Indian State Seeks Return Of Lands Held By Catholic Missionaries

The Indian state of Chattisgarh has filed 262 cases against the Catholic Church seeking to obtain the return of land on which Catholic missionaries have built hospitals, schools and other institutions. The state's government is controlled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Relying on local legislation that bans the sale of Tribal lands to non-Tribals, in one of the cases a local court has required the Sisters of the Holy Cross return to 12 acres on which they built a monastery and a school. Asia News reported yesterday that more than 80,000 Tribals demonstrated in support of the Catholic Church last Monday. One demonstrator said that the land "was not stolen from us, but was regularly sold to the Church by our ancestors, which now uses it to help. We are happy for the schools and hospitals [because they] educate us and provide us with medical care."