Karnataka Governor recognizes Christian contribution in India
(April 27, 2012) The governor of southern India’s Karnataka state has publicly recognized
the great contribution of Christians to nation building in terms of education, health
and other social and people development programmes. At a public reception held on
Thursday in southern India’s Bangalore city during the 27th quadrennial assembly of
the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Karnataka Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj
noted that India, the only country which expresses the fellowship of faiths, is a
secular country in which security and safety of the minority rights is constitutionally
provided. So, he said, harming places of worship is equal to harming the Indian Constitution.
Church is the sign of hope for the poor and needy, Bhardwaj said, adding, Churches
in India give life to the Nation in the same way that Jesus Christ spread the light
of hope to the needy. The Karnataka Governor pledged security to the Christians and
their property in Karnataka. The April 25-28 NCCI assembly in Bangalore is discussing
the theme, “Gospel in a Groaning World”. The NCCI is an inter-confessional autonomous
council of 30 Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India, and accounts for some 13
million Christians. The Catholic Church is not a NCCI member.