Thy must vote, church issue 10 Commandments

MANGALORE: These ensuing polls, Christians have been given a new set of Ten Commandments by Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), which tells them how to vote in the general elections.
The CBCI's 10 Commandments was sent via e-mail to all the bishops in the country urging them to translate the commandments into local languages and distribute it among friends and networks.
The commandments have been authored by Bishop Yvon Ambroise, chairman, Bishops Mathew Arackal, Kanjirapally, Gerald Almeida, Jabalpur, members, CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and Development.
Cedric Prakash, director, Prashant, Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace, Ahmedabad, told TOI this is the first time that CBCI has used the internet with a view to creating greater social awareness. "Earlier the missives were general in nature. The church as an independent body has its own responsibility to ensure free and fair elections and this is a step towards that, he added.
Last year, peeved at the lethargic attitude exhibited by the Christians during polls, three prominent members of the community, politically conscious but not affiliated to any party, floated `Cast Your Vote Andolan (CYVA). The primary objective of the CYVA was to exhort the people to exercise their franchise responsibly.