Stung by persistent criticism of Hindu activists that Christian missionaries in India are pressuring and inducing poor Hindus to convert to Christianity, the Vatican threw the gauntlet at Hindus on the eve of the Diwali festival.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue said on Monday:
Belief and freedom always go together. There can be no coercion in religion: no one can be forced to believe, neither can anyone who wishes to believe be prevented from doing so.
Although Christians account for just 2.3% of India’s population of 1.1 billion people, they’ve faced criticism for several decades from Hindus (80.5% of the population) that missionaries have engaged in converting the poor Hindus through pressure and various inducements.
Some Hindus derogatarily refer to new Christians as “rice converts” suggesting that the poor have been bribed with some rice to renounce their faith and embrace Christianity.
If Hindus can be swayed to desert their faith with a few morsels of rice, it’s a sad reflection on the failure of the Indian state to provide the most basic needs of its citizens.
Cardinal Tauran went on to add in his note to Hindus:
Allow me to reiterate the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which is quite clear on this point: “It is one of the major tenets of Catholic doctrine that man’s response to God in faith must be free. Therefore no one is to be forced to embrace the faith against his own will†(Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, 10).Â
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran asked both Hindus and Christians not to be misled:
Our respective communities must pay urgent attention to the education of believers, who can so easily be misled by deceitful and false propaganda.
Cardinal Tauran ended his first message to Hindus since he took over as president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue with Diwali greetings to Hindus.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the biggest festivals for Hindus across India as well as for the Great Indian Diaspora.
Vatican Hits Back at Hindu Activists on Diwali Eve added by SearchIndia.com on
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Sir, this high-ground talking is allright.
Then, ask them to answer a simple question.
When pope John Paul visited India, he asked his people (read jesuit missionaries) to tell him why the christian harvest is very less in India ( meaning why there is less converts after having invested so much of money into it).
So, it is clear that they just see Indian gullible poor as numbers. They are not interested in their well being.
As for Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran’s comment that India does not provide basic needs, I strongly object to it. We are providing whatever we can, and we will do the best for our people.
Their aggressive missionaries have changed the whole of northeast india into christian land, they are dreaming the same would happen to rest of the country, but they will never succeed in that.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
In case you feel like doing some poojas for the well-being of Indians, here’s an interesting link for you.
http://www.searchindia.com/search/american-hindu-gods/balaji-malibu.html
I did not any valid comment for my comment about jesuit missonaries
SearchIndia.com Responds:
What are you trying to say?
We don’t understand Tam-lish here.
I did not get any valid comment for my comment about jesuit missonaries
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Now we get the point.
And answer?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We believe inducing religious conversions cause friction in society. At the same time, as we’ve said in our above post: If Hindus can be swayed to desert their faith with a few morsels of rice, it’s a sad reflection on the failure of the Indian state to provide the most basic needs of its citizens.