Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had been quietly undertaking an outreach programme with Christian institutions and the community after two letters, one by Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto and another by Archbishop of Goa Felipe Ferao, expressed feelings of insecurity in the community.
Much controversy had arisen over whether Church leaders should weigh in on political matters and whether or not this sudden activity on the political front by the Catholic Church arose from a seeming snub delivered by the Modi government to Pope Francis, who had to skip India on his recent tour of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Mr. Naqvi’s intercession was clearly aimed at calming the waters.
Mr. Naqvi met a delegation of the diocese of Delhi (Church of North India), which included Rev. Suresh Kumar, vice-president of the diocese, and principals of two schools run by the Church.
He will meet Rev. Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary-general, Catholic Bishops Conference of India, on Monday to take forward the outreach programme. On Friday, Mr. Naqvi met Reverend Waris K. Masih, the Bishop of Delhi, but the meeting, Mr. Naqvi said, was part of the “Sampark for Samarthan” campaign of meeting influencers being run by the BJP.
“I have been meeting members of the Christian community and reaching out to them conveying the government’s work for all sections of society. The meeting with the Bishop of Delhi was, however, part of the ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ outreach. As for the letters written by the Bishops, all I can say with regard to that is that the only way forward that I see is contact and communication to dispel any such feelings. The Modi government is committed to development and equal treatment to all,” he said. “Apart from the meeting on Monday with the CBCI, I will be meeting other leaders of the community. There are several denominations among the Christian community and I will reach out to all,” he said.
Feeling of insecurity
The outreach was significant against the backdrop of the pastoral letters written by Archbishops Anil Couto and Filepe Neri Ferrao, both indicating that the community felt insecure under the current government. Archbishop Couto’s letter stated that India was “witnessing a turbulent political atmosphere” and that the Catholic community should start a prayer campaign ahead of the 2019 election. Archbishop Ferrao’s letter of June 3 was more explicit, and warned that the “Indian Constitution is in danger.”
“At the time of elections, the candidates confuse the minds of many people by making false promises. And the people, on their part, often sell their precious vote for selfish, petty gain. Today our Constitution is in danger. Having this concern in mind, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India had declared in its plenary assembly that the Church should diligently promote and stand by values like secularism, freedom of speech and freedom to practise one’s religion enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Particularly as the general elections are fast approaching, we must strive and work harder to protect the constitution,” he wrote.