Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Christian leaders in Western Indian Maharashtra state have opposed a government pro-posal to bring worship places of all religions under the govern-ment’s control. “I am totally against this. It interferes with the religious freedoms guaranteed by the Indian Constitution,” Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, based in the state capital, told on Jan. 2. Last month, Rahul Narwekar, the speaker of the state legislative assembly, urged the House to consider a new law bringing religious places and properties of all faiths under state control. The cardinal said the state already exercises adequate control over Christian properties through its charity commissioner, an official who oversees the administration of churches’ properties and chari-table activities. “Besides, the Ca-tholic Church has more stringent measures to regulate affairs of the church than the government,” Gracias added.
Narwekar made the remarks while discussing changes in regu-lations for the management of Siddhivinayak Trust, which ma-nages a prominent Hindu temple in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the country’s financial capital. He said Indian secularism demands treating all religions equally, but people question the government controlling only Hindu religious places. “I think all religions should be treated equally, and as such, worshipping places of all religions should be brought under the control of the government,” he said. Gracias said the govern-ment is “floating this idea to gauge our response, but it will certainly create disturbance in our communities.”