Thousands of Indian Christians have distanced themselves from their leaders who attended a Christmas lunch hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, criticizing their silence over the ongoing anti-Christian violence in the country.
Over 3,000 Christians signed an online signature campaign, saying the Christian leaders, including Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai and several bishops from various Christian denominations, did not represent them at the gathering at Modi’s official residence
The two-day virtual campaign, “Not in our name,” was started on Jan. 1 by Jesuit priests, Father Cedric Prakash and Father Prakash Louis, and lay Catholic leader John Dayal.
Christian leaders say that in 2023 India recorded some 650 cases of violence against Christians. Since Modi came to power in 2014, violence against Muslims and Christians has increased, they argue.
Sporadic violence continues in the northeastern state of Manipur, where more than 200 tribal Christians died and over 5,000 people were displaced in the sectarian flare-up after it started in May 2023.
Rights groups blame pro-Hindu groups that support Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the violence against Christian and Muslim religious minorities.
Modi, who seeks a third consecutive term in this year’s parliamentary polls, has never condemned the atrocities against minorities nor has he visited strife-torn Manipur, where a Christian woman was gang-raped and paraded naked in July last year.
Eleven Indian states, most of them ruled by BJP have enacted a sweeping anti-conversion law, which is often used by right-wing fringe elements to target Christians.
The anti-conversion law is used as a weapon against the fundamental right to preach, practice and propagate one’s religion, they say.
The prime minister’s lunch invitation was an opportunity for the Christian leaders “to courteously decline the invite in the light of what has been happening to the Christians in Manipur and elsewhere. Hence, their acceptance of this invite was not in our name,” the campaign letter said.
The Christian leaders thanked Modi “profusely for many things.” But “the hard truth” is that Modi and his government have “consistently disregarded their constitutional mandate, be it to the minorities, the Adivasis, the Dalits, the backward castes, the farmers, laborers, migrants, etc. Hence, their gratitude to the Prime Minister was not in our name,” it added.
“When these Christian representatives spoke at the reception, they were giving tacit approval to the omission and commission of this government. Hence, their words were not in our name,” said the letter signed by thousands of Christians.
Prakash said they launched the campaign to “register our protest against our Church leaders on record for their silence on the increasing violence against Christians across the country.”
The campaign is a symbolic protest against the irresponsible behavior of Church leaders, who, according to Pope Francis, need to have the “smell of the sheep,” the priest observed.
The campaign questioned Modi on his silence on anti-Christian violence across the country especially in Manipur where his party is ruling.
The signatories include Christian parliamentarians, legislators, retired bureaucrats and members of the Conference of Religious Indians.
The campaign would have attracted more signatories but for the short deadline, observed Prakash, who is based in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
Catholic Church leaders have not yet officially responded to the campaign.
Modi is wooing Christians ahead of the national polls next year. On April 9, 2023, Modi visited Sacred Heart Cathedral on Easter Sunday in New Delhi.
Christians make up 2. 3 percent of India’s 1.4 billion people, some 80 percent of who are Hindus.