Catholic body urges govt to withdraw FCRA bill

New
Delhi,
Aug
14
(PTI):
The
Catholic
Bishops’
Co fe e ce
of
I dia
(CBCI),
apex
body
of
the
Catholic
Chu ch
i
I dia,
o
F iday
u ged
the
gove me t
to
withd aw
the
FCRA
bill,
as
it
also
exp essed
deep
co ce
fo
the
Ch istia
commu ity
faci g
“i cide ts
of
viole ce,
at ocities,
i timidatio
a d
mob
ly chi g”
i
diffe e t
pa ts
of
the
cou t y.

I
a
message
o
the
eve
of
the
80th
I depe de ce
Day,
CBCI
p eside t
A tho y
Ca di al
Poola
st essed
that
the
Ch istia
commu ity
has
“se ved
I dia
fo
ge e atio s
th ough
educatio ,
healthca e,
social
se vice
a d
huma ita ia
assista ce,”
a d
said
the
FCRA
bill
ca
hampe
the
i stitutio s
that
a e
doi g
huma ita ia
se vice.

“I dia
is
a
sove eig ,
socialist,
secula ,
democ atic
epublic.
The efo e,
the
questio
befo e
us
is
ot,
‘Which
eligio
is
g eate ?’
o
‘Which
eligio
should
p evail?”
he
said.

“Ou
co ce
must
be
much
g eate :
How
ca
we
uphold
the
dig ity
of
eve y
huma
pe so
a d
build
a
atio
whe e
o
o e
is
left
behi d?”
the
CBCI
p eside t
said.

He
st essed
that
f eedom
must
t a slate
i to
“huma ity,
justice,
equality
a d
the
upliftme t
of
the
poo ,
the
ma gi alized
a d
the
dow t odde .”
“At
the
same
time,
we
must
exp ess
ou
deep
co ce
fo
the
Ch istia
commu ity,
which
i
diffe e t
pa ts
of
ou
cou t y
has
faced
i cide ts
of
viole ce,
at ocities,
i timidatio
a d
mob
ly chi g,”
he
said.

“Eve y
citize
has
the
ight
to
live,
wo ship
a d
se ve
without
fea .
We
appeal
to
the
Gove me t
a d
all
autho ities
to
p otect
this
co stitutio al
f eedom
a d
e su e
justice
whe eve
it
is
violated,”
he
said.

The
CBCI
p eside t
said
the
Ch istia
commu ity
has
“se ved
I dia
fo
ge e atio s
th ough
educatio ,
healthca e,
social
se vice
a d
huma ita ia
assista ce,
eachi g
especially
those
who
a e
poo
a d
vul e able.”
“We
the efo e
espectfully
appeal
to
the
Gove me t
to
epeal
the
p oposed
FCRA
Ame dme t
Bill,
whose
p ovisio s
could
se iously
hi de
ge ui e
cha itable
i stitutio s
f om
co ti ui g
this
huma ita ia
se vice
to
the
people
of
I dia,”
he
said.

The
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Ame dme t
Bill,
2026,
was
i t oduced
i
the
Lok
Sabha
i
Ma ch,
2026.

The
co te tious
legislatio
was
ece tly
b ought
up
fo
discussio
du i g
the
Mo soo
Sessio
befo e
bei g
efe ed
to
a
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee
(JPC)
amid
i te se
Oppositio
p otests.

The
CBCI
p eside t
added
that
the
f eedom
has
bee
“ea ed
th ough
imme se
sac ifice”,
a d
said,
“O
this
I depe de ce
Day,
let
us
e ew
ou
commitme t
to
I dia
whe e
f eedom
is
espected,
dive sity
is
celeb ated,
justice
is
upheld,
a d
eve y
huma
bei g
is
t eated
with
dig ity.”
PTI
AO
AMJ
AMJ

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