GDN

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: Roman Catholic leaders in southern Indian are urging their followers to have more babies because of the dwindling percentage of Catholics in a region long known as a centre of Indian Christianity.

In a letter to Catholics, Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil of the southern state of Kerala wrote that members of the community need to "lead a life rooted in Christian values and beliefs."

Using language that sounded almost Biblical, the letter said, "there has been a growing feeling that children are a nuisance to pleasurable life. Even those who have the resources do not beget for selfish reasons."

In short, have as many children as you can afford.

A church spokesman, the Rev Paul Thelakat, said, "The Cardinal has issued the pastoral letter out of serious concerns the church has on the falling population of Christians in Kerala."

Kerala is home to about 31 million, and the percentage of Christians in the state has declined to 19 per cent from 22pc between 1991 and 2001, when the last census was conducted. Church leaders attribute the decline to a lower birth rate among Christians when compared with Hindus and Muslims.

Nationally, Christians make up 2.34pc of India's more than one billion people, who are overwhelmingly Hindu. Vithayathil's letter is to be read out in Catholic churches across Kerala tomorrow, Thelakat said.