MUMBAI, India – In India, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay said freedom of religion and the ability for religious conversion is “a human right” ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, which will be held on November 20.
Maharashtra is the former state of Bombay and located in western India.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the release of BJP’s election manifesto in Mumbai, on November 10 announced that an anti-conversion bill will be introduced in the state.
The BJP is a member of the ruling coalition of the state, and is the same Hindu nationalist party that rules the national government. The ruling Mahayuti coalition comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
On Sunday, the party promised to enact an-anti conversion law with stringent provisions against forced and deceitful conversions in Maharashtra.
The ruling Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
Gracias firmly rejected forced conversions and defended the freedom of religion.
“No government can enter my soul and tell my conscience, saying ‘you cannot change religion’,” the cardinal told Crux.
India is a highly religious country, and nearly 80 percent of the population is Hindu. Muslims make up nearly 15 percent, with Christians holding just 2.3 percent of the people.
Since 2014, India has been ruled by the BJP, which has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. Religious minorities have complained of increased harassment since the party took power on a Hindu-first platform.
Incidents of harassment against Christians and other religious minorities have increased across India, with various Christians being detained or arrested for “attempted conversion,” and places of worship being vandalized.
Gracias said for the governments “of those States wishing to introduce anti-conversion laws,” these “forced conversions” are often blamed on Christians but “are meaningless” for the Church.
Not only because “the documents of Vatican Council speak clearly against them,” but mainly because “for Christians, conversion is primarily a transformation of heart,” the cardinal said.
“Not by chance, the church imposes a long period of catechumenate to test the sincerity of those seeking baptism,” he added.
“Freedom of religion and conversion is a human right; a sacred right in our Constitution,” Gracias said.
“No civil authority has the right to enter the shrine which is the conscience of every single person, let alone to decide what a conscience should say. No government can come into my soul and tell my conscience saying ‘you cannot change your religion. You must worship God in this way,” he said.
The results of the upcoming election will be declared on November 23.
