{"id":15677,"date":"2017-06-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/communiques\/religious-freedoms-must-be-respected-in-india-bishop-gollnischs-press-release\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T07:03:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T07:03:41","slug":"religious-freedoms-must-be-respected-in-india-bishop-gollnischs-press-release","status":"publish","type":"communique","link":"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/en\/communiques\/religious-freedoms-must-be-respected-in-india-bishop-gollnischs-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cReligious freedoms must be respected in India\u201d \u2013 Bishop Gollnisch\u2019s press release"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, with between 830 million Hindus and 140 million Muslims, the 25 million Christians (2.3% of the total population) represent the country\u2019s third-largest religious community. And even though there is genuine harmony and coexistence, Christians in certain states are regularly victims of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, May 20, in a village in the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, in the southern part of the country, a church dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima was vandalized by about 100 attackers, who destroyed the crucifix and smashed the statue of the Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also regularly receive reports of several cases of arbitrary arrests and intimidation targeting Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L\u2019\u0152uvre d\u2019Orient calls for religious freedoms to be respected and urges Indian authorities to take firm action against fundamentalist groups. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bishop Pascal Gollnisch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paris, June 2, 2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some figures: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to tradition, the Eastern Churches of India were founded in A.D. 52 by the Apostle Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n