INDIA Modi in Delhi cathedral on Easter day

The Indian Prime Minister visited the Sacred Heart Church in a gesture of attention to Christians. And in a tweet he wished that this party “grows the spirit of harmony in our society.” Father Thelakat to : “A positive development that recognizes India’s pluralism. However, Christians now also expect him to break his silence on growing anti-Christian bigotry and rein in extremist members of his party.”

New Delhi () – In a rare and significant gesture for India, the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, paid a visit to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi on the occasion of Easter 2023. Modi, who was received by the Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, addressed the faithful, lit a candle in front of the image of the Risen Christ and planted a tree in the complex’s garden. The Prime Minister himself gave wide repercussions to the visit, of which images and a short video were disseminated.

In the morning, Modi had already spent a thought congratulating Christians on Easter Day with a tweet on his profile. In the text, he expressed his hope that “this special occasion will deepen the spirit of harmony in our society. May it inspire people to serve society and help the marginalized. On this day let us remember the pious thoughts of Christ.”

The Delhi Archdiocese welcomed Modi’s visit. In a statement carried by the official Indian news agency, ani, the parish priest of the cathedral, Father Francis Swaminathan, called it a “great message”. Observers of Indian politics linked the gesture with the slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas“, which the Prime Minister proclaimed with a view to the 2024 elections: an invitation to cooperation between the different communities of India, a country where, unfortunately, the confessional divisions fueled by Hindu nationalists often make the news.

In recent days, Modi met in Delhi with Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, head of the Syriac-rite Malankara Orthodox Church. The prelate also extended an invitation to visit his headquarters in Kottayam, Kerala. “We are happy with the messages about cooperation between communities,” Baselios Mathews III commented, “but at the same time we have problems in different regions, attacks against Christian churches. And these facts are a reality that must be faced.”

In Kerala, some prominent BJP leaders also visited churches on Easter day. A gesture that the leaders of the local opposition have linked to the electoral campaign, calling it opportunistic and recalling how -on the contrary- just these days a minister from the same party said that they should beat Christians who visit the houses of others ” to make conversions”.

Father Paul Thelakat, a former spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Church, told : “I welcome the visit of Prime Minister N. Modi to the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi on Easter Day. It is truly a gesture of celebration with the Christians of this country. This is a pluralistic nation and I am glad that the Prime Minister has celebrated the plurality of India. However, Christians in this country are afraid of the anti-Christian attitude of the BJP with its hundutva ideology. I think this is not a pre-election political maneuver, but rather an honest attempt to reach everyone in this country “Christians now hope that Prime Minister Modi will break his silence on growing anti-Christian bigotry and rein in extremist party members. The Christian attitude should be neither one of prostrate abstention nor outright condemnation, but one of political prudence. It is an attitude positive, but it must also be directed at other communities; no sector of Indian society can be considered an enemy of the country and treated as such”.