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RASHTRIYA
SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH
Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal
Kanyakumari, 5-6 July 2003
Resolution-3
Pope’s Statement is
interference in the internal affairs of Bharat
The Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal of the RSS takes strong exception
to the reported accusation of the Pope John Paul II that “free exercise
of the natural right to religious freedom” is prohibited in Bharat.
Addressing the Bishops of Bharat during their recent visit to the
Vatican, the Pope made an uncalled for interference in the internal
affairs of the country when he commented “Unfortunately, in some regions
the state authorities have yielded to the pressures of these extremists
and have passed unjust conversion laws…” and exhorted the Church in
Bharat to “courageously” continue with evangelisation.
His statement calling the Indian laws banning conversions by force,
fraud or allurement promulgated by certain States as ‘unjust’ is highly
condemnable, as it is a direct challenge to the sovereignty of Bharat.
It is common knowledge that force, fraud or allurement is at the root of
mass conversions so rampant in Bharat. Further the experience of Bharat
is that conversion is not just a change of the form of worship or
prayer, but subversion of national loyalty. Therfore certain States such
as Madhya Pradesh (including Chhatisgarh), Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh
have promulgated laws prohibiting forced conversions long ago, while two
more States i.e. Tamilnadu and Gujarat also have joined the list
recently. They have acted in the best interests of the country and hence
deserve congratulation. It is high time that other States also enacted
similar laws prohibiting conversion.
The ABKM urges the Government of Bharat to lodge a protest with the Pope
for his uncalled for exhortation to the Christian missionaries to carry
on their campaign of conversions defying the law of the land. The ABKM
would like to remind to the right thinking Christians not to submit
themselves to the dictates of an extra-territorial authority and vilify
their own countrymen.
That Bharat is a land of peace and tolerance should not be construed as
a licence to anyone to infringe on our national ethos and disturb peace.
The ABKM also urges the Hindu society to thwart the nefarious designs of
conversion and also be vigilant to ensure that the concerned
Governmental authorities do not remain inactive in the face of such
fraudulent activities and enforce the law in letter and spirit.
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