Church Backs Legislation To Curb Corruption, Says Archbishop
By SAR NEWS
BANGALORE, Karnataka (SAR NEWS) — The Catholic Bishops of Karnataka have strongly backed the proposed Jan Lok Pal Bill against corruption and expressed hope that the legislation would cover all sections of the people, including politicians.
Addressing a press meet April 20, on the eve of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, President of the Karnataka Region Catholic Bishops’ Council, Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bangalore, said such a bill would help infuse confidence and build trust among the people.
He said the Church stood for justice and was against all forms of corruption and bribe. “The Bible condemns any bribe because it is intrinsically evil, it is immoral… specially so as it goes against the interest of the poor, the downtrodden, who are the ones who suffer,” he said.
“The Church therefore has a duty to join all those concerned working against stopping the menace of corruption,” he said referring to Anna Hazare, a Gandhian and social activist, who is spearheading a nationwide campaign for a strong anti-graft legislation.
“The Church supports the movement of civil right leaders. Corruption needs to be eliminated and such anti-graft movement cannot be carried out by just one person (Hazare) but needs the coordinated efforts of all,” the archbishop said.
Replying to a question, he said the allegations of forced conversions against Christians were far from truth. “If such a thing is happening, whoever makes the allegation should inform the authorities concerned, and the law will take its own course. One should not take law into their own hands,” the archbishop said.
