Daijiworld Media Network - Thrissur
Thrissur, Nov 6: Christianity is an integral part of India’s heritage and not a foreign faith, declared Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, head of the Thrissur Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, on Thursday. He cautioned that continued marginalisation of Christians could lead to large-scale protests and renewed political mobilisation in Kerala.
“In North India, the Christian Church is being falsely portrayed as foreign. But Christianity has existed in India for over 2,000 years. It is inherently Indian, not alien,” the Archbishop said.
Tracing the faith’s origins, he recalled that St. Thomas, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve apostles, arrived in Kerala around 52 CE, establishing some of the world’s earliest Christian communities. The apostle later travelled across India and was martyred in 72 AD at St. Thomas Mount in Chennai.
Archbishop Thazhath accused the Kerala government of systematically sidelining Christians in education, public service, and minority representation. “Christians should not be denied the rights guaranteed to minorities. If this continues, we will be forced to take a stronger political stance in the coming elections,” he warned.
Referring to Kerala’s history of social movements, he said the Church might be compelled to launch a “second liberation struggle” if injustices persist. “The Church has always risen against discrimination. We are asking the government not to push us into another such fight,” he cautioned.
The Archbishop announced that these issues would be debated in detail during the upcoming Community Awareness Conference organized by the Church. He also hinted that the Church’s future political decisions could be shaped by the government’s response, saying, “If we are ignored, our reaction will be reflected in the local body and Assembly polls.”
Expressing concern over growing hostility towards Christians across India, he criticised the misuse of anti-conversion laws and said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise these concerns. “The Christian community is under threat, and the Constitution must be upheld,” he said.
Archbishop Thazhath also flagged challenges faced by Christian-run educational institutions, including delays in teacher appointments and alleged bias by the Education Department. He demanded that a Christian be appointed as chairperson of the Kerala State Minority Commission and called for the immediate implementation of the Justice J.B. Koshy Commission Report.
“Favouring some religions while discriminating against others goes against the spirit of the Constitution,” he said, reaffirming that the Church would continue to defend the rights and dignity of minority communities.