{"id":62261,"date":"2025-10-08T13:12:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?p=62261"},"modified":"2025-10-08T13:29:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T11:29:15","slug":"the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/","title":{"rendered":"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"india<\/p>\n

Two more priests beaten<\/strong>. An escalation of violence in India<\/strong> where the Church’s message is increasingly less tolerated by nationalists because it undermines the caste system<\/strong>.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Persecutions suffered in many Arab countries are not enough<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2024 in India<\/strong><\/mark> 640 cases<\/a><\/em><\/strong> of violence or discrimination against Christians were documented<\/em><\/strong>, a number rising compared to 2023 (601<\/strong> cases) and much higher than the figures from 2014 (147<\/strong> cases).<\/p>\n

We are witnessing an escalation of violence<\/strong> in the Hindu state with few precedents: there are reports of harassment, threats, physical assaults, property damage, vandalism, disruption of religious services, arrests of priests or faithful accused of forced conversion.<\/p>\n

Two months ago we reported<\/a><\/em><\/strong> the harsh tightening of the laws<\/strong> for those who convert a Hindu, with prison sentences from three years to life imprisonment and very heavy fines.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

India, Catholic priests targeted<\/h2>\n

Catholic priests<\/strong> are often the main targets, as happened<\/a><\/em><\/strong> on October 1 at St. Joseph’s Church in Tumdegi in the state of Jharkhand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Father Dean Thomas Soreng<\/strong> and the deputy vicar, Father Emmanuel Baghwar<\/strong>, were kidnapped and savagely beaten by 12 attackers armed with sticks who broke into the church.<\/p>\n

Both priests suffered serious injuries<\/strong> and were immediately taken to a health center; fortunately they recovered and were able to return to the parish house.<\/p>\n

Authorities initially spoke of a robbery but the vicar general of the diocese of Simdega, Father Ignatius Tete<\/strong>, replied<\/a><\/em><\/strong> that the dynamics do not match theft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf their only purpose was to steal\u201d<\/i>, said the vicar general, \u201cwhy did they beat our priests in that way? They tied them up, mocked and humiliated<\/strong> them brutally. There is a hidden plan behind these attacks.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Church and the Hindu caste system<\/h2>\n

Father Tete explained that the main beneficiaries of the Church’s projects in India, such as schools, hospitals and assistance centers, are not Christians but the Hindu population<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis generates hostility towards us, because for the Catholic Church we are all children of God, equal in dignity, and we offer the same opportunities to everyone, regardless of caste<\/strong> or belief,\u201d<\/i> he explained.<\/p>\n

That is precisely the point. The Church and Indian bishops are gradually undermining the caste system<\/strong> on which Hinduism is based.<\/p>\n

A rigid and hierarchical subdivision<\/strong> that determines each individual’s position in society from birth, justified by the Hindu religion on the basis of a cosmic order (the dharma<\/i>), according to which each person would be born into a certain caste based on the karma<\/strong> accumulated in previous lives.<\/p>\n

Since 2014, with the rise to power of Narendra Modi<\/strong> at the head of a Hindu nationalist government, Christians (and also Muslims) have seen an increase<\/strong> in attacks and restrictions. Many analysts define this trend as the \u201csaffronisation<\/strong>\u201d of India, referring to the traditional color of the robes worn by Hindu sages and to the imposition of a Hindu identity on the country.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nationalists and accusations of forced conversions<\/h2>\n

A telling case concerns the State of Chhattisgarh, where in July 2025 two Catholic nuns<\/strong> from Kerala were arrested on charges of forced religious conversion<\/strong> and trafficking.<\/p>\n

Having become a political case between majority and opposition, the nuns were released<\/a><\/em><\/strong> on August 1.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately these are no longer isolated cases; intolerance is growing<\/strong> and it is now urgent that the leaders of Hinduism<\/strong> come to terms with the high number of extremists and nationalists who not only put religious freedom<\/strong> at risk but also seriously damage the image of their own religion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two more priests massacred. The Church’s message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":24,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2014,2013,1317,1318,2015],"class_list":["post-62261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christians-india","tag-hindu-castes","tag-hinduism","tag-hinduism-christianity","tag-india"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCCR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uccronlineng\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T11:12:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T11:29:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"webmaster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"webmaster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/\",\"name\":\"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-08T11:12:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-08T11:29:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/266504740f79258d3ff1428b591e842a\"},\"description\":\"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"india church Hindu Castes\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/\",\"name\":\"UCCR\",\"description\":\"Union of Catholic Christian Rationalists\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/266504740f79258d3ff1428b591e842a\",\"name\":\"webmaster\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/author\/webmaster\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR","description":"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR","og_description":"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/","og_site_name":"UCCR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uccronlineng\/","article_published_time":"2025-10-08T11:12:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-08T11:29:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"webmaster","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"webmaster","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/","name":"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price - UCCR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp","datePublished":"2025-10-08T11:12:24+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-08T11:29:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/266504740f79258d3ff1428b591e842a"},"description":"Two more priests massacred. The Church's message in India not tolerated by nationalists because it dismantles the caste system.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/india_emg.webp","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"india church Hindu Castes"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/08\/the-church-takes-on-hindu-castes-and-pays-the-price\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Church Takes on Hindu Caste and Pays the Price"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/","name":"UCCR","description":"Union of Catholic Christian Rationalists","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/#\/schema\/person\/266504740f79258d3ff1428b591e842a","name":"webmaster","url":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/author\/webmaster\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62261"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62268,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62261\/revisions\/62268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

A Wikipedia page<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (not updated) has even arisen about the affair, which explains that the arrest was prompted by the nationalist organization Bajrang Dal<\/strong>. On July 31, one of the alleged victims of forced conversion had the courage to confess that she had been forced to lie<\/strong> precisely by the Hindu group.<\/p>\n