Modi, Pope Francis and the controversy in India

Some members of the Hindu nationalists flaunt the photo of the embrace with the pontiff to acclaim Modi. The opposition retorts: "Where were they when Christians were attacked in Manipur or Fr Swamy died of unjust imprisonment?". The Bishops' Conference on the invitation to visit the country: "Ready to welcome the Pope with enthusiasm". 

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's embrace of Pope Francis - accompanied by a renewed invitation to visit the country - has become an occasion for political controversy in India still grappling with the dregs of a fiery election campaign that a few days ago saw the Hindu nationalist leader's government reappointed, but with less support than in the two previous rounds. 

In Mumbai, Ashish Shelar, a BJP MP, had posters displayed with the image of the embrace between the pope and Modi, extolling the 'mutual love, commitment and respect shown by both' and the prime minister's invitation to the pontiff to visit India.

It was striking that they were also displayed a few metres from the Holy Family Hospital, the one where Jesuit Fr Stan Swamy died three years ago, after nine months of imprisonment on unjust charges on which the government did not want to intervene.

"If Prime Minister Modi, the BJP and Ashish were so concerned and attentive to the Christian community,' replied Varsha Gaikwad, the local Congress MP, the historic party now in opposition, on the social network X, 'where were they when Christians were persecuted in Manipur, 157 churches were destroyed, more than 70 thousand people were forced to leave their homes?  Fr. Stan Swamy was denied primary aid, tortured to death in prison, implicated in a court case on false charges - where was your love for Ashish Christians then? When a Christian headmaster was tortured in Pune by Hindu fundamentalists, when they removed the habit from a nun in Assam, when the BJP government purposely stripped most Christian institutions of their FCRA licences to receive funds from abroad where were you?"

"Your love for Christians," he added, "is empty and opportunistic just to secure the votes of the larger Christian community. But people have now realised your hypocrisy'.

In Kerala, on the other hand, an ironic tweet by the Congress caused controversy. Alluding to the aura with which the premier inaugurated the Ram temple in Ayodhya a few months ago, he commented on the photograph of the embrace between Modi and the Pope with the caption: 'Finally the Pope got a chance to meet God'.

The post sparked a huge political controversy in the state, following which the party withdrew it. The BJP claimed that the X account of political opponents 'seems to be run by radical Islamists or Maoist guerrillas'.

The Congress publicly apologised to those in the Christian community who felt 'emotional or psychological distress' over the comment. The party argued that the people of the state clearly know that it is not its tradition to insult and denigrate any religion, priests or religious idols, and no member of the party has ever thought of insulting the pope.

"However, the party does not hesitate to mock PM Narendra Modi, who insults the country's faithful by calling himself God" and his "shameless political games".

Beyond these political controversies, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) in a note expressed its joy at the premier's renewed invitation to the pope to visit the country. The text recalled that already during a meeting with his president, Archbishop Andrews Thanzhat, Modi had declared last year that he would do so.

"The Catholic Church in India," writes the Bishops' Conference, "looks forward with enthusiasm to the visit of Pope Francis and is already preparing to welcome him with a warm and warm welcome. As for the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the government, the bishops hope that the meeting between Modi and Pope Francis will lead to "greater collaboration on various issues, including social and environmental problems" in the country.

Finally, it must be remembered that during the election campaign, the governor of Goa, who like Modi is also a member of the BJP, had spoken of an invitation to Pope Francis on the occasion of the ten-year exhibition of the relics of St Francis Xavier, which will be held in the southern city from 21 November 2024 to 5 January 2025. Bergoglio has always been very attached to the figure of the great Jesuit missionary. But the Goa appointment is now very close and it should also be borne in mind that the pontiff will already be engaged in September in the long journey that will take him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.