In India, 10 Catholics converting non-believers to Christianity released
An illustrative image of Christians in India. Photo: Infovaticana
On August 13, ten Catholics were released on bail in India after spending 104 days in prison on charges of illegal religious conversion and attempted murder, reports InfoVaticana.
The Catholics were detained following an incident on May 1 at a church in the Diocese of Udaipur. According to the priest, during communion a group of Hindu activists burst into the church, began filming the parishioners, and accused them of converting people to Christianity.
One of the activists, according to the priest, pulled out a knife. The faithful took the knife away and escorted the group out of the church. The activists later claimed they had come to verify reports of allegedly illegal conversions and cow sacrifices. Following police intervention, the charges were ultimately brought against the Catholics themselves.
Ten believers were taken into custody and spent more than three months in prison. On August 12, the High Court of Rajasthan ordered their release on bail. Bishop John Ganawa called the charges against the Catholics false and stated that the community is glad of their release.
The criminal case against the believers has not been closed. Rajasthan has a law against illegal religious conversion, the application of which has been repeatedly criticized by representatives of the Catholic Church and Christian organizations.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Fulani Muslims killed 31 Christians in Nigeria.
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