• QUESTION:
• There is increased harassment of Nuns in India, especially in the Hindi belt. Can it happen without the knowledge of the government?

ANSWER:

It is a sad development we see happening all over India. Our personnel are being harassed. The majority, who are as a whole peace-loving, is a helpless witness to this terrible thing happening to a small minority. It seems there is a systematic attempt to pressurize the nuns and make them leave the place. However, it is also intended to malign our institutions, for which there is great demand. But it is unacceptable in a democratic India. I think the government should rise to the occasion and the judiciary must play its sacred role of protecting its citizens.
As I see it, as the elections are getting closer, there is an attempt to polarise society. The government is bound to follow the Constitution and respect the constitutional rights and duties of all sections of society. We, as a community, should build bridges between all sections of the people at all levels, starting from our neighbourhood. Our nuns are doing a good job. They are doing so much sacrifice for promoting excellence in education. They should strive to build bridges in the economical and religious spheres and to be always open to all sections of the people. We love all and we respect all religions. Institutional success does not guarantee relational success; we should strive for ecumenical and inter-religious harmony at every level.

Bp Henry D’Souza
Bellary