- Bishop Prince Antony Panengaden
Bishop of Shamshabad & Administrator of Adilabad
India is now witnessing an unprecedented increase in violence against Christians, besetting the believers across the country. The recent arrest of two nuns and a young man in Chhattisgarh and the vicious assault on a Catholic priest and his team in Odisha are some examples, not to mention numerous unprovoked attacks on pastors and innocent faithful in different parts of the country. Unfounded allegations are very often levelled against Christians to justify the attacks on them. Christians are wrongfully depicted as foreigners, they are accused of forceful conversions, and they are maliciously presented as destroyers of Indian culture, eliciting growing antipathy towards them from the public. In the light of the current situation, as a proud and responsible citizen of India and a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am prompted to share certain points with the fellow-citizens regarding the allegiance of Christians to the nation and the religion, on the occasion of 78th anniversary of Indian independence.
I would like to ask those who attack Christians: what is the wrong that we have done? If we have done no wrong, why do you strike us?
First of all, being Christian in no way amounts to being against the nation. On the contrary, our Christian faith urges us to love and serve the nation. In fact, the more religious a Christian is, the more patriotic he/she will be. Without any conflict of interest, we can simultaneously remain responsible Indians and faithful Christians – an array of Christian soldiers, civil servants, police officers, politicians and professionals can vouch for that. In sum, we are Indians and we are Christians at the same time. The Holy Bible, the most authentic source of Christian faith, has striking examples of obedience to the rulers and adherence to the nation. The very birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem happened because Joseph and Mary went there to be registered following the order of Emperor Augustus that all the people should be registered (Lk 2:1-7). Their obedience to the emperor even at the time of Mary’s labour cost them endless troubles. However, nothing prevented them from obeying the order of the emperor. In a similar vein, Jesus taught his disciples “to give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt 22:21). Giving to the nation everything that is due to the nation, therefore, is perfectly in line with Christian faith. We give to God what is due to God and we give to the nation what is due to the nation with utmost faithfulness – and without any confusion at that. In addition, St. Paul urges the Christians to be subject to the governing authorities and duly pay taxes and revenue (Rom 13:1-7). Thus, Christians are enjoined by the Holy Bible to be responsible citizens in every sense. Therefore, Christians, who follow the Word of God, can never act against the nation or any legitimate and just ruler.
Christians follow the path of love, peace and forgiveness. Even the deliberately provocative speeches and actions against Christians fail to defeat their tolerance and patience. Bearing in mind the word of Jesus, who said “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44), Christians respond to violence with non-violence. The silence of the two nuns, unjustly arrested at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh, even as the perpetrators were roaring, making a mockery of the law-and-order system while the police remained mute spectator, was the best Christian response to the offenders. Their silence was much more powerful than the outcry of the hostile mob. It was a perfect testimony to Christian way of life in the face of animosity
Secondly, Christians in India do not become foreigners just because of following Christian religion. India, moved by the principle “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, has accepted education, technology, information, job etc. from abroad without losing “Indianness” in any way. Similarly, Christians have accepted their faith from elsewhere by their free choice without ceasing to be Indians. So, we can be Christians even as we continue to be Indians. Following a different religion does not disqualify anybody from being a citizen in the home country, nor does it make anybody foreign national. It goes without saying that an American does not become Indian, even if he/she follows any Indian religion in America. Reliable sources testify that three million foreigners took part in the celebrated Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj in 2025. These people, despite being foreigners and originally coming from a different religion, could freely move in India just because they showed interest in the Maha Kumbh. Number of foreign monks are freely living in Indian ashrams and yoga centres as privileged guests. It should be so, for Indian culture says “atithi devo bhava”! But it is a contradiction that many Christian citizens of India, born in India and deeply rooted in Indian culture, cannot freely move in India owing to their faith! They are often called foreigners and deplorably ill-treated, which is unacceptable and against the spirit of India.
Proclaiming our faith abiding by the rules and without hurting anyone’s religious sentiments is not a crime, rather it is our undeniable right
It is nothing less than absurdity to connect Indian Christians to America or Europe, as the attackers on Christian often do, for Christians lived in India centuries before America was even discovered. Although there is an increasingly widespread perception, resulted by oft-repeated misrepresentation of facts, that Christianity comes from the West and it is a remnant of the British colonization, the reality remains different. Christianity originated not in the West, but in Asia, and it initially came to India not from the West. India had a unique privilege of receiving Christianity from one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, St. Thomas, in AD 52, centuries before the arrival of colonizers. The first Catholic diocese in India, Quilon (Kollam), was established way back in AD 1329, whereas the Portuguese arrived in AD 1498 and the British in AD 1608. Therefore, there is a basic contradiction in presenting Christianity as sheer sequel to colonization. Christians have been living in India for around two millennia with undeniable evidences, making Christianity part of the very fabric of Indian society. Indian Christians are deeply rooted Indians in every sense. “Indianness” arguably does not consist in attires or slogans, rather it consists in the sacred values of India, which are held in high esteem by Christians. Moreover, Christians have enormously contributed to the nation-building, especially in the fields of education, health care and social reformation. Millions of underprivileged and marginalized people in India, regardless of their caste and religion, have come to the mainstream of society thanks to the service of Indian Christians. Far more than government institutions and other private institutions, Christian institutions give shelter to the orphans, mentally challenged, differently abled and abandoned citizens of this country even in the face of overwhelming odds. All this manifests Indian Christians’ commitment to the nation, proving it untenable to call them foreigners. Christian faith does not make any one “foreigner” rather it makes one more patriotic. Indian Christians are Indians in every sense like any other citizens.
Christian faith does not make any one “foreigner” rather it makes one more patriotic. Indian Christians are Indians in every sense like any other citizens.
Thirdly, Christians do not believe in forceful conversions of any sort. Although the number of cases filed against Christians, accusing them of forceful conversion, is on the increase, hardly anyone is convicted by the court, a fact that uncovers a fiendish plot behind such cases. All such cases are fabricated and unfounded. Christian faith does not uphold forceful conversion, rather it disapproves of the use of coercion to bring someone to faith. Even before Madhya Pradesh passed the so-called Anti Conversion Law (MP Act) in 1968 for the first time in India, the Church had deplored the use of force in spreading faith. Dignitatis Humanae, an official declaration of the Church on religious freedom, promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965, categorically states that “in spreading religious faith and in introducing religious practices everyone ought at all times to refrain from any manner of action which might seem to carry a hint of coercion or of a kind of persuasion that would be dishonourable or unworthy, especially when dealing with poor or uneducated people. Such a manner of action would have to be considered an abuse of one’s right and a violation of the right of other” (Para 4). Drawing on another Church document, Mystici Corporis Christi, by Pope Pius XII, promulgated in 1943, Pope Paul VI further declares that “it is one of the major tenets of Catholic doctrine that man’s response to God in faith must be free: no one therefore is to be forced to embrace the Christian faith against his own will” (See Mystici Corporis Christi, Para 104 and Dignitatis Humanae, Para 10). Indian Christians, therefore, refrain from forceful conversion not on account of Anti Conversion Law, but in virtue of their very faith and principles. Christians in India are not scared of Anti Conversion Law, for it is their policy too, but rather of the misuse and misinterpretation of the law by the people with malicious intentions.
Christians do not believe in forceful conversions of any sort. Although the number of cases filed against Christians, accusing them of forceful conversion, is on the increase, hardly anyone is convicted by the court, a fact that uncovers a fiendish plot behind such cases. All such cases are fabricated and unfounded. Christian faith does not uphold forceful conversion, rather it disapproves of the use of coercion to bring someone to faith
Nonetheless, we are not prepared to compromise on the right of proclaiming our Christian faith – the basic human right and the fundamental right of every Indian citizen as enshrined in Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. Proclaiming our faith abiding by the rules and without hurting anyone’s religious sentiments is not a crime, rather it is our undeniable right. Though Christian mission is always presented in bad light, as if Christians were the only ones doing missionary activities, it is obvious that other Indians also engage in spreading their faith in India and abroad as well. Many Indian monks and priests do propagate their religion, build temples and erect deities’ statues in the West enjoying all the freedom. It is quite ridiculous that Indian Christians are attacked for proclaiming their faith in their home country, whereas numerous Indian monks and religious leaders are freely introducing their faith abroad, including Christian countries, and that the people making use of the privileges of secularism in the West are speaking against secularism in India. For example, according to Pew Research Centre, Hindu population in the US has almost doubled in the last 15 years, with the number of temples increasing from 435 to 1000. Though the main reason for this significant growth could be immigration from the South Asia, cases of Americans embracing Hinduism are not unheard-of. Thus, on the one hand they are able to freely practise their religion in foreign countries and on the other hand they are allowed to propagate their religion on the basis of the democratic and secular visions of such countries. Strangely enough, the same people take a different stand against Christians in India. In addition, propagation of religion is taking place in India in various ashrams and centres attracting people from other religions and foreign countries. People who are objecting to the adivasis embracing Christianity by their free choice are deliberately and systematically classifying them as part of Hinduism, while their identity is different from that of Hinduism. In this context, presenting Christians in negative light, equating Christianity with forceful conversion and accusing Christians of proselytizing seems to be exaggerated and unwarranted. Like any other religious preachers, Indian Christians are entitled to preach as well. In spite of all the hardships and challenges, as long as India exists, Christians will exist in India as faithful citizens and bear witness to their faith.
Fourthly, Indian Christians have always respected and contributed to the indigenous cultures. Christianity enters into dialogue with different cultures so as to enrich itself and the cultures as well. The pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes of the Second Vatican Council highlighted the need for the Church to constantly interact with different cultures of the world (See para 54-58). Jesus set a perfect example for Christians to enter into communion with other cultures by becoming a human person and dwelling among the people (Jn 1:14), building friend-to-friend relationship with them (Jn 15:15). Surprisingly, many foreign missionaries learned local languages and integrated themselves into the Indian cultural milieu. In many cases, the missionaries played a vital role in documenting the oral histories and cultural traditions of various tribal communities and introduced them to the world outside, manifesting the rich cultural heritage of India. Some of the missionaries compiled dictionaries and grammar books, and even started newspaper in various local languages. Many Christian missionaries and believers have made invaluable contribution to Hindi and Sanskrit literature as well. By introducing printing and recording the oral traditions, missionaries protected many cultural traditions from falling into oblivion. Many Indian social reformers were positively influenced by Christianity and teachings of Jesus Christs, who, in their turn, were catalysts for reformation of the society. It is, therefore, unjustifiable to blame Christians as if they were opponents of Indian culture.
being Christian in no way amounts to being against the nation. On the contrary, our Christian faith urges us to love and serve the nation. In fact, the more religious a Christian is, the more patriotic he/she will be. Without any conflict of interest, we can simultaneously remain responsible Indians and faithful Christians – an array of Christian soldiers, civil servants, police officers, politicians and professionals can vouch for that. In sum, we are Indians and we are Christians at the same time.
Finally, Christians follow the path of love, peace and forgiveness. Even the deliberately provocative speeches and actions against Christians fail to defeat their tolerance and patience. Bearing in mind the word of Jesus, who said “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44), Christians respond to violence with non-violence. The silence of the two nuns, unjustly arrested at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh, even as the perpetrators were roaring, making a mockery of the law-and-order system while the police remained mute spectator, was the best Christian response to the offenders. Their silence was much more powerful than the outcry of the hostile mob. It was a perfect testimony to Christian way of life in the face of animosity. The nuns reminded the world of what the Bible speaks about the suffering servant: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isa 53:7). This is the uniqueness of our Christian witness: patience is our power; forgiveness is our way of life; love is our breath of life.
Nevertheless, Christian faith does not prevent us from pointing out injustice and unfairness. Though Jesus had said “if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matt 5:39), when one of the soldiers struck Jesus on the face during his trial in front of the High Priest, he asked: “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Obviously, it was not because Jesus could not suffer it or forgive it. Jesus did forgive even those who crucified him (Lk 23:34). Here Jesus asked him so, because he wanted to invite that soldier to repentance indicating the injustice and unfairness involved in his action. In the same line, I would like to ask those who attack Christians: what is the wrong that we have done? If we have done no wrong, why do you strike us?
