Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for an event by the same church on February 17 wherein two members of the church were elevated to sainthood.
The church which had invited PM Narendra Modi to celebrate the elevation to sainthood of two members back in February, has implied that the BJP's defeat in the Bihar elections is a verdict against 'sectarian politics'.
In a pastoral letter, from the bishop to churchgoers - which usually deals with spiritual and administrative matters, Kuriakose Bharanikulangara - the Archbishop of Faridabad-Delhi Syro-Malabar Church, said that the victory of the Grand Alliance in Bihar is a verdict against “sectarian politics” and a “declaration by Indian conscience that it will not support political parties’ attempts to use caste divisions, religious intolerance and sectarian mindset as campaign tools,” says the Indian Express.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for an event by the same church on February 17 wherein two members of the church were elevated to sainthood, which was also attended by Cardinal George Alencherry, the head of the four-million strong Syro-Malabar Church. However, they now have “apprehensions” that some “ultra-religious fundamentalists have started questioning the very fundamentals of the Indian Constitution” and that could “disintegrate” the country and lead to “sectarianism”.
Comparing various incidents in the recent past, termed as “incidents of intolerance”, such as Dadri lynching, the return of awards by creative lot in the country, killing of MM Kalburgi, the murder of two Dalit children in Haryana, the alleged desecration of the Sikh holy book and the " the “restrictions on Greenpeace and (activist) Teesta Setalvad’s organisation" to the state of affair in an Islamic country he visited, the Archbishop expressed his opinion that the state should not interfere in an individual’s choice of religion, food habits and attire, which are “fundamental rights”.
“Religious tolerance is the hallmark of Indian society. India neither has a concept of one state-one religion, nor the ruling party’s religion,” the Archbishop said, also trying to draw community’s attention towards issues of religious conversions and “ghar wapsi”, and expressing concerns the population policy to check Muslim and Christian population.
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