Church keeps up heat on govt over nuns arrest
Thousands, including priests, nuns and laypeople, assembled in solidarity with the imprisoned nuns, Sr Vandhana Francis and Sr Preethi Mary.
The protest, which began at Angamaly East Church and concluded at St Joseph School grounds, was marked by strong statements against the Chhattisgarh govt and what Church leaders called an unconstitutional misuse of anti-conversion laws.
Delivering the central message, Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany termed the arrest of the two nuns—members of the Assisi Sisters of Mary Immaculate (ASMI), an order founded to serve leprosy patients—as an act of "brutality" supported by the govt.
"You have hurled mud at goodness and tried to blind the light in its eyes," he said.
"The anti-conversion law is a violation of human rights and unconstitutional. Only if this law is repealed will we believe that the ruling party cares for the country, secularism, and minorities. We are making this clear to the govt," he said.
"We always have the courage to call a spade a spade. No one should misunderstand us as having forgotten the ideals of the gospel just because someone brings sweets. We will welcome you when you come to meet us but that does not mean that we have mortgaged our integrity. We will still call a wrong a wrong, and hooliganism hooliganism and it is good that all leaders understand this," Pamplani said
The archbishop also pointed out that anti-conversion laws introduced in 11 states violated the religious freedoms enshrined in Articles 25 to 28 of the Constitution.
"When the Constitution grants the right to believe in and propagate any religion, the law passed in 11 states states that forced conversions are prohibited. However, we are in days of fear as the criteria for what constitutes a forced conversion are determined by some anti-social and extremist organizations," he said.
Fr Kuriakose Mundadan, who gave the introductory message, claimed that the women who were with the nuns were intimidated into making statements against them.
He said the sisters, who had dedicated their lives to serving people across castes and religions, were now unjustly imprisoned.
Deepa Baiju, the sister-in-law of Sr Preethi Mary, also addressed the crowd, along with several Church leaders.
Meanwhile, the Varapuzha Archdiocese announced a similar protest in Kochi on Saturday, led by archbishop Dr Joseph Kalathiparambil at Mother Teresa Square, High Court Junction.
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