Indian archbishop dares govt to probe Christian schools

India

Investigate how many studied in Christian schools and converted during 100 years in Karnataka, says Archbishop Peter Machado

A Catholic archbishop in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has challenged the provincial government to inquire into how many students studying in Christian schools have converted to Christianity in the past 100 years.

Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore was reacting to the Karnataka government ordering a probe into the century-old Clarence High School in the state capital Bengaluru for allegedly insisting on carrying or studying the Bible as part of the curriculum.

The prelate categorically denied the allegations made by right-wing Hindu activists. “The Christian community runs close to 1,000 schools in the state and the government should probe them and find out if there is any case of religious conversion,” he said.

Archbishop Machado said if the probe finds any of the charges related to religious conversion or compulsory study of the Bible as true in the past 100 years, he will take action in the matter.

“The education department has ordered an inquiry about whether the Bible is used or religion is taught in our [Christian] schools. I feel very hurt. We can bravely say that no student of other religion has become Christian in our school,” the archbishop told media on April 28.

He further said non-Christian students were not required to read the Bible and no Bible instructions were issued for them. “The education minister said the Bhagavad Gita [Hindu scripture] will be introduced next year as its moral education text, while the Bible and Quran are supposed to be religious texts so they will not be allowed,” he added.

“We don’t force any non-Christian to attend moral classes or bring a Bible to the school and still we are being falsely targeted and harassed”

“We are responsible people. We know what we do in our ministry of education. We request the government to trust us and leave us in peace,” Archbishop Machado told UCA News on April 29.

The government claimed to have launched the probe after the school allegedly sought an undertaking from its Class 11 students that they “will have no objection to attending classes including morning assembly scripture class for his/her own moral and spiritual welfare and will not object to carrying the Bible and Hymn Book during his/her stay at Clarence High School.”

A school official said that more than 75 percent of the students in the school were Christians and the school is recognized as a minority school. “It has the right to teach its scripture among its students,” he said.

“We don’t force any non-Christian to attend moral classes or bring a Bible to the school and still we are being falsely targeted and harassed,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

J.A. Kantharaj, public relations officer of the archdiocese, said that not a single parent had complained. “The bogey of conversion is being used to create hatred against Christians,” he told UCA News.

Referring to the frequent attacks on churches, shrines and other Christian institutions in the recent past, Kantharaj said: “The day is not far away when the same elements will tell a Christian doctor or nurse not to treat any Hindu.”

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