Senior Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Subramanian Swamy has questioned the Vatican authorities right to choose Bishops and Archbishops in India.
Swamy, who represents in the ruling BJP in the upper house of the parliament called it a “gross interference” in Indian affairs.
He added that the Vatican was given the status of a State in India by the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the “Vatican decides who in India will be Bishops and Archbishops”.
Vatican Church has been given the status by Nehru of a State. Vatican has an Embassy in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri. Yet Ativan decides who in India will Bishops and Archbishops!! Gross interference
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 5, 2019
A number of social media users echoed the sentiments of Swamy and showed their resentment.
That's what @RajivMessage has said consistently Churches in india are part of a global Church missionaries & they work like a Multinational company. All bishops & archbishop r appointed by the Vatican or overseas church body.
— श्रीकांत (@shri8354) December 5, 2019
This kind of appointments is scrapped in China.
They control Indian Christians sitting from there.Even rape and other corruption charges are not reported in India but to Vatican.Let them get passport of Vatican instead of India or start obey the law as well they should be controlled from within India. No more Vatican influence
— P.Kurup (@ParameshwaraKu2) December 5, 2019
It breaches our constitution & our liberty.
— Manu Sharma (@manukrsharma) December 5, 2019
Neither Islam nor Christianity should follow the bidding of Foreign based headquarters or heads. Nehru ji must have commited himself out of passion & goodwill forgetting that our constitution reigns Supreme.
Others of the contradictory views said that it is a practice followed by all religious organisations.
Don't the Budhists in India come under the Dalai Lama?. Don't the Ramakrishna Mission in America come under the mission India? What's wrong in having religious connections which govern the principles of a particular religion
— Victor Machado (@victorkiliman) December 5, 2019
Vatican doesn't decide the bishops. The names are sent by the Indian church heirarchy. Vatican only chooses one of them after taking into account their spiritual and moral capacity. It's only a formality that the final seal is put by the Vatican since pope is head of the church.
— Victor Machado (@victorkiliman) December 5, 2019
Grow up Mr swamy and move in. Your government has put India in deep deep trouble which will hunt Indians for many many years.
— amardeeppawan (@amardeep82) December 5, 2019
In 2017, the church in Goa came under scrutiny, as priests were found supporting opposition party candidates in the Assembly elections. A priest at St. Michael's parish church in Goa, Mariano Conceicao, openly urged Christians to vote for Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, a politician from the opposition Indian National Congress party who later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
