Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Sep 23: Even as the state government is mulling the necessity to enact a law to ban forcible religious conversions, an opinion is emerging against such a move.
A delegation of priests led by Archbishop of Bengaluru, Dr Peter Machado, met chief minister (CM) Basavaraj Bommai at his office on Wednesday September 22 and discussed this issue.
The priests expressed their unhappiness at the allegations made by former minister, Goolihatti Shekhar, about forced religious conversions by Christens. They vehemently denied the allegation and stressed that no forcible conversions are taking place in Christianity and termed the said allegations as being far from true. "Thousands of children study in Christian institutions and none of them have been converted. Therefore, we insist that there is no need for a separate bill to stop conversions," they stated.
Speaking to media persons after meeting the CM, Archbishop Dr Peter Machado dismissed allegations of religious conversions as untrue. He pointed out that hundreds of schools, colleges and hospitals are run under the name of every Bishop. He said that over a lac children study in Christian institutions here and that they had advised none of them to get converted into Christianity. He also felt that if any minor incidents have happened, it is not right to blow them out of proportions.
He said that after listening to them, the CM told them that in his opinion none of them are indulging in forcible conversions. "Someone is trying to malign us. The issue is being debated in the assembly. Let the discussions take place. We have told people not to do such things. It is not right if someone approaches people, hands over book and cross and converts them. We too have conscience and moral responsibility. We are not forcing anyone," he asserted.