Andhra Bishops Meet Chief Minister

(May 31, 2010) The Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches (APFC), an apex body of the major Christian Denominations, held a meeting with K. Rosaiah, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, at Hyderabad on Saturday, May 29. The delegates consisting of 20 Bishops and Church heads discussed the pending issues, such as the subsidies to the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the construction of churches pending in the Supreme Court and High Court respectively, increasing atrocities on the pastors and Christians, the Church efforts to construct over 3000 houses for the victims of the floods of last October and the cyclone of last week. The Executive Secretary of APFC, Bishop P. Anthony of Kurnool read out the memorandum on the SC Status to the Dalit Christians that urged the Chief Minister to send a letters to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi urging them to introduce the bill in the coming session of the Parliament. The Chief Minister briefed them on action taken on various issues and assured financial support to the Christian Schools under the Minority Welfare as the policy to discontinue the grant-in-aid still stands.