Ahead of about 3,000 Christians endorsing a note, written by Fr Cedric Prakash, Fr Prakash Luis, both Jesuits, and John Dayal, condemning a section of Christian leaders' meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts were made to persuade community representatives not to endorse it.
This was revealed in a letter from Fr Anand IMS, Varanasi, to Fr Roby CMI, who it is claimed was asking priests and nuns not to sign the note, which asked why top Church leaders failed to remind the PM "of the continuing mayhem in Manipur, and the 3 attacks a day against Christians in India in 2023."
Text:
My dear friend Fr Roby,
This letter is in response to your letter addressed to the CRI Delhi, in which you have appealed to the CRI members not to support the signature campaign titled NOT IN MY NAME. The signature campaign is to condemn the participation of the selected Church leaders in the Christmas dinner hosted by the PM and the church leaders' and the PM's silence on Manipur issue and the persecution of Christians in different parts of the country.
I have great appreciation for you and your good attempts for dialogue with people of other religions and cultures. God has blessed you with immense capabilities and skills to organize beautiful cultural programs on the theme of inter faith harmony. I was overjoyed when you shifted from Kochi to Delhi to continue this most relevant ministry in the national capital. You are aware that I too am involved in the similar ministry in a small and humble way. In my dialogue with the rural and urban commoners, I see an India different from what PM speaks of and what media shows.
Do you really think that the Christmas party organized by the PM, was an open dialogue as you mentioned in your letter? We haven't forgotten his visit to the Delhi Cathedral on Easter day where an opportunity for dialogue was denied, perhaps on the pretext of protocol.
You say "we need to guard against those who pretend to be friends.." of CRI. It's not friends of CRI, but we members of CRI who want you to be cautious and be on guard against that man:
#whose hands are stained with the blood of thousands of innocent Muslims killed in Gujarat massacre two recafes ago,
# he who has been befooling this nation for the past ten years, with acche din and other innumerable false promises,
# he who has allowed inflation to reach its zenith and India's rank in the Global Hunger Index to the lowest,
#he who has handed over the nation's natural resources, land, water, air and sea ports, railway stations, sea and sea shores to his crony capitalist friend almost freely,
# he who has deprived the livelihood and future of millions of farmers, fisherfolk and unorganized labourers of India,
# he who has been permanently silent over mob lynching, and so much of violence on the minorities including the Christians of Manipur, Dalits and Tribals,
# he who has destroyed the Indian democracy, replacing it with theocracy and majoritarianism
# he who has destroyed freedom of Press in India... (the list can go on)
Please come to Varanasi, I shall show you his cruel atrocities on Gandhi, Gandhi's followers and also the Gandhian legacy which he wants to erase totally.
He spoke to you about his good relationship with the Christian community, the importance of Christmas etc. Are you aware that even on Christmas day Christians who gathered to pray were attacked and imprisoned in Uttar Pradesh? Today there are 51 innocent Christians languishing in the jails of UP alone (similarly in the jails of Chattisgarh, MP and Haryana) including three Catholics, on false charges of conversion. A priest of the Catholic diocese of Varanasi was in the jail for four and half months, and another priest of Allahabad diocese for 81 days, both on totally false charges.
Are you aware that even on Christmas day Christians who gathered to pray were attacked and imprisoned in Uttar Pradesh?
Jesus too was invited to dine with affluent Pharisees. Responding to the invitation, he went, dined with them, but used the opportunity to announce the Gospel and denounce the evil. You silently listened to the Modi (go)-spel (and perhaps were spell bound). Do you think you will ever be able to denounce the evils I have listed above in front of him?
I think you and the other leaders of the Church were herded into PM's party by Alphonse Kannanthanam, Tom Vadakkan and John Barla who will continue to organise similar parties, but will ensure that none gets a chance to speak on these delicate issues but only listen to the monologue/ soliloquy or MAN KI BAAT of the super performer or the super showman of the political world. The Catholic trio are trying to herd the Christian sheep and shepherds of Kerala and other places into the fold or tent of that wolf in the disguise of a sheep. Alphonse has succeeded in this game of herding in Goa and North East. Jesus calls such false shepherds thieves (John 10).
I am glad that the signature campaign is getting a tremendous support from the religious and laity. It proves that there is an awakening in support of truth, justice, equality, liberty, fraternity, democracy and the rights of the minorities and other marginalized. It's unfortunate that most of the leaders of the Church are blind to the reality due to the clericalism and institutionalism they are trapped in. Prophets like Archbishop Peter Machado are exceptions who have the courage of Christ to denounce evil. As followers of Jesus the liberator, we will continue to raise our voice against this slavery of a narcissist, fascist, supremacist, hypocrite modern Hitler. Are you not seeing his skillful designs to make India a Hindu rashtra? Or are you pretending to be blind?
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