By Anto Akkara
Christians in India recently urged the Vatican to respond forcefully to rising violence in the country amid a state visit by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states.
The Vatican said the prelate was visiting the country from July 13–19 to “strengthen bonds of friendship and collaboration.” Besides meeting church officials, Gallagher had an official meeting with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, on July 17 in New Delhi.
Describing the meeting as a “good conversation,” Jaishankar said in a post on X that the leaders discussed “the importance of faith and the need for dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts.”
On the same day, a memorandum drafted by the United Christian Forum was presented to Gallagher, one that documented a steady rise in anti-Christian violence under the regime of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has headed the pro-Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for 11 years.
The Christian group appealed for “urgent intervention” by the Vatican to the rising incidents of violence and harassment targeting Christians across the country.
The appeal said that 834 cases of violence and hostility against Christians were reported in India in 2024, up from 734 in 2023 and from 127 in 2014, when Modi took office.
Though the Vatican envoy visited the Jesuit Vidyajyoti seminary in New Delhi, saying Mass and interacting with the theology students on matters of formation, dialogue, and other concerns, principal Father Rajkumar Joseph declined to provide details of the meetings, telling CNA that it was a “private visit.”
“Perhaps the all-round silence suits the government,” vocal lay Catholic leader John Dayal, based in New Delhi, told CNA on July 22.
This story was originally published in catholicnewsagency.com. Read the full story here.