The Bishop of Mysore K.A.William said here on Wednesday that the anti-conversion Bill tabled in the Assembly by the State Government was needless and was liable to be misused by vested interest groups to frame the innocent.
Speaking to media persons ahead of Christmas celebrations, the Bishop said that lakhs of students of all communities are studying in thousands of educational institutions run by the Christian community and there was no conversion. Hence the bill is pointless and nor were the community leaders unduly worried about it. However, in the present circumstances this could be misused and affect the innocent and that is the cause of greater worry, said the Bishop.
Bishop William said social service and reaching out to the community and society was the essence of Christianity and it was doing so through education and social service and was not indulging in conversion. In specific cases of forcible conversion the State could invoke the existing laws and take action but the anti-conversion bill was not necessary, he added.
The Bill also does not pertain exclusively to Christianity and includes all religions and the future course of action will be decided by the Bishops’ council, said Dr.William.
Christmas message
Bishop William said Christmas will be celebrated as per tradition and it was a low-key affair in 2020 and the festival was being held in the shadow of Omicron variant this year.
“Christmas is once again at our doors and this year the feast comes as a welcome breeze after a silent storm. People are going through anxiety, stress and discomfort of the pandemic wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Normal relationships are also affected and the gathering in the churches and places of worship are discouraged’’, said Bishop William.
In his message the Bishop said Christmas is the celebration of the transcendental God becoming human, to liberate the suffering and forsaken humanity, and prayed for an early end to the pandemic so that life returns to normalcy at the earliest.
He also welcomed the fresh curbs imposed by the government on New Year celebrations in the wake of the proliferation of the Omicron varient but said there was no such restrictions on Christmas.
