A Catholic priest in India’s Tamil Nadu state was arrested by authorities on July 24 for reportedly spreading hate and enmity between religious groups.
Police in the city of Madurai arrested Father George Ponnaya, who reportedly tried to escape in a vehicle after allegedly making disparaging remarks about the Hindu religion.
Archbishop Antony Pappusamy of Madurai also condemned the priest’s action, saying “his comments are condemnable.”
“The diocese has nothing to do with his Democratic Christian Forum,” the archbishop clarified in a statement, saying that the diocese would never allow violence and speeches that ridicule others.
Father Ponnaya, a member of the Democratic Christian Council, earlier spoke at an event jointly organized by Christians and Muslims in Arumanai in the district of Kanyakumari.
A complaint was lodged against the priest for reportedly insulting Hindus, inciting religious unrest, and for disrupting Hindu, Christian, and Muslim unity.
In a video posted on social media, the priest said he regretted what he said, but authorities said they would pursue the complaints filed against him. - RVA News
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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