INDIA: JESUITS SEE RISING HINDU FUNDAMENTALISM

UNCLAS VATICAN 000444

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

EUR/WE FOR JLEVIN,
DRL/IRF FOR JMORALES,
NEA/SA/INS FOR JSEEVERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: VT IN KIRF PGOV
SUBJECT: INDIA: JESUITS SEE RISING HINDU FUNDAMENTALISM

REF: VATICAN 1299


1. (U) SUMMARY: Father Lisbert D'Souza, South Asia Regional
Director at the Jesuit Curia in Rome said February 16 that
recent attacks against Christians in India were motivated by
increasing Hindu fundamentalism. D'Souza distinguished between
simple banditry and religiously motivated attacks, and also
highlighted the dangers of aggressive proselytism on the part of
some Christian denominations. End Summary.

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Hindu Fundamentalists behind Anti-Christian attacks
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2. (SBU) According to Father D'Souza, Catholics in India are
experiencing greater problems now than in the past, in part due
to the attitude of Indian authorities. In the past, Catholics
had often found allies among Indian police and government
officials, many of whom had been educated in Jesuit or other
Catholic institutions. "If we called the police and said, these
guys are harassing us, they'd respond." Today, D'Souza said,
fewer of those in power have these Christian connections, so
past sensitivity to concerns of Christian minorities has given
way in many cases to resentment and suspicion. When it comes to
protecting religious minorities, D'Souza claimed, "the local
governments do nothing."


3. (SBU) Despite his concerns about increasing violence against
Christians, D'Souza said it is important to recognize that some
of the attacks against Christians that are often perceived as
religiously motivated are actually simple banditry. Convents
and religious institutions are known as soft targets, he
explained. In the North of India where banditry is a problem,
everyone is a target regardless of religious affiliation.
However, D'Souza said that in the more stable South of the
country, attacks on Christians are more likely to have a
religious motivation. In fact, Bombay's Auxiliary Bishop,
Percival Fernandez, in a recent interview with Catholic media,
supported D'Souza's contention that recent anti-Christian
attacks have been coordinated by fundamentalist Hindu groups.

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Provocative Proselytism?
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4. (SBU) D'Souza recognized that some attacks on Christians may
be a by-product of aggressive proselytism on the part of some
Christian groups. "Evangelical Christian groups have not always
been prudent," he observed, and have evangelized aggressively.
D'Souza pointed out that the February 13 attack in Kerala on
Pentecostal seminarians was likely due to the students'
distributing Christian literature and proselytizing.


5. (SBU) While not downplaying reports of violence against
Catholics and other Christians, D'Souza cautioned that Christian
religious freedom watchdogs should not ignore persecution of
other minorities. "Perhaps we have been too energetic in our
own cause," highlighting abuses against Christians rather than
keeping a broader watch on violations of the liberty of all
religious minorities, he said.

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Privatization of Education Raises Tuition
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6. (SBU) Turning to Jesuit schools, D'Souza discussed challenges
his order is facing due to the privatization of education in
India. He blamed this trend for sapping government funding from
religious schools. If Jesuit institutions want to attract elite
students and continue to provide top-level education, they must
increase investment in infrastructure and technology, D'Souza
reasoned. Unfortunately this investment requires higher tuition
costs that shut out poorer applicants, a group the Jesuits have
traditionally regarded as their main constituency.

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Comment
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7. (SBU) As the South Asian Section Assistant at the Jesuit
Curia in Rome, D'Souza advises Jesuit Father General Peter-Hans
Kolvenbach -- the so-called "Jesuit Pope" -- on both
administrative and political aspects of Jesuit presence in
Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Although raised in
Mumbai, D'Souza's family is Goan. Before moving to the Jesuit
Curia in Rome D'Souza was Provincial of India and president of
the Jesuit Conference of South Asia. There are currently 3,900

Jesuits in India.

HARDT

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2005VATICA00444 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED