Church leaders welcome PM Modi’s ‘powerful’ Easter gesture, hope message not ‘one-time’

Days before Modi’s church visit incidentally, a minister in the Karnataka BJP government was booked for making an alleged hate speech against the community. The community also has concerns about the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, which was passed towards the end of last year and puts stringent curbs on conversion.

Easter celebrations in Delhi! pic.twitter.com/J0gz9RhhLj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 9, 2023

Then there is the distrust towards the BJP over attacks on the community in different parts of the country, with governments run by the party seen as doing little to stop them.

In fact, Archbishop Of Bangalore Diocese Dr Peter Machado was part of a petition filed in the Supreme Court, along with the National Solidarity Forum and Evangelical Fellowship of India, against attacks on churches, institutions linked to them and members of the Christian community in different parts of the country.

The Supreme Court had directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to obtain verification reports from Bihar, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, on steps taken against such attacks, following the plea.

At the same time, church leaders in Karnataka said, the PM’s gesture in visiting the historic Delhi church on Easter day sent a “powerful message”.

“PM Modi’s gesture was wonderful as it came on a day when Christians celebrate Easter, marking triumph over darkness… We only hope it is not a one-time message but is taken forward,” J A Kanthraj, the spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Bangalore, said.

Reverend Dr Dexter S Maben, the vice president of the Church of South India (CSI), Karnataka, and Diocese, Bangalore, said the PM’s visit and concerns of the Christians in the state should not be viewed together. “There are two different contexts. The Prime Minister’s visit on Easter – a day that celebrates life – is very positive. But there have been concerns among the community and we have voiced those concerns to the government,” Maben said.

Kanthraj cited the statement by minister Munirathna – “diametrically opposite” to Modi’s – to say that the PM’s message was yet to travel down to BJP workers in the state. “We have invited the Chief Minister (Basavaraj Bommai) on three occasions recently. There was a flag-hoisting ceremony at St Mary’s Basilica, traditionally done by the CM, but he backed out at the last moment. Former CM B S Yediyurappa would come whenever we invited him. We also invited the CM on Christmas Day and New Year day, but he did not turn up,” Kanthraj said.

Two church officials who spoke to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity said the “hostile”attitude of the state BJP leadership could keep the Christian community away from the BJP.

“We know that many of the statements (some leaders make) may not reflect the thinking of the BJP as a party. Still, these are intimidating and make people cautious about the BJP,” said one of the church officials.

Another added that the PM’s visit to the church might not be enough to settle these fears. “Bangalore is away from Delhi. So the gesture in Delhi may not be foremost in people’s minds when they decide their representative.”

Kanthraj said that, on their part, the church leadership and community have gone out of their way to work with the government despite their concerns regarding the freedom of religion Act. “We can understand the compulsions of the government. But we wanted to move on. Also because we are sure there is no conversion by force happening here,” he said, adding that they now hoped to see the BJP reciprocate, especially after Modi’s church visit.

Maben also raised the “hurt” caused by the Act, adding: “But the community has always shown interest in working with the government. We have always invited ministers and elected representatives to all our programmes. We have been open to cooperation, we want to work together.”

Karnataka is a “progressive” state, Maben added, and they hoped “the symbolism of the PM’s visit is enhanced, can be taken forward, and the community is re-assured”.