Church bears no ill-will towards BJP, says Bishop

In an interview to this paper here on Tuesday, the Bishop said the Church’s attitude towards the BJP-led Government was the same as it would be to a government headed by another party that comes to power by winning the people’s mandate.

However, one could not simply wish away the recent incidents of atrocities against the minorities and reports of anxiety on the part of minorities.

In fact, the Church had opened a dialogue with the government, he said.

Asked about the controversial Justice Wadhwa Commission report on the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, the Bishop said he had felt relieved at first after reading the report in a newspaper that there was no link between the alleged killer Dara Singh and the so-called hate organisations.

However, he said he would hold back further comments when this reporter pointed out reports that the Government counsel had deposed about the organisational links of Dara Singh, which had not found a mention in Justice Wadhwa’s final report.

The same question was put up for comments to Delhi Archbishop Alan de Lastic, the CBCI president, who was attending the CBCI office-bearers’ meeting. Fr George Pereira, the CBCI deputy secretary-general, said the Archbishop would not comment unless he had gone through the report, filed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.

Asked about the import of the current elections, Bishop Gracias said it was the responsibility of every secular person to vote responsibly’. He did not attach any extraordinary significance to current elections.

Bishop Gracias said the agenda for the biannual CBCI meeting in Chennai in January would be the Church at the service of the nation’.

An assembly of all Christian denominations was being planned in September in Bangalore to discuss the celebration of the 2000-year jubilee of the coming of Christ. Details of the Papal visit were being worked out.

The two-day CBCI office-bearers meeting held at the Archbishop’s House at Pattom, according to Fr George Pereira, was a routine one. Archbishop Cyril Mar Baselios, vice-president of CBCI, hosted the meeting.