Forwarded From: *Francis Gonsalves* <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Nov 27, 2014 at 5:47 AM Subject: Ominous Signs of the Times? To:
Dear friends, We, in India, and others, worldwide, are looking at MODI-led India with awe and admiration since we feel that "India is Shining" -- as former PM wannabe L. K. Advani and others in the "saffron sangh" wanted us to believe. They could not win earlier elections with a sizable majority. But, now, even as many are happy at the "Developed India" we seem to be living in, the "little ones" are going through untold suffering. The minority Christian community has been at the receiving end for many years now as can be substantiated with hundreds of cases over the years from MP, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Karnataka. However, this same Christian community is often safely nestled in big elite institutions that do not bear the brunt of intimidation, attacks and even death. I've been disturbed for many years now over what has been happening in remote parts of India. The latest news is the series of attacks on Christians in Bastar area of Chhattisgarh where the following has taken place: (a) No Christian pastors or priests are allowed to preach anything about Christianity (b) When anyone desires to be baptized as Christian it is called "conversion" and such acts must be reported to local political powers; but when anyone [especially among the poorer sections of society] desires to embrace Hinduism --- often due to forced so-called "*shuddikaran*" [cleansing] --- it is termed "*ghar-vapasi*" [home-coming]. (c) Christians are being denied ration (d) Christians have been beaten (e) Churches desecrated Please visit and share the link below which is an effort to document the violence against Christians. Please do share incidents you may know of. There are groups networking to recognize the hotspots and take appropriate action. https://speakoutagainsthate.crowdmap.com Besides praying for persecuted people, let us go all out to fight against the virus of hate, communalism, fanaticism and fundamentalism that is tearing India apart silently and steadily. Fraternally, Francis ********* PLEASE READ THIS ..... *Why Santa distributes chocolates? asks VHP* TNN | Nov 25, 2014, 11.57AM IST RAIPUR: After village panchayats passed resolutions and recent incidents of attack on Christians, right wing groups in tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh have put up some demands before missionary schools. VHP activists said they are against Santa Claus distributing chocolates during Christmas, use of school buses for religious functions and pressed for installation of Goddess Saraswati idols in these schools. Incidentally, the trigger for a fresh row in tribal Bastar came from an innocuous speech by Jagdalpur diocese Bishop Mar Joseph Kollamparambil at a school annual function recalling how Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a visionary and social reformer - who was canonized and conferred sainthood by Pope Francis at Vatican on Sunday- contributed in making free education available for everyone, including girls, in Kerala in the 19th century. On November 17, Bishop elaborated that the Kerala reformer had introduced the concept for "school along with church" thus making education available for all. Catholic Church also wants to set up more schools in Bastar. Local VHP lapped it up, alleging "The address is aimed to promote communalism and narrow-mindedness". They also shot a letter to chief minister Raman Singh and senior officials alleging that "Christian missionaries put pressure on Hindu society and administration on the pretext %of education". "The issues were not portrayed in its right perspective. So we decided to have a dialogue with local VHP representatives to clear the air", said Jagdalpur diocese spokesman and vicar-general Abraham Kannampala. "On November 21 and 22, seven representatives of the Church and 12 from VHP had a joint meeting during which various issues were discussed," he said adding "we have accepted some suggestions but did not agree to some others. "We did not have any objection to non-Christian students addressing school principal as "*pracharya"*, or "*up-pracharya*", or "sir", instead of "father", as demanded by VHP representatives. Similarly, we agreed to put up photographs of "Maa Saraswati" and "great personalities" who have worked for national interest" in our educational institutions", Kannampala said. VHP Bastar district president Suresh Yadav and Kannampala later issued a joint statement about the consensus arrived at the meeting. Insiders told TOI that VHP objected to Santa Claus distributing chocolates during Christmas functions. However, Church leaders did not agree to stop this practice. "This is not an isolated case of intimidation of minorities in Bastar. In May, this same VHP group motivated some gram sabha or village councils to adopt resolutions banning non-Hindu religious preachers in the villages in Bastar. Later, when the matter reached the high court, local Christians were invited for a mediation by the district administration but were beaten up by a group of Hindu groups, leaving 12 people injured", Chhattisgarh Christian Association president Arun Pannalal said -------------------------------- Francis Gonsalves, S.J. Vidyajyoti College, 4-A, Raj Niwas Marg, Delhi 110 054, India blogs: fr-gons.blogspot.in (M): 0-98689-64049 (P): 011-23943556
