Bishop of Bhopal: Anti-Conversion Laws Push People to Seek Out More About Christianity [India]

AsiaNews ^ | 2/23/21 | Nirmala Carvalho

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Anti-conversion laws are not “deterring people”. Many, “including lay Hindus, ask us why the government is so afraid of Christianity,” said Archbishop Leo Cornelio. These laws “are instruments of persecution targeting Christians,” explained Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians”.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, which regulates interfaith marriages and religious conversions, was published in the Official Gazette on 9 January 2021.

Within a month, 28 people, at least half of them Christians, were charged under the new regulation, this according to police records.

The purpose of the Ordinance is to stop forced religious conversions under the pretext of marriage, the use of force, misrepresentation or other fraudulent means, the government claims.

Under the new regulation, a person who wants to convert of their own free will, and the cleric who carries out the conversion, must notify the district officer at least 60 days before the scheduled conversion date.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal said that “This is not deterring people. The ordinance has positive effects, since many people, including lay Hindus, ask us, why the government is so afraid of Christianity, why the authorities interfere in people's most innermost choice and conscience”.

“It is important to underline that many of our non-religious friends ask us ‘what attracts people to the faith’. More and more people are puzzled by the fear that the authorities have towards the Christian religion. Many of our friends from the majority religion ask us these questions.”

“Christianity attracts people. But many in prominent positions are providing us with census data, which disproves any surge in the number of Christians in the country; yet the existing anti-conversion law of 1968 has been made more stringent.”