Church urges Maharashtra govt to reconsider cabinet nod to anti-conversion Bill

MUMBAI: The Archdiocese of Bombay has expressed concern over the Maharashtra cabinet's approval of the draft anti-conversion Bill.

Its press office said in a statement Tuesday, "While we acknowledge the State's duty to safeguard individuals from coercion, inducement or deceit in religious matters, we must express serious reservations about provisions that undermine personal freedom of conscience."

"The requirement of a 60-day prior notice and permission from a designated authority before any act of conversion is a burdensome process. It reduces religion from a matter of conscience to a matter of state permission. No citizen should need state approval to respond to the voice of one's conscience. Such a mechanism risks eroding the very dignity the law claims to defend. We reject forced conversion outright; such acts are theologically invalid. True conversion is a free act of the spirit, never coerced."

One clause evoked particular concern. "The provision allowing blood relatives to trigger police action through complaints, without safeguards against malice, opens the door to abuse. To prevent such a situation, where an allegation proves baseless, fairness demands that the complainant too be held accountable and penalised."

The statement said the Church in Mumbai remains committed to dialogue. "We will continue to uphold the right of every person to seek, embrace, or change faith freely, without being burdened with the fear of punishment. We urge the govt to reconsider these clauses."