New Delhi, February 21, 2005: Poor Christian Liberation Movement has been protesting and waging a struggle against ‘discrimination with Converted Dalit Christians’, who form a formidable 70% of the Christian population in India. This majority has been pleading with the 30% powerful minority Non-Dalit Christians to be treated as per doctrine of Christianity. But the Church leadership as well as the elite Christians have been demanding that Dalit Christians be included in the list of Scheduled Castes. They have the Catholic Bishop Conference of India, and other formidable Church Bodies and structures to back them up.

PCLM had submitted a Memorandum to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 27 August 2004 demanding that instead of meeting the demand of the Church leadership of including the converted Christians in the Scheduled Castes, a Dalit Christians Finance & Development Board be constituted for the concerted welfare and development of converted Dalit Christians all over the country. Inclusion of Dalit Christians in the Scheduled Castes is not going to make any difference. PCLM has noted with dismay that the Prime Minister has not responded to their Memorandum till today.

Further, R. L. Francis, National President of PCLM wishes to share the agony of millions of Converted Christians, namely the spiritually humiliating experience of “Rape of Faith” better explained in Hindi as “Astha ka Balatkar”. Though PCLM and other Dalit Christian groups have enunciated and made plain their demands confer “New Delhi Declaration 2002” yet the powerful non-Dalit Christian minority in India and the Church Authorities and Organizations have other plans especially the plan (call it hidden agenda) linked with Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Federation of Asian Bishop’s Conference. Ironical yet true both these Church Authorities have the full backing of the Vatican. It is a complex international conspiracy to keep converted Dalit Christians as Scheduled Caste and eternal slaves because this simplifies and eternalizes the Christian programme of Evangelization.

Another important matter to be treated is why isn’t Vatican State, the supreme internationally acclaimed Church Authority paying ‘compensation’ for a sin greater than “sexual perversion” of a few of its Holy priests? In U.S.A. the Catholic Church Authorities have shelled out millions of Dollars to pay as compensation for the sexual perversion of a few Catholic priests. Isn’t the collective sin of 30% Non-Dalit Christians “Astha ka Balatkar” sufficient reason / cause for Vatican to pay millions of dollars ‘compensation’ to the deserving Dalit Christian Organizations / Movements? Thus credible Dalit Christian organizations can stand on their legs and fight a battle of righteousness and live dignified Christian lives.