Thiruvananthapuram, March 31 Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, expressed concern on Tuesday over the proposed amendments to the FCRA and urged the Centre to reconsider them in light of apprehensions among minority communities.
Addressing reporters, the Cardinal said the amendments, recently introduced in the Lok Sabha, could grant "excessive autocratic powers" to authorities and may be prone to misuse.
"There is anxiety among minority sections regarding the provisions in the proposed law. A review or reconsideration is necessary to address these concerns," he said.
He noted that even under the existing legal framework, regulations governing foreign contributions were stringent, adding that licenses of a large number of non-governmental organizations had been cancelled in recent years.
"With stricter provisions being proposed, there is apprehension about the sustainability of many organizations," he said.
While the government has maintained that genuine entities would not be affected, concerns persist at the ground level, the Cardinal said.
Referring to recent statements by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs on action against forced religious conversions, he said there was a perception that certain provisions could be used to target Christian institutions.
He added that even giving a Bible to someone could be interpreted as an attempt at forced conversion, making such provisions open to misuse.
The Cardinal also raised concerns over the timing of the Bill, noting that it was introduced when elections are approaching in five states, and several MPs are away campaigning.
He said that although BJP leaders have maintained there is no cause for concern, anxiety among minority communities is increasing.
"Various challenges are emerging one after another for minorities. Their places of worship are being attacked. Such stringent regulations are being imposed. If anyone suspects that these measures are aimed at bringing minorities under control, they cannot be blamed," he said.
He added that it is the responsibility of those in power to alleviate such fears and bring all sections together by upholding secularism and constitutional values.
The Cardinal also rejected reports that the government had held discussions with church bodies regarding the proposed amendments.
"To my knowledge, no official discussions have been held with any church bodies. The government should be open to dialogue and provide greater clarity on the proposed amendments," he said.
Cleemis further pointed out that minorities are constitutionally guaranteed protection and called for adequate representation of all communities in statutory bodies such as the National Commission for Minorities.
He noted that church bodies have long highlighted the absence of a Christian representative in the commission.
He added that the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council would hold an online meeting later in the day to discuss the issue and reiterated the demand for a comprehensive review of the proposed amendments.
However, the Cardinal said there was no need to link the matter with the upcoming Assembly polls, adding that the Church does not have a practice of asking devotees to vote for any particular party or front.
Both the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India have already expressed concerns over the proposed changes to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act provisions governing foreign contributions.