‘Christians feel intimidated and unsafe in many parts of our country’ In recent months there has been a spurt in attacks – verbal and physical – against the Christian community in the country. The most recent was the rape of a 72-year-old nun in West Bengal. Prior to that there have been attacks on churches and the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ call asking Christians to reconvert. As Christians across the country feel threatened by the sudden spurt in attacks, Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao, in an exclusive interview with Alexandre Moniz Barbosa, spoke of the concern and anguish over the tension in the country.
22 Mar, 2015, 08:43PM IST [image: ‘Christians feel intimidated and unsafe in many parts of our country’] *Herald: How does the Church in Goa react to the current tension in the country over various statements and actions targetting Christians?* Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao: We are certainly concerned and deeply anguished with the various and shocking incidents that have been taking place in the past few months in different parts of our country, targetting churches, church institutions, priests, pastors, nuns and lay faithful. Particularly shocking was the recent incident at Ranaghat, West Bengal, which included dacoity, physical assault on the Sisters and the brutal gang-rape of the elderly Superior of the Convent School. We express our deep solidarity with the victims of such ruthless acts and register our strong protest against all such incidents that puncture the secular fabric of our nation. *Herald: As a Catholic, how should one react to these verbal and physical attacks?* Archbishop Ferrao: As followers of Jesus, all Christians are called to be instruments of peace, promoting harmony in the society in which they live. But when such peace and harmony are threatened by communal discord, which has the capacity of disintegrating a whole nation, all well-meaning citizens, including Christians, need to raise their voice against the various manifestations of this deadly malaise and work unitedly against it, by taking resolute steps to strengthen peace and harmony among all. *Herald: Specific to ‘Ghar Wapsi,’ do you feel that there is any merit to such a call?* Archbishop Ferrao: One’s religion is a matter of one’s free choice and constitutes one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution. Ghar Wapsi, on the other hand, is a political process carried out by a few, but apparently powerful, exponents of religious fundamentalism, much against the principle of secularism enshrined in our Constitution, which guarantees that all citizens of our country can profess, practise and propagate the religion of their choice. Is there any merit in such a process? *Herald: There are allegations of inducements leading to conversions. Can a person who converts because of some monetary gain remain faithful to his new faith?* *Archbishop Ferrao: Any such allegations against church institutions, if they are seen to be founded, should be dealt with according to the provisions of the law of the land. I may incidentally ask: What about the inducements that are allegedly being offered by the promoters of Ghar Wapsi? Shouldn’t they be measured by the same yardstick?* *I am not in a position to comment on the question posed.* Herald: Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said that this is damaging the image of India abroad. Do you feel the same? Archbishop Ferrao: I am in full agreement with Cardinal Baselios Cleemis on this issue. The negative impact of this whole situation on our country has already been felt and even reacted against by world leaders. The strong statements made by the President of the United States during and after his recent visit to our country are quite representative of such a general opinion. If our great nation should occupy a position of respect in the family of nations, it has to be a place where people of all religions can live in freedom, practising their faith without fear or threat. *Herald: There was one particular statement made that cast aspersions on the motives of Mother Teresa’s work in society. Did you ever feel that Mother Teresa did her work hoping to convert the people to Christianity?* Archbishop Ferrao: Mother Teresa always maintained that her main concern was to ease the suffering of the people and to help the poor and the marginalized to lead a life of self-respect. Journalists did ask her a few times whether the real motive for such a self-effacing service to the poor was to convert people to Christianity. To this, her consistent reply was that she tried to help the Hindu be a better Hindu, the Muslim a better Muslim and the Christian a better Christian. *Herald: Coming to Goa, has this tension created any division between the communities in the State?* Archbishop Ferrao: It is true that, in recent times, members of some communal organizations in our country have been visiting our State, trying to sow seeds of communal discord among us. But so far, I am not aware of any explicit local movements meant to disturb the existing traditional communal harmony in our State. The continuation of this harmony is of paramount importance for the continuation of the asmitay (unique identity) of Goa. *Herald: Do you think that Christians in Goa feel unsafe? Has any Christian spoken of feeling unsafe?* Archbishop Ferrao: It is an undeniable fact that Christians feel intimidated and unsafe in many parts of our country, due to the ongoing incidents that pose a big threat to the unity of this secular nation. Regrettably, such incidents are not being tackled with a firm hand by the concerned government authorities. We naturally share in our fellow-Christians’ feeling of insecurity and disillusionment with those in power, for their failure to take prompt action in nabbing the culprits and administering to them due punishment according to the principles of justice. *Herald: How cordial has the relationship between the Church and the government in Goa been?* Archbishop Ferrao: The Church and the Government in Goa have generally maintained a fairly cordial relationship over the years, irrespective of the political ideologies of those in power. In the Christmas receptions held at the Archbishop’s House, I have always spoken about the abiding willingness of the Church to diligently collaborate with the Government in the positive initiatives that promote genuine development in the State. On the other hand, whenever we felt the need, we raised our voice against certain government decisions and policies that did not seem to uphold the genuine interests of the population, irrespective of the religion, political affiliation or social status of the affected people.
