New Delhi, June 06: After a lull, RSS today raked up the conversion issue describing Christianity as an "intolerant, exclusivist and supremacist" religious doctrine and condemned a recent papal exhortation to carry out evangelisation in the country "ignoring anti-conversion laws." The Sangh also urged state governments to promulgate laws on the lines of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu to "curb the menace of unethical conversion activities."

Taking strong exception to a reported remark made by Pope John Paul II to some Indian bishops recently to "courageously" continue with evangelisation despite "unjust conversion laws"passed by some state governments, rss spokesman Ram Madhav said, "The utterances of the pope are tantamount to a direct challenge to India and its pluralist tradition.”

"We urge the Government of India to register their strong protest to the head of the Vatican for his intemperate remarks on Indian laws. We urge the people of India to understand the sinister designs of the missionaries of these exclusivist, supremacist and intolerant faiths and be vigilant."
Alleging attempts at converting Muslims and Sikhs to Christianity in Kashmir and Chhattisgarh respectively, he said, "The activities of the missionaries for converting people to their faith are leading to social tensions and posing serious threat to peace and harmony in different parts of India."

Claiming that the pope's statement "confirms our worst fears that there is a sinister design behind these conversion activities and they are not just sporadic,” he asked, "does it mean that the pope wants conversions by force, fraud and allurement?"

Bureau Report