R A T I O N A L I S T   I N T E R N A T I O N A L
P O Box 9110, 
New Delhi 110 091, India.
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RATIONALIST INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN # 22
25 October 1999
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Editor: Sanal Edamaruku
 Phone: +91-11-2253255, +91-11-8539526 
   Fax: +91-11-2256042
E-mail: <edamaruku@yahoo.com>
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REMEMBER: The Second International Rationalist Conference
is scheduled to be held at Trivandrum, capital of Kerala,
the southern coastal state in India from 17 to 22 January
2000. Atheist, Freethought, Humanist, Rationalist and 
Secular Humanist leaders from around the globe participate.
Ensure your participation. Registration open now. For more
details, please contact Sanal Edamaruku <edamaruku@yahoo.com>
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INDIAN RATIONALISTS DEFEND THE RIGHT 
TO CRITICISE POPE
-------------------------------------

The Indian Rationalist Association Secretary General Sanal 
Edamaruku today expressed concern that criticism against the
Pope's visit to India is taken as intolerance by some organisations
and political leaders. "Freedom of Expression as it is guaranteed 
in any civilized sate includes the right to criticise
representatives of foreign states, and the Pope is no
exception", said Sanal Edamaruku. "Irresponsible statements
by politicians like former Congress minister Buta Singh, who 
proposes that everybody who voices criticism against the Pope
should be arrested, reflect an alarming degree of
anti-democratic spirit. The government should care for India's
secular and democratic traditions and may receive the Pope as
a state guest without bowing down before him. There is no reason 
to treat the Pope differently than any other state guest.
His position as a religious head may give him special 
authority among Roman Catholics, but it is nothing a modern
secular state has to take into consideration", said
Sanal Edamaruku.

The statement continues: "There is not only the right to
criticise the Pope, but there are good reasons as well.
That is why, whereever the Pope travels he meets with
criticism. When he visited the USA recently, he had to 
face protest demonstrations in several cities. When he
visited France, several thousands of people demonstrated
in Paris with banners and posters reminding of the 
dangerous influence of Vatican policies now, and in history."

"Not only the Hindu organisation VHP, but secular and 
progressive minded Indian citizens are also concerned about
the impact the Pope's visit may have on the country", 
Edamaruku's statement continues. The Pope represents a state
whose recognition as an official state with all official
capacities is controversial even among many Catholics.
The Vatican is nothing but the governing body of the
Catholic church. This once mighty empire has lost much
of its influence in the Western world and seeks to find new
roots in Asia. Since the growth rate of the Catholic church
in the West has come to a standstill long ago or even turned
negative, the Christianisation of Asia has top priority on the
Vatican's agenda. Under these circumstances, the Pope's visit
to India is of high political significance", Edamaruku said.
"It is, in fact, not the fantasy of the VHP, but hard reality
that according to the Vatican's 'Project 2000' as well as the
marathon evangelisation programme of the Christian churches,
nothing less than the conversion of the six million Hindus
of the world is targetted. That those missionary efforts
may by far not be as successful  as expected, is quite another
question. But they are good reasons for a critical approach
towards the Pope. The history of his institution does not improve
his credentials either. It is a history of suppression,
harassement and violence. During the last millennium the
Catholic church has eliminated millions of human beings for
no other fault of theirs than that they have not been Catholics."
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