Decoding PM’s Christmas overture

Narendra Modi's presence at the bishops' meet is laudable, but his silence on attacks on Christians has drawn criticism

The Christmas event hosted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), where Prime Minister Modi was the chief guest, has caused the usual flutter in the dovecotes as violence against Christians continues unabated. While Modi’s presence at the CBCI headquarters in New Delhi, where he highlighted love, peace, and harmony — central to Jesus Christ’s teaching — was a laudable gesture, his silence and inaction against attacks on Christians in India have invited flak.

This is the first time an Indian prime minister has attended an event at the CBCI headquarters.

In his speech, Modi referenced past tragedies including the recent Christmas market attack in Germany and the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, urging for collective action to combat such threats. However, there was no word about the persecution of Christians and minorities in India nor about Manipur where Christmas celebrations are overshadowed by the ongoing ethnic violence that has gripped the state for months.

Unsurprisingly, some 200 prominent Christians in India, in a press release, have said that inviting Modi to a Christmas reception ignores the plight of persecuted Christians in the country. “It’s surprising that despite the growing persecution of Christians, prominent members of the Christian hierarchy have chosen to engage with Prime Minister Modi, who has been criticised for his inaction in protecting the rights of Christians,” the release said, adding that until November this year, India recorded 745 incidents of Christian citizens attacked for their faith.

“One of the main reasons attributed to this alarming rise in persecution is the resurgence of Hindutva nationalism, which has led to an increase in anti-minorities sentiment, specially targeting Christians and Muslims,” the release stated.

The statement added that symbolic gestures do little to address the hatred generated against the community and
the resultant targeted violence, arrests and incidents of ostracisation in several parts of the country.

Separately, a senior bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala denounced Modi’s participation in CBCI’s Christmas event. “There the bishops are being honoured and he is bowing before the Christmas crib. And here the Christmas crib is being destroyed,” Bishop Youhanon Mar Meletius said in a social media post that was reported widely by the media.

The comment followed the disruption of Christmas celebrations at a school allegedly by local activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the vandalising of a symbolic crib created by children in another school in Palakkad district. The incidents triggered widespread protests across Kerala.

However, the CBCI held that it was important to build dialogue with the Hindu majority of the nation, and welcomed Modi’s visit to the bishops’ conference headquarters to honour Christmas. “This is a beautiful event organised by the CBCI, the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his concern towards the minority communities,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai.

Coincidentally, the Archbishop of Bengaluru, Peter Machado, who abstained from the event, called for five ‘gifts’ to Christians from Modi. In a statement two days before Christmas, Machado urged for an end to the covert harassment of Christians, particularly through the controversial anti-conversion bills being brought in 12 states. Another ‘gift’, he said, was resolving the Manipur issue where Christians have received a raw deal since the onset of the conflict, lamenting the prime minister had yet to visit the region despite his reputation for mediating peace in conflict zones globally.

Among other ‘gifts’ were constitutional recognition for Christians from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes origin, putting an end to attacks on Christians and making Pope Francis’ anticipated visit to India in 2025 a reality.

Church leaders in India are making concerted efforts to engage with those in the highest positions of power. On December 31, 400 Christian leaders and 30 church groups issued an urgent appeal to the President and the Prime Minister after 14 incidents of violence, threats, and disruptions targeted Christian gatherings across India during this season. The appeal called for immediate action to address the surge in violence against Christians.

It is imperative that the powers that be reciprocate and ensure that minorities in India are protected. Modi cited what happened in Germany and Sri Lanka in his address, ignoring anti-Christian violence in several parts of our country, particularly the Manipur riots in May where over 200 churches were destroyed and several lives were lost. Doesn’t charity begin at home?

It is high time the authorities stop ignoring the atrocities against Christians in India, rightly condemn these acts, and ensure the perpetrators are booked. Unless this normalisation of violence ends, the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and the idea of a secular India will lose their meaning.

(The writer is a Bengaluru- based independent journalist)