(June 19, 2010) The Church in Madhya Pradesh has initiated a move to foster communal
harmony in the central Indian state by expanding its base and reaching out to people
of all religions. The Harmony Foundation, a church initiative, aims to bring secular
forces under one umbrella and first such step in this direction was taken on June
15 when five secular groups came under one roof. They decided to expand its reach
across the state by forming alliance with groups and associations of like-minded people.
“It is the need of the hour for the Church to change its position for reaching out
to everyone,” spokesperson of the Catholic Church in the state Father Anand Muttungal
said. He added that though the Church has been engaged in building peace and harmony,
its reach is very limited. “Whenever the Church is under attack from Hindu radical
groups, it is often forced to suffer in isolation due to its failure to promote understating
with other people,” Father Muttungal said. The Church in the state has suffered a
series of violent attacks on its people and institutions, mostly on the allegation
that Christians were engaged in conversions. Noted social worker Ram Puniyani, who
participated in the meeting, said this would be a great step forward in bringing secular
forces under one umbrella. Secular groups including Christians’ group, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh Catholic Bishop Conference took part in the meeting.