Catholic bishops in India reject ‘Christian conspiracy’ claim over funds bill

The Catholic Church in India has rejected allegations of a “Christian conspiracy” behind the stalling of legislation to tighten controls on foreign donations after the government postponed the bill a second time and referred it to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) following protests by churches and opposition parties.

Sections of India’s mainstream and social media have alleged that the Church orchestrated opposition to the measure and that the United States pressed the Indian government on the Church’s behalf.

“We do not indulge in any conspiracy. We put our concerns across to our government and it decided to refer the FCRA Bill [the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act] to the JPC,” Father Mathew Koyickal, deputy secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told EWTN News on Aug. 20.

The conference is the umbrella body for Catholics of the Latin, Syro-Malabar, and Syro-Malankara Churches in India.

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act has governed foreign donations in India since 1976. It is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which tracks how domestic groups, trusts, and charities receive and use money from abroad.

The Bharatiya…