Church of England Seeks End of Violence

(November 17, 2008) Archbishop Rowan Williams, the head of the Church of England, has denounced violence against Christians in Orissa, speaking about how Hindus are treated in Britain. A day before visiting Britain’s largest Hindu temple, he wrote a letter to Church leaders in India saying if violence in not contained India may risk losing its place as “an international beacon.” “Inappropriate pressure to reconvert is as unacceptable as inappropriate pressure to convert,” said letter to the Moderators of the Church of North India and the Church of South India. He said the kind of violence in Orissa, with most of the victims among the poorest of society, “is truly shocking”. “Rather than improve the situation in Orissa seems to have deteriorated and, indeed, to have spread to several other states, such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I understand that more than 50 Christians have been killed, and many tens of thousands have become refugees,” he said. The archbishop said in his “country we seek to maintain positive and respectful relationships for the good of society with Hindu communities and organizations who are a minority here.” The archbishop on Saturday visited the Balaji Temple in Birmingham - the largest Hindu place of worship in Europe - as part of his inter-faith interactions in Britain and planted an olive tree on a ‘Christian Hill’ on the temple premises. He lauded India’s the achievements, saying it was not only the world’s largest democracy but also a model for “rich religious diversity, and respect between most of the major faiths of the world”.