Orissa bishop slams forced conversion of Catholics to Hinduism
(Sept.15,2010) In India’s eastern Orissa State, Catholics continue to be forced to
convert to Hinduism said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, who held
talks on Tuesday with Naveen Pattnaik, the state’s chief minister. During the meeting,
the prelate told his interlocutor that in more than ten villages, Christians have
been forced to convert in order to keep their homes. In another 27 villages, refugees
are still forced to live in makeshift shelters. These facts violate the law on religious
freedom, which the State of Orissa has pledged to uphold with vigour,” he said. “The
state describes itself as secular, hence, it should not condone such violence,” the
prelate added. Archbishop Cheenath also said that refugees have a right to return
to their native villages, and that local authorities have an obligation to guarantee
them adequate security. During his talks with Orissa’s chief minister, Archbishop
Cheenath also slammed the inadequate compensation victims received, to rebuild their
damaged or destroyed homes. He also lamented that many Christians have been unable
to regain possession of their own land. So far, local authorities have released funds
for 4,000 damaged buildings. According to the Church and a number of NGOs, some 7,000
homes are still waiting to be rebuilt. Chief Minister Pattnaik promised to look into
the archbishop’s allegations, insisting that Christians should not be afraid of threats
or discrimination. He also tried to reassure the Catholic religious leader that the
government has the population’s wellbeing at heart and that both sides can work together
in transparency.