machado termed the state government’s move to order a survey seeking information about churches in the state “arbitrary, fallacious, and illogical.” He sought to know why the government was planning for a “futile” exercise when all relevant data was available from the census.
“Moreover, an anti-conversion law will become a tool for fringe elements to take law into their own hands and vitiate the atmosphere with communal unrest in the otherwise peaceful state,” he reiterated.
Meanwhile, the Christian community postponed a peace rally that was scheduled to be held at St Joseph’s Indian High School Grounds Friday (November 19) citing “inclement weather” and denial of permission due to Covid-19 restrictions and the model code of conduct due to the Legislative Council polls scheduled to be held on December 10.
“In case of no favourable response from the government, we will carry out peaceful protests during the first week of December, timed ahead of the winter session of the Karnataka legislature planned to be held in Belagavi,” a source from the Archdiocese of Bangalore told The Indian Express.
However, over a hundred Christian leaders met in Bengaluru Friday to review the current situation and prayed for the unity of the state, the government, and its leaders. Later, a delegation of the leaders led by Machado submitted a memorandum to Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner J Manjunath.
During the last week of October, Machado had said that he was ready to meet CM Bommai again to reiterate the community’s concern over the proposed law. Incidentally, the Chief Minister said last Friday (November 12) that the state government was “already studying the laws passed by some states” in this regard and would soon come out with its own version.
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