Catholic bishops have urged the ruling Congress party in southern India’s Karnataka to repeal the state’s anti-conversion law, saying it restricts citizens’ fundamental right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion. Source: UCA News.
The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act was enacted in September 2022 by the previous pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The BJP was ousted in the state election in May 2023, and a secular government of the Congress took its place.
The Congress, during the 2023 election campaign, had promised to undo all “unconstitutional decisions,” including the anti-conversion law, imposed by the BJP.
A delegation led by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore (now Bengaluru) met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on September 14 at his residence in Bengaluru.
“We urged him to press upon his party’s government in Karnataka to repeal the draconian law,” the prelate said yesterday.
Mr Kharge, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, hails from Karnataka. His son, Priyank Kharge, is the state’s home minister.
Archbishop Machado said the delegation, which comprised Mysore Bishop Francis Serrao and Mangalore Bishop Peter Paul, among others, expressed deep concerns over the law’s provisions and their impact on the constitutional rights of citizens.
It was enacted ignoring objections from opposition parties and minority communities, including Christians and Muslims who make up 2 per cent and 13 percent respectively of Karnataka’s 64 million people.
“We were very clear that the state government should take steps to repeal the law now, as the state faces an election in May 2028,” Archbishop Machado said.
Priyank Kharge, who was present, assured the delegation that he would take up the issue in the upcoming winter session of the State Assembly in November-December, the prelates said.
“The Christian community has been supporting the secular Congress for decades, but it can’t take us for granted without considering our legitimate demands and concerns,” Jesuit Fr Arun Lewis, director of Ashirwad-Jesuit Centre for Social Research & Action in Bangalore, said.
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Catholic bishops urge repeal of anti-conversion law in India’s Karnataka (UCA News)
