Church wants deletion of "remarks" made in Mizo Assembly

Aizawl, Mar 31(UNI) The Roman Catholic Church today strongly reacted to a "controvercial" debate on conversion of people in the Mizoram Assembly and demanded deletion of some remarks from the proceedings record.

In supplementary to a starred question whether or not the Falkawn Referral Hospital would be sold to any private organisation, Congress member Lalrinliana informed the House last Wednesday that as many as 49 villagers of Falkawn were converted to the RC Church because the latter promised them jobs in the hospital, which was said to be handed over to the Church.

In response to the Congress MLA's question, state health minister R Tlanghmingthanga said that the villagers' motive of converting to the RC was "so trivial", and adding that the converts were "pitiful" because the hospital would not be handed over to the RC.

As these remarks can be construed as the Roman Catholic had lured the people with jobs, the Christ the King Cathedral Parish under which falls Falkawn village, came up with a statement today.

"In a follow-up to the 'Evangelization 2000' programme, Christ the King Cathedral engaged itself in evangelism within the parish, and consequently, a good number of Protestants have joined the RC Church and even a St Thomas Church had been set up at Falkawn," the statement said. So far as the "handing over" of the Falkawn Referral Hospital to the Roman Catholic Church was concerned, the Church clarified that rumours and newspapers reports were all Roman Catholic in Mizoram knew, it added.

"If these remarks have been made in the House as reported in the newspapers, we demand the authority to delete the remarks from the assembly proceeding record," said the statement signed by Dr Luke Sangkima and Peter Lalsanga, vice-president and secretary respectively of the parish pastoral council.

UNI ZS PC RD 1922