Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end India’s relations with the Vatican and close the apostolic nunciature in New Delhi. Swami, a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house in parliament, on May 23, criticized a letter His Grace Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi wrote to the Catholics of his archdiocese urging them to pray and fast for the nation. Swamy used Twitter to urge Modi to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to cease all diplomatic relations with the Vatican and seal the Vatican embassy in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area as the Delhi archbishop is “a formal nominee of the Vatican.”
As reported by ncronline.org, His Excellency Archbishop’s May 8 letter urged all parishes and religious institutions in his archdiocese to skip a meal and conduct hour-long Eucharistic adoration on Fridays for the spiritual renewal of the nation that is scheduled to elect a new government before May 2019. Several television channels and pro-Hindu leaders lambasted the archbishop for interfering in the country’s politics.
The All India Catholic Union, the largest lay organization in the country, issued a statement May 24 expressing solidarity with Couto and commending his courage, integrity and spiritual strength in calling attention to the rising tide of targeted violence against Dalits and religious minorities.
Source: www.ncronline.org
