Indias katolikker vil ikke be ekstremistiske hinduer om unnskyldning

NEW DELHI (CWNews.com) - India's Catholic bishops on Monday rejected a call from extremist Hindu groups for Pope John Paul to apologize for alleged atrocities committed by Christian missionaries when they first came to the country hundreds of years ago.

The Hindu groups said missionaries forced conversions of Hindus in the city of Goa, adding that the practice allegedly continues today. They also want a ban on religious conversions. The Holy Father will be visiting the country November 5-8 to officially promulgate the results of a synod of Asian bishops last year.

"Apology comes from within. An apology under coercion is no apology," said Father Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman for the Archdiocese of New Delhi. He said the Pope does not hesitate to apologize for atrocities committed in the name of the Church, but said the extremist groups should really be seeking an apology from the Portuguese government at the time of the alleged atrocities.

In New Delhi on Monday, Hindu Shiv Sena activists burned an effigy of the Pope in a protest against the visit. "We call upon our guest that he should display a large heart and he should offer an apology for the atrocities committed by Christians in the past in Goa and elsewhere in India," the activists said in a statement.

CWN - Catholic World News