Not good to give 'Bible colour' to all Christian schools, says Archbishop Peter Machado

Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bengaluru Peter Machado said on Thursday that it is not good to give "Bible colour" to all Christian schools in the state.

Responding to the controversy over the Clarence High School in connection with making Bible compulsory for all students, the archbishop stated it is not possible to separate religion and morality. Clarence High School has a history of 100 years.

He further stated that the 75 per cent of the children studying in the school follow Christianity. It is incorrect to charge that the Bible is made compulsory for all students. It is not mandatory for students belonging to Hindu and Muslim communities.

Read | Karnataka government issues notice to Bengaluru school over Bible row

"It is not correct to paint all Christian schools with Bible colour. If the government wants to investigate the matter, let them conduct an inquiry. Let them find out how many children have been converted," he said.

First Churches were targeted, later they were attacked and destroyed. "Now they have focused on our educational institutions. Former Vice-President L K Advani had stated that he studied in a Christian school. Likewise, Union Minister Piyush Goel also studied in a Christian institution. The Christian education institutions have given many dignitaries to the society, the Archbishop said.

Read | Religious books can't be part of school curriculum, says B C Nagesh

A complaint was filed by a Hindu group alleging that Bible reading is made compulsory for all students and admission is being denied if the consent is not given for students to undergo preaching of Christian religious matters.

Education Minister B C Nagesh has also reacted sharply to the issue and stated that he has sent a notice to the school regarding making Bible compulsory. The Department of Education has also given a direction for the Block Education Officers (BEO) to inspect all the Christian institutions in the state regarding the issue of making reading of Bible compulsory for schoolchildren.

Watch latest videos by DH here: