Kochi: The Major Archbishop of the Syro Malabar Church, Cardinal George Allenchery reprimanded the arrest of Christian missionaries in Bhagalpur and deems it against the ‘law and order’ of the country. In his request he demanded granting bail to the priests and let them free. This comes as a response to the incident that occurred in the Rajdah mission area of Bhagalpur district of Jharkhand. Earlier, Rev. Fr. Binoy John, Rev. Fr. Arun Vincent and Munna Hansda were called to the nearby police station for inquiry regarding a case of forced conversion of locals was filed. Thereafter, on the pretext of inquiry, three of them were detained immediately. However Fr. Vincent was released later.
The case comes as a mere dissension of the law that prevents forced Religious conversion. The Indian government recognises its citizens with the right to follow and practice any religion, according to personal choice. Even after multiple attempts to bail the remaining accused, the police department is delaying citing different reasons.
It is clear that the case is a result of a conspiracy laid by groups that do not support the educational and social reforms brought about by the missionaries. It is widely accepted that the Indian Catholics have always strived to uplift the society as a whole. Following such virtues, the missionary community of the Indian Catholic Church cannot proclaim or practice forced religious conversion tactics. The official press release statement from the Syro Malabar Church Headquarters, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad read, “equitable intervention on the part of the concerned authorities is expected (sic)“. The statement was duly signed by the head of the Church, Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Allenchery. In his letter, he requested the faithful to keep praying for the detained missionaries and for their families. He continued to urge prayers for all missionary activities that is being dedicatedly executed by various priests and religious.
