New Delhi, June 10: A Sangh Parivar outfit today charged Pope John Paul II with interfering in India's internal affairs by describing anti-conversion laws in some states as "unjust" and urged the government to lodge a strong protest with the Vatican. "The Pope besides being head of the Catholic Church is also head of the Vatican and as such is expected to observe some diplomatic restraints. His criticism of enactment of anti-conversion laws in some states to check religious conversions through force, fraud and inducements is most reprehensible," Surya Narain Saxena, spokesman of the RSS-backed Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram said in a statement here.

Saxena said, "his (Pope) utterances, besides being bigoted are an interference in our internal affairs, affront to our sovereignty and breach of diplomatic norms."

At a meeting with some Indian bishops at the Vatican earlier this month, the Pope had reportedly expressed concern over the anti-conversion laws and asked them to courageously carry on with evangelisation.

The RSS had last week criticised the Pope's statement and asked the government to lodge a protest.

Bureau Report