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Evangelisation is not conversion, says de Lastic

A day after Pope John Paul II declared freedom of religion a human right, the Catholic Church in India claimed that evangelisation did not amount to a call for religious conversion.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Archbishop Alan de Lastic, justified 'evangelisation' saying, "We will carry on proclaiming the word of Christ and it is for others to accept. There is no question of using force or allurements."

Dr Dominic Emmanuel of the CBCI sought to clarify that mention of the word 'conversion' in the Asian Synod document did not mean religious conversion, but "a change of heart and for the Christians to become better human beings".

In reply to a question, the Church leaders said "planting the cross" only meant spreading the message of Christ, not converting people.

Complimenting the government for the arrangements made for the papal visit, which he described as "very successful", Archbishop de Lastic said it had shown the secular character of the polity. "We thank the government for making all arrangements for us to express our faith and worship," he added.

The archbishop said the Church fully understood and appreciated the absence of government dignitaries at some of the functions, which were religious in nature.

He said the papal visit had alleviated the concerns of the Christian community in the wake of the recent attacks. "The situation is different. A newly elected government with some new elements has taken over and we should give them a chance. We are always ready to forgive and look forward to participate in the nation-building process together."

The archbishop referred to what he called "religious discrimination against 'Dalit Christians' ". "If Dalits convert to Christianity, they lose all privileges granted by the Constitution like job reservation though their social and economic status do not change. Dalits converting to Buddhism and Sikhism do not face such a situation. This is religious discrimination," he said.

Sister Nirmala, the successor of Mother Teresa in the Calcutta-based Missionaries of Charity, and Bishop Charles Soren from Hazaribagh were also present at the press conference.

UNI

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