(Image representation: The Christian Post)
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has said that they would restrict foreign donations to Missionaries of Charity, a charity group founded by Mother Teresa. The reason is that they discovered “adverse inputs” when reviewing the renewal application of the charity group on Christmas day.
Consequently, it was said that the faith-based nonprofit no longer meets eligibility requirements under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act.
In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity was founded by Mother Teresa, the Roman Catholic nun in Kolkata, India. The charity runs schools and orphanages for abandoned children including soup kitchens and other charitable operations. According to the organization’s website, it is dedicated to the “service of the poorest of the poor, irrespective of social class, creed or color.”
The site added that they “deliberately choose to show God’s concern for the poorest and the lowliest, remaining right on the ground, while offering immediate and effective service to those in need, until they can find someone who can help them in a better and more lasting way.”
This decision by the government has been reported as an attack on the religious minority in the country. The emergence of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India since 2014, the laws on foreign funding of non-governmental organizations has tightened.
According to the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, Christians make up 2.5% of the country’s population. Meanwhile, Hindus make up almost 80% of the population.
Some states have implemented the “anti-conversion” law which restricts individuals from being forcefully converted from one religion to another. A spokesperson for the Missionaries of Charity said that the organization has never been involved in any forceful religious conversion of people in the country. The spokesperson said, “We have not converted anyone or forced anyone to marry into Christian faith.”
The New York Times reported that for the group to carry out its humanitarian work, the group depends majorly on foreign donations. The missionary is presently suffering a setback as it is being denied its vital resources. However, the decision of the Indian government can be appealed.
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