Foreign funds 8212; VHP too a recipient, say Catholic Union

He was responding to charges by parivar outfits that missionaries were using foreign funds for conversion work.

Catholic Union leader John Dayal charged that VHP was receiving funds not only from organisations such as Friends of BJP8217; but also Christian organisations like Salvation Army.

quot;Where do these fundsgo. Do they go for building temples or holding yatras. Sangh parivar outfits do not even submit their accounts under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act FCRA,quot; Fernanades alleged.

He claimed that Christian NGOs received only four per cent of funding from European community and only 20 per cent of all foreign contributions coming to India.

quot;The government should come out with the whole truth and not half truths that suit their convenience and which are used to malign Christian missionary work in this country. The truth must be out,quot; he demanded.

Meanwhile, at Nagpur, the National Council of Churches in India NCCI has demanded a categorical assurance from Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani on creating a cordial atmosphere for Pope John Paul II8217;s visit to Delhi from November 5.

Even though the External Affairs ministry had come out with an assurance to this effect, the BJP leaders in their individual capacities are continuing to unleash a hate campaign against the pontiff,NCCI president Dr K Rajratnam told a press conference here yesterday.

Accusing the NDA-led ruling combination at the Centre of double-speak, Rajratnam asserted that despite emphatic promises on the floor of the Lok Sabha, the Hindu fundamentalist outfits were bent upon carrying out malicious agitational plans including anti-Pope rallies and proposed demonstrations, he lamented.

Describing as whimsical a demand for papal apology for Goan Inquisition, Rajratnam said since such demands had no credence, the NCCI was not giving any importance to it. He questioned the wisdom of Sangh parivar dictating terms to the Holy Father. quot;It is his Pope8217;s prerogative to speak what, when and wherequot;, he added.

General secretary Rev Ipe Joseph, while expressing concern over the quot;hatred campaignquot; against the Christians, said the frequency of atrocities might have reduced but the attitude of building up hatred continued.

The NCCI, an apex organisation of 29 member churches in the country, has affirmed solidarity with theRoman Catholics in the country and agreed with Archbishop Alan de Lastic, chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India CBCI that demand for an apology was quot;distastefulquot;, Joseph said.

The government8217;s attempt to disassociate itself from the Sangh parivar agenda against the papal visit could prove to be effective only after seeing the results, he added.

quot;We expect good sense will prevail and the government respects the dignity of the head of Roman Catholic church in the worldquot;, he said.

While vehemently denying the forcible conversions in the country, Rajratnam said VHP and RSS had fabricated figures on conversions. Indeed, the Christian population has shown a decline, he claimed.

Talking about RSS allegation about abduction of their volunteers in Tripura by the Baptist church, Rajratnam denied involvement in this of any member-church of NCCI.