A law restricting religious conversion in the Indian state of Orissa has been strongly condemned by Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack Bhubaneswar. He said the law was a root cause of violence in the state.
“One can choose his university and partner in life. But to choose one’s God, he has to take prior permission from the government, despite India being a ‘democratic secular republic’,” he complained.
Two years ago, organised mobs attacked Christians. More than 90 Christians were killed, over 5,000 Christian houses and 300 churches and Christian institutions were looted, and more than 50,000 Christian families were driven from their homes.
‘We scream for peace and security’
“We desire, we ask, and we scream for peace and security. There are no jobs; there are car bombs, kamikaze attacks and other acts of violence. If foreign troops leave, they have a duty to leave peace and security behind them.” These were the comments of Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad in an interview on Vatican Radio.
Meanwhile, Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad told the Italian Catholic news agency SIR last Monday that promises of peace and democracy “have quickly evaporated. The nation still finds it very hard to have a rule of law, to guarantee security, to rebuild infrastructure, to reduce poverty, to stop emigration and to kick-start the economy. More important than the withdrawal is the reconstruction of Iraq – a project which unfortunately is very far from being carried out.”
President supports Archbishop
Ireland’s President Mary McAleese praised Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, describing him as “a wonderful archbishop who is doing an amazing job”. The President was addressing the annual Rimini meeting organised by the Catholic movement, Communion and Liberation.
The comments of support came at a critical moment for the archbishop, whose standing in Dublin was shaken by the Pope’s decision not to accept the resignations of two auxiliary bishops there. Mgr Martin has taken a very strong stance against child abuse and the culture of omertà that characterised certain sectors of the Irish church.
Islam less popular
According to a survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion, Americans are taking a less favourable view of Islam.
A month after the September 11, 2001, attacks, 47 per cent of Americans had a favourable view of Islam and 39 per cent had an unfavourable view, according to an ABC poll cited in the new survey. Today, 30 per cent hold a favourable view, and 38 per cent hold an unfavourable view.
However, 62 per cent of Americans agree that “Muslims should have same rights as other groups to build houses of worship in local communities”, compared to 25 per cent who disagree.
France reproached
While addressing French pilgrims, Pope Benedict XVI exhorted parents to “educate your children to universal brotherhood”. The Pope’s comments were interpreted as criticism of the French government’s systematic campaign to expel gypsies. The campaign had been criticised by the Vatican earlier in the week.
The Pope said the Sunday Scripture readings were “an invitation to know how to accept legitimate differences among humans, just like Jesus came to pull together men from every nation and speaking every language”.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)