India's Catholics undeterred by anti-conversion law, says Cardinal Toppo of Ranchi

(April 12, 2006) : In India, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi, the Chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India has vowed that evangelists will not be deterred by a new law restricting religious conversions in the state of Rajasthan. "This bill will not stop us; our work will continue," said Cardinal Toppo. He noted that comparable laws already in place in five other Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh, have not stopped Catholic activities in those locales. The cardinal reported that "our mission has not stopped and our witness has not been diminished." The new law in Rajasthan calls for immediate arrest of anyone who attempts to bring about a religious conversion through enticements or fraud. Human-rights groups have charged that Hindu activists will exploit the law to deter Christian evangelization and service to the poor. But Cardinal Toppo said the bill does not affect the activities of the Catholic Church. "We do not fall into the category of fraud and forceful conversions. We do not infringe on the rights of any human person,” the prelate said.