Religion and government are now identified with each other in India, a situation that prevailed in Europe before the separation of Church and State, Father George Pattery, head of Jesuits in South Asia, said.

He stressed the need for a “mature, secular society” that would help India “separate religion from politics and religion from government”.

“The secular idea helps religion not to have control over society. Remember, in Europe we had Church and State identified with each other — we are moving towards that kind of a situation in India. Religion and government here are now getting identified,” Reverend Pattery told.

The Telegraph after delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of a two-day conference of Jesuit-run institutions in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The conference is being held at the Jesuit-run St Xavier’s College, Calcutta.

Father Pattery said Indians “seem to be going backward” by failing to separate religion from the government, adding that the trend had to be stopped.

“Religion’s hold on politics should be diversified. The secular idea is preciously that —to separate religion from the government. But we seem to be going backward. Therefore, that has to be stopped.”