IMPHAL | 16 March, 2025: All India Catholic Union [AICU], Asia’s largest laity organisation has expressed serious concerns over the disturbing developments in Arunachal Pradesh, where an attempt is afoot to revive the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978, a legislation which remained dormant for last 47 years. This has lead to protests by the Christians of the state.
They fear that once the Act is made operational, the indigenous co-existence between tribes and communities was likely to be disturbed. It said in a press release on 15th March.
AICU also extended its prayers and good wishes for the health of the ailing Pontiff of the Catholic church, Pope Francis.
The AICU working committee in its meeting in Jharsuguda, Odissa, said the world needed the spiritual leadership of Pope Francis in these fraught times, where each continent is beset with existential issues impacting the people. Climate change, violence, hate crimes, concerns about artificial intelligence, and the still widening disparities between the rich and the poor, have been of great concern to the Holy Father.
The AICU has called on the national and state governments in India to learn from the Pope and work assiduously for peace and amity. They must put an end to hate speech, targeted violence, and the coercion of religious minorities and marginalised communities, including Dalits and indigenous peoples, in various parts of North and Central India, and the North-east.
It further said that the duty of the Union and state governments to ensure that minorities and marginalised communities feel safe, and are reassured that the governments will act pre-emptively to prevent violence.
Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, Chief minister Mohan Yadav says that his administration is planning to amend the Anti conversion law so that conversion of girls could be made punishable offence with death penalty.
In Manipur, which has at last been brought under President’s rule, concrete steps remain to be taken for the rehabilitation of over 60,000 internally displaced persons still living in makeshift non-government camps.
AICU noted that hate crime documentation groups had registered 834 incidents of violence against the Christian community in various states by December 2024. Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have become the hotspots of viral hate, brutal mob violence, rampant social ostracisation in which elements of the low and justice apparatus is complicit. Many attacks go unreported for fear of retribution in the environment of impunity and political patronage.
Despite this, the All India Catholic Union leadership is clear that the ordinary people of the country are not involved in this hate campaigns and violence. It is for the people in authority to identify the persons, groups or organisations involved, and see that they are brought to book, the AICU has said.
