New Life Church under fire from Hindus and Catholics

CONVERSION CHAOS: Catholics and Hindus say New Life Church is responsible for triggering communal violence.

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New Delhi: The New Life Church is under fire from both Roman Catholics and Hindus for sparking off communal violence in Mangalore.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and the Bishop of Mangalore Dr Aloysius Paul D'souza may be battling each other over several issues, but they both seem to have targeted the evangelical church for disrupting the religious harmony in the state.

The New Life is a fringe protestant church and is a part of several new-age revival groups, which are tired of the orthodox Catholic churches.

Local Catholics claim that they are being targeted by groups such as the Bajrang Dal for the alleged proselytisation.

“We never do forced conversions. It is not our job,” the Bishop says.

However, the Bishop's denials don’t seem to be cutting ice with Hindu groups like the Bajrang Dal and the Sri Rama Sena.

Determined to rake up the anti-conversion issue, they are unwilling to make a distinction between Catholics and the fringe Christian groups.

With the state police now under pressure to act against the Hindu groups who have destroyed churches, the Chief Minister is trying to send a message that an entire community cannot be targeted.

“I came to know that the New Life Church is converting people. I requested Catholic Bishop to help us but he's helpless like us,” Yeddyurappa says.

The New Life Church denies allegations of land grabbing and forced conversions, saying it’s working amongst the poor.

“We are totally indigenous. We do not have any official link to any Christian organisation or mission anywhere in the world,” Head, New Life Church, Karnataka, Pastor V H Samuel, says.

But so far the New Life Church hasn’t provided convincing answers to reports that its religious literature is targeting the majority community and is getting foreign funds.

In the meanwhile though, with the Bajrang Dal determined to take its battle to the streets, innocent Catholics of coastal Karnataka seem caught in the crossfire.