‘Christians in Delhi are living in fear’

Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto is the religious leader to around two lakh Catholic population in Delhi-NCR, with 55 catholic parishes under him. He was appointed Archbishop of Delhi on November 30, 2012, and installed on January 20 the following year. According to him, over five lakh Christians living in Delhi are living in fear after four back-to-back attacks on churches took place over seven weeks (attacks began in December, 2014).

The Archbishop in an exclusive interview with The Hindu on Saturday spoke about the attacks and the link to the upcoming elections and also the unnerving silence of the Prime Minister on the issue

How does the Catholic Church view the attacks on its religious places and is there any sense of fear and insecurity among the community members?

Never before have had the Christians in Delhi felt this sense of fear and insecurity. While under the present circumstances this insecurity is justified, I am pained by the incidents of violence.

We used to hear about such violence being perpetrated on the Christian community outside Delhi, but now it has come home — these attacks are happening in the Capital. What frightens us is that the Prime Minister has maintained silence on the issue and has made no public statement to reassure the Christian population.

Equally frightening is his silence on the issue of ghar wapsi and the fact that the country is being driven towards one particular ideology where we (Christians) don’t feel like equal citizens of the country.

Do the church leaders see any pattern in the attacks that have taken place in Delhi and any connection with the upcoming elections?

We do see a pattern in these attacks, and there seems to be a definite link to the fact that Delhi is heading into crucial elections soon.

While I would appeal to the Christians to please go out and exercise their franchise and vote with prudence, the leader/party that they are voting for should work for all-round development and social harmony.

Today, all parties talk of poverty eradication, education, etc. But nobody talks of working for social harmony. Politicians are busy playing the divide-and-garner-votes policy.

Do you feel that the government and police are working swiftly and doing enough to ensure that Christians in Delhi-NCR don’t feel threatened?

The incidents that took place in the recent past have pained me. I have had to go to the highest offices in the country to plead for protection for my community in the Capital. The incidents provided an opportunity for us to meet with the leaders and express our concerns.

Sadly, I can’t still say that these incidents will not happen in the future. We still don’t know who the real players behind these incidents are. We can only trust in God and go forward.

As for Delhi Police’s investigations into the various incidents, I can only say that we are always given verbal assurances, but much is desired as far as action is concerned.

What is the church’s take on conversion and ghar wapsi?

Religion and conversion are very private matters and it is up to an individual what and who he believes in. Ghar wapsi is a hoax, a political gimmick. The country is faced with serious issues of poverty, underemployment, lack of proper educational and medical facilities, these are the issues we should be concentrating on. Forced conversion is illegal by law and there are laws in the country to prevent that.

What is the church’s reaction to the Charlie Hebdo killing and the Pope’s statement on how media should be responsible?

Killing in the name of religion is unacceptable. Having said that I fully agree that nobody should be allowed to mock what others hold sacred. With freedom comes responsibility and the media should learn to accept and exercise it.