Dr Subramanian Swamy has implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to cease all diplomatic relations with the Vatican – Ankit Prasad
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy has taken strong exception to the Delhi Archbishop’s controversial letter that highlights ‘turbulent political times’ and calls for people to pray for the country, as well as his subsequent comments.
Taking to Twitter, Dr Subramanian Swamy has implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to cease all diplomatic relations with the Vatican—the seat of (Catholic) Christianity. Further, Dr Swamy wants the Vatican’s embassy in New Delhi’s Chanakyapuri to be sealed as the Archbishop of Delhi is a formal nominee of the Vatican.
Dr Swamy’s tweet follows a massive controversy being triggered by Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto who on May 8, just days before the Karnataka elections, wrote a letter with political overtones where he said: “We are witnessing a turbulent political atmosphere which poses a threat to the democratic principles enshrined in our Constitution and the secular fabric of our nation.”
His letter (see copy below) went on to mention the 2019 General Elections and he requested that a day of fast be observed each Friday for the spiritual renewal of the nation.
He went on to provide a “Prayer For Our Nation” (see copy below).
Speaking to Republic TV on Tuesday, Anil Couto defended his actions and gave confirmation that they had to do with the “current context”. He listed “pressure on the judiciary and interference in educational institutions” but maintained that he wasn’t targeting the government. He said that the Church wasn’t interfering but it had a role to play.
BJP party president Amit Shah broke his silence on the matter while addressing a news briefing on Tuesday evening when he said that nobody would galvanise support on the basis of religion.
“I personally believe that no one should say things like this. For a religious person to make such comments cannot be accepted and appreciated”, Amit Shah said.
On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has backed the Archbishop and his letter, saying:
“We respect all communities, castes, and Archbishops across the country, including that of Kolkata. I think whatever they said, they correctly said. It’s a fact.”
» Article and images from Republic TV, Mumbai, 23 May 2018. Ankit Prasad writes on politics, economy and business.
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Filed under: india | Tagged: anil couto, catholic church in india, hinduphobia, india, NDA government, roman catholic church |
BHARATA BHARATI 
When any Hindu Math leader (like Shankaracharyas of any Math) makes any statement about politics, the so called bias and hypocrite, foreign funded Newspapers interpret it as ‘non-secular’. Where hell these people have gone now? Why the media is so silent, except a few.
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Dear Dr Hilda Raja,
Your courage and clarity are nonpareil and equal in merit. Only wish more supposed Hindus had an iota of the same qualities.
Best wishes,
Dr. Gautam Sen
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Open Letter to Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and Former President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). He is currently the Secretary General of the CBCI, the top Catholic administrative and policy-making prelates’ association in India. His letter to the Archbishop of Bangalore concerning the evangelization of the Lingyats is HERE.
Dear Cardinal Oswald Gracias
I take this opportunity to inform you Cardinal that I know what the Catholic Church is all about and the CBCI. In fact I was in the 80s nominated by the CBCI to its National Advisory Committee. My husband and I have been teaching in prestigious Catholic institutions-Loyola College and Stella Maris college in Chennai.So it is not that I am a stranger to the politics and the policies of the Church and the church allied institutions. In fact I was on the selection Board of St John’s Medical College,Banglore.
Seeing the happenings-witnessing the large scale misuse of Minority Rights I am forced to write this letter to you. After the controversy regarding the letter by the Archbishop Anil Couto-you Cardinal Oswal Gracias instead of smoothening things have made it more controversial. If the Archbishop Anil Couto mentioned the ‘present turbulent times’ we are going through you have mentioned the growing anxiety among the minorities and even blamed the government for not doing enough. One wonders what the Catholic Church is up to. Instead of playing with words it could right away issue a statement saying that it does not support Modi’s government. One needs courage and guts to openly state that the church supports the Italian Mrs Maino and her son Raul Vinci.The church cannot play hide and seek
Now I wonder what is ‘enough’ when the you cite that the government is not doing enough, Cardinal Oswal you should clarify and quantify what that ‘enough’ means. Look at the treachery in which Christian NGOs are indulging in breaking India.Then dear Cardinal you have nothing to say about it.Will any country across the globe allow this kind of freedom that the minorities enjoy in this Bharat?Let us be honest.Take a look at the neighboring countries-the persecution and the denial of basic rights to the minorities are part of those governments’ functioning. I personally feel that the Catholics and the church have divided loyalites. It is totally oriented to Vatican. China is a good example on how to nurture patriotism and love for one’s own country.
By issuing statements and prayers you are abetting and polarizing the nation on the basis of religion.This is exactly what the Congress under Mrs Miano and Raul Vinci is indulging in.After having got foreign agencies to advise them on how to win power. Power at all cost. Raul Vinci who stated that power is poison today is eager to drink that poison.By the way dear Cardinal how many years did the Congress rule this country?Any idea-then the UPA 1 and UPA2.Had these done ‘enough’ for the poor, the down trodden, women and dalits ?Would we be in this state of affairs? Did you then issue a statement then when you saw scams raining warning that the morality of the government is at question. Did you instruct the ‘flock’ to pray for a government that is scam free? But in four years’ time expectations from Modi is simply presumptuous given the enormity of the tasks unattended to by the previous governments.
It strikes me Cardinal to put the same question to you. Has the Catholic Church done enough for the dalits-minorities and women and the down trodden? You know how under the leadership of the late Rev Jerome D’souze sj pleaded and demanded in the Constituent Assembly for Minority Rights. The Jesuits had vested interest in education.It was granted.The Minority Rights are for the Minority people-not exclusively for the priests and the nuns the rich and their close circles. Look at the number of prestigious institutions you have. The thousands of educational institutions across the country are run on the tax payers’ monies it comes from the government-the grants, the salaries, the pensions et al.Yet did you think it necessary to use it at least for the downtrodden people-the dalits the women and the poor minorities and the poor for whom now your heart bleeds. No, you used these for the rich and made them richer –kept all these segments of whom now you mention and accuse the government of not doing enough for them ,at the bottom of the hierarchical social and economic ladder.Please dear Cardinal remember the Minority Rights flow from the Minority people and are meant first for them. The government is investing heavily on these institutions and yet you say the government is not doing enough. How and why do you transfer these to the rich by giving them the priority in your institutions? In the 80s when I went to Patna to attend the NAC the then bishop of Patna in his homily stated that his ‘flock’ is very poor .In the next sentence he said that the first thing he did was to establish a college. This poor ‘flock’ of his has not even stepped into the portals of a school. Why the hell did he have to start a college I thought? So I met him after Mass and asked him. To this he replied that then ‘we will get all the powerful people with us’. So you see Cardinal you and the Church are no better -seeking always power. A contradiction to that carpenters son who said that His kingdom is not of this world. He did not establish a religion. He stood for values and these the church must uphold. It cannot be a counter witness to Jesus. So when you say that the government is not doing enough I am wondering if you did your mite after taking all that government money in the name of the Minorities.
To come back to the anxieties you mentioned. You will know much better than me that India is the one and only country where the Catholics are living in peace and there is no cause for anxiety. Tell me when we have 1.25 billion is it not in the nature of things that stray incidents happen. The church has abetted violence right from the beginning. Tamilnadu is an example. The Christian NGOs are another headache. One wonders if we have too much of ‘azadi’.The media –especially the western media is anti- Hindu.
A few years ago there was a headline in a leading paper in the front page, ‘Church vandalized. But a few days later in a corner of the same paper in small print it was reported investigation showed that no church was vandalized but a cracker burst and a glass pane in one of the windows cracked.I have been to remote places to evaluate NGOs working and found that most of the Christian NGOs simply fenced large tracts of government land and put up a cross.There was a mobile ambulance kept there-nothing more and nothing less.But the acres of land it occupied under the Cross was shameful-no hamlets for miles across.Land is simply occupied and fenced-put up a Crescent and’/ or Cross and one is safe.This cannot be done by the Hindus. Churches are built just with a few bamboo poles and the roof is of straw or a sheet covering .If this is shaken down then the media will report church building demolished.This is simply atrocious.No country will tolerate this kind of ‘azadi’ where no tax is paid by the church for the land. The neigbourhood poor people get annoyed and agitated when they realize that their land is all taken up and no tax paid-while they have to pay taxes. Where is truth?
This polarization of the nation started by the Congress for power. You must know that Rajiv Gandhi ordered the breaking of locks of the Babri Masjid –and claimed that he will bring in Ram Rajya.That which started as a trickle has swelled into a torrent under his Italian wife. Now his son proclaims that the family is ShivaBakhts and he wears the Janeu Dhari.Have you excommunicated him? You will not because to garner votes you know he is using religion. Is that not cheating the people? Is this the secularism you are expecting from a government? So what religion does he and Mrs Maino belong to? Dividing the people on the basis of caste and then on basis of religion. Please Cardinal Oswal do not become another politician it will hurt that Master whom you solemnly swear that you follow. If you issue statements then the swamis and mutts can also issue statements-they can perform Yagnas for Modi’s government to come back because they want a secular government-not one ruled by Vatican and the Koran.This is a Hindu country. There is no denying it.Baba Sahib Ambedkar had clearly stated that after partition the Muslims must leave the country and go to Pakistan.You cannot eat the cake and have it to. This the dalits and the politicians will not cite.Right from time immemorial the Hindus have been at the receiving end-through persecution, Inquisitions and forced conversions-they have no blood in their hands. They had not persecuted other religious groups.Today a few fringe groups may become violent-that is not the Hindu community. It is not in their religion to persecute and to convert by sword. They have been the victims. One must accept this history. So why raise such an alarm when small incidents happen.-why talk of growing anxiety-of turbulent period etc. Now why do we raise an alarm when they assert? We have the Islamic countries-the Christian countries-nobody raises their eyebrows but when one says this is a Hindu country why all hell breaks loose?
Coming back to the Minority Rights had you used it judiciously and with a purpose-had you targeted the dalits and down trodden and women today we would not have any poor down trodden. I can understand the politicians but why did the church neglect them after taking their Rights and the people’s money. You will be quite aware that the Church in India possesses large assets –estates and properties. What does this all stand for? Why do you want the government to do ‘enough’ why not the church use these assets which belong to the people for their upliftment? Stand for a democracy-that is what our Constitution has given us-not a dynasty.So when you want a government which will be secular and which will uphold the Constitution then surely it cannot be the Congress. Please do not hide under riddles.Be frank and honest that is what we expect of a religious leader. Stand up for the values of Jesus and not for any one religion.
Dr Mrs Hilda Raja
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Whole Christian world will be screaming if we don’t have any connection with Vatican. India is a “secular” country, In India any anti-Hindu activities come under “secularism”.
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The prayer is clearly non secular, it requests their captive god to establish his kingdom in Bharat, it denigrates judiciary, it denigrates our legislators , mocks at directive principles.makes use of some illegal crimes to slander a great way of life The terms love brotherhood are very cleverly indicative of the smooth operating “persuasive ” intent as much as the ” hate ” of these’ lovers “and “brethern” to the way of life of bharateeyas. Their prachara of love and brotherhood and hate and violence has been going on and political leaders have been using the terms along with “anger” etc. It is all well organized onslaught with this new interference iin the politics of the country. While law will look into this invasion, there is need to conduct Geeta gnyaana yagnas in simple language in every temple, irrespective of the deity, after every day evening arati when we are supposed to listen to pravachan as part of pushpanjali and punahpuja The Geeta chapters can be selected to strengthen our way of life which is a once the source of the directive principles every day two shlokas can be recited and meaning and viniyoga explained .There must be such pravachan and dhyan every day to counter the Friday propaganda of the upaadhi grastha religions On Fridays ,which as important to Hindus vrat or upwas should be observed and two verses of Durgasaptashati should be explained one or two verses every Friday. Faith in the truth of our way is the best offensive defence of our way of life.
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Was the Church behind the Tuticorin violence?
https://postcard.news/what-really-happened-during-sterlite-protest-yesterday-who-was-behind-the-tuticorin-violence/
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Why do we have diplomatic relations with the Holy See anyway?
What exactly do we trade in? Is it only unaccounted funds, altar boys, and Kerala nuns for slave labour in the empty convents?
BJP is not going to get the Xian vote whatever they do, so they may as well earn some points with their friends (whom they too often take for granted). Ask the Papal Nuncio to pack up and get going—and make sure he doesn’t smuggle out any little brown boys in the diplomatic bag.
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