Posted on 07/03/2006 4:49:16 PM PDT by NYer
HYDERABAD, India, JULY 3, 2006 (Zenit.org).- An Indian episcopate official said that allegations against four Missionaries of Charity regarding forced conversions "are utterly baseless and unjust."
On June 25 a crowd of Hindus set upon the four nuns in a hospital and had them arrested on charges of proselytism and conversion of the sick.
The nuns were attacked as they went about their weekly visit in a hospital in the city of Tirupati, a Hindu pilgrimage site in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the AsiaNews agency reported Friday.
The four women religious were in the government hospital of Ruia, where they usually spend time with patients who are terminally ill with AIDS.
A group of around 50 members of the Hindu Dharma Parirakshana Samithi, a self-styled group for the defense of the Hindu religion, broke into the hospital, detained the four sisters and accused them of trying to convert patients.
A crowd swelled rapidly and soon there were around 300 people. They forced the nuns to remain in the hospital until 8:30 p.m. Then the police arrived and took the women into custody, AsiaNews said.
Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Agra, president of the Social Communications Commission of the Indian bishops' conference, said, "This tragic attack … is shocking and has to be condemned in the strongest terms. The allegations of conversions are utterly baseless and unjust.
"I emphatically state that no religious congregation indulges in conversions and Mother Teresa's sisters are known to be doing exclusively social work, hence there is absolutely no room for misunderstanding on this point."
Released
Archbishop Marampudi Joji of Hyderabad told AsiaNews: "The sisters have official government permission to visit the wards, which they have done every Sunday for the past 20 years. The sisters, in agreement with the hospital administration, have welcomed these dying patients into their homes, where they can die surrounded by dignity and love."
As soon as the prelate heard the news he immediately called the chief minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and the director general of police, S. Sen, both of them Christians.
"I rushed to the prison, where I managed to get the sisters released at 10:30 p.m.," the archbishop said. "The nuns were terrified and trembling because of the climate of intimidation all around the police station. The police even defied a Supreme Court directive that women should not be taken into custody between sunset and sunrise."
Archbishop Joji pointed out that "in Andhra Pradesh, there is no anti-conversion law" and that the Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom.
"As Christians we forgive the aggressors, but as metropolitan archbishop, I have the duty to protect the faith and its witnesses," he said. "Hence, I have appealed to our Chief Minister to investigate this atrocity and to arrest the culprits."
Doesn't speak well of the Hindu religion if this report is accurate. I always thought more of them than this suggests, however every group has its extremists. It only takes a few to make the rest look bad.
Those pesky nuns..."leave the heathens alone will yah?"
Hindu's have been attacking Christian Missionaries and converts for years, recently there has been an upsurge on violence against the Church. Missionaries must be having an effect.
I have a co-worker whose church sends evangelists to India every two years. They are under a strict no-proseletyzing rule by law. They still do what they can to help remote villages. Most of these villagers are polytheists and will gladly take on another god to pray to.
I watched a documentary about Mother Theresa soon after her death and was amazed at the level of animosity that many Hindu's held for her. Even though she was helping their most desperate and needy people and asking nothing in return.
I like "Episcopastate." I really like that as a word.
Did AsiaNews.it, or its alias, BosNews.com ever bother publishing incidents like the one below?
I guess not. I wonder why... (/Sarc.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654558/posts
Violence halts The Da Vinci Code Screening in H'bad (India)
HYDERABAD: The screening of controversial Hollywood movie "The Da Vinci Code" was suspended at a theatre here after a group of Christians, protesting against the release of the film, ransacked the theatre.
The movie was to be released at Prasad Imax following a direction by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, quashing the state government's order to ban its screening.
However, dozens of activists under the banner of the Christian United Front raided the theatre and damaged the property extensively forcing the management to suspend the film's screening.
The protesters, who were carrying banners and placards describing the film as "Devil's Code", barged in to the theatre located near the Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city even as hundreds of people eager to watch the movie were standing in queues for the tickets of the first show of the movie.
Police said the mob shattered the glass panes and damaged furniture and ticket counters. The protesters also raised slogans against the court's order lifting the ban imposed by the state government on the film
Prasad Imax was the only theatre in the state, where the film was scheduled to be released on Friday.
The court, on petitions by the film's distributors, Wednesday quashed the June 1 government order banning the screening of the movie in the state. The movie was to be released in the state on June 2.
The government move came following protests by various Christian and Muslim groups that said the movie would hurt religious sentiments. The government, in its order, contended that the film might lead to law and order problems.
Following the court order, the distributors had announced plans to release the English and Hindi versions of the movie next week.
The movie, based on Dan Brown's bestseller with the same title, remains banned in several Indian states.
More:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1654558/posts
Doesn't speak well for Christians - if that's what they claim to be. I'm not seeing TDVC but I'm also not burning down the local theater either. Guess I'm a pacifist.
The people who do this are neither Hindus, nor Christians- they are thugs. And they must be taken down.
Wait, we're reading a one sided news piece from a christian website and we're assuming that no-proselytising happened at all? I wouldn't comment pro-or anti arrest until the facts a re really known. Mother Theresa was a good human being and a good Christian but we're assuming here that nuns who work in her mission are the same as well. It could be otherwise, especially since its been a while since she passed away.
Did you miss this point?
Archbishop Joji pointed out that "in Andhra Pradesh, there is no anti-conversion law" and that the Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom.
Actually I didn't. There is actually a law that forbids it in this particular city. Which is by many considered as the Vatican City of Hinduism. "The Andhra Pradesh Charitable Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act (1987)" has made it clear that all those living in Tirumala/Tirupati should adhere to the norms and follow sentiments of Hindu religion. Propagation of any other religion is prohibited.
But pamphlets are being distributed and conversion/proselytization of Hindus into Christianity is being attempted at Tirumala.
Well if the above is true. And this, the Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom., is true, then I'd say India has a problem.
It's really about time you Hindu Facists find a new board. Why would these women be thugs??? For their speech? FYI - This board is called FREE Republic.
Yeah, I guess you're right. We have the same problem as do the Americans. I recently read that the city council of a city in the US disallowed the construction of a temple in the city/outskirts (I am not sure where exactly), citing reasons that the (lack of) diversity of the population of the area did not mandate another temple.
Have a nice day.
If you take the time to patiently read Carrot's post, you will realise that he's not talking about the nuns but of the vandals who attacked the cinema for screening the Da Vinci Code.
Of course, taking the time would mean you need to read all the posts patiently to get the flow of the discussion. Instead you seem to be blinded by an anti-Hindu rage that is clouding your thinking and burning up your patience. Do you need to find another board to post your Christian-fascist posts? I don't know...
What problem is that? Our Constitution trumps any local law that's contrary to it.
I recently read that the city council of a city in the US disallowed the construction of a temple in the city/outskirts (I am not sure where exactly), citing reasons that the (lack of) diversity of the population of the area did not mandate another temple.
You'd have to give a link for me to believe this as government does not block building religious institutions.
Here's the link.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1658489/posts
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