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Catholics not out to convert Hindus, Cardinal Gracias says

The Indian prelate shot down rumours and accusations at a press conference in Bhopal
Catholics not out to convert Hindus, Cardinal Gracias says

Bishops and priests start the annual Latin rite bishops’ conference in Bhopal, central India. The eight-day meeting started on Jan. 31 and focuses on ways to revitalize Catholic families. (Photo by Saji Thomas)

Published: January 31, 2017 09:58 AM GMT
Updated: January 31, 2017 10:43 AM GMT

The pope's role in appointing Catholic bishops is not an interference by the Vatican in the internal affairs of a country, said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

The cardinal, also head of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, was responding to a question during a press conference in Bhopal on Jan. 30 ahead of the conference's plenary meeting in this central Indian city.

"There is no such thing," he said, reacting to a question asking if the pope appointing bishops in India could be an interference by the Vatican. The Indian cardinal who heads Bombay Archdiocese is among nine cardinals Pope Francis assigned to help reform the Roman Curia and the administration of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Gracias said that the pope only chooses from three candidates sent to him by the local church. The three candidates are selected via a committee of the church leaders after proper deliberation with all stakeholders, he said.

"Most often the pope does not even know the candidates and therefore, there is no question of any kind of interference," he said.

The question and the cardinal's assertion came in the wake of pro-Hindu propaganda in India that the Catholic Church hierarchy and its missionaries are covertly working to implement a papal agenda to convert Hindus and influence Indian politics.

For decades, Hindu groups have been accusing Catholics in India, including Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, of working to implement a Vatican agenda — converting Hindus and poor, low-caste people.

The cardinal's assertion also came at a time when talks on the Vatican's authority to appoint bishops for the Catholic Church in China continue with the Chinese government maintaining that it is an interference.

Cardinal Gracias, who heads the Indian Church territory with the largest number of Catholics, said that the mission of the church has no political agenda.

"We are here to spread the message of love and peace and not for religious conversions. We cannot and never force anyone to convert, we want everyone to follow their religion with full vigor," he said.

The cardinal also dispelled media apprehension that the church runs a parallel legal system, especially on marriage-related issues.

"There is no conflict with church practices and the laws of the country," he said, adding that the church and its laws are concerned only with sacraments and internal discipline.

The press conference took place on the eve of the opening of the bishops' plenary. More than 130 Latin rite bishops in India began an eight-day meeting on Jan. 31 to find ways to improve Catholic life in the country.

The 29th plenary assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India will look for ways to "revitalize the families" because "it is one of the most urgent needs for the church," Cardinal Gracias said.  

The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India is the national body of the country's Latin-rite prelates and is different from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, the national body for prelates of all three rites — Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara and the Latin — in the country. Of the 172 dioceses in India, 132 belong to the Latin rite.

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