Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Diocese of Poona
Poona (Fides News Agency) – In the Indian state of Maharashtra, in west-central India, the local Catholic community is having to carry out its pastoral life and its evangelizing mission while dealing with the "Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act 2026," a measure approved by the State Legislative Assembly and which came into force on August 28, following the assent of the President of the Republic of India.
The stated aim of the law is to prevent religious conversions obtained through force, fraud, coercion, false statements, inducements or undue pressure. The law punishes acts such as offering money or gifts, promising employment, guaranteeing free education, holding out the prospect of marriage or a better lifestyle, or invoking divine healing with the purpose of inducing someone to change religion. Presenting one faith as superior to another with the intention of facilitating a conversion may also fall within the scope of the law.
Penalties can include up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 rupees, while repeat offenders may face up to ten years in prison. The burden of proof falls on the person accused of inciting or encouraging conversion, while a complaint may also be filed by a relative or acquaintance of the alleged “victim”. This provision could expose priests, religious men and women, pastoral workers and ordinary faithful to legal proceedings based on allegations not made by the person directly concerned.
The wording of the legislation has an impact on the lives of Christians, as Bishop Simon Almeida of Poona, a diocese in Maharashtra, told Fides: “Maharashtra is the 13th Indian state to have passed a law on ‘freedom of religion’, which is essentially an anti-conversion law. It should be said that, although Catholics are in no way involved in or intent on promoting conversion to the Christian faith, there are people who would like to know Christ for whom this path has now become more difficult or subject to burdensome restrictions.”
The Bishop, who leads a community of 92,000 Catholics, notes: “We find ourselves unable to state that Jesus is the one God and the one Saviour: this statement could be interpreted as a comparison with and delegitimization of other faiths. Even in preaching in church, we must be very cautious.”
“With this restrictive legislation, our preaching is objectively facing difficulties,” he reiterates.
The issue, the Bishop points out, is particularly significant because “in Maharashtra, as throughout India, there are many Catholic social institutions working in the fields of education, healthcare, social assistance, and support for the poor, Dalits and tribal communities. Their work could be scrutinized or accused of proselytism.”
In a state governed by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party – the same party that governs India at the federal level – “our approach is always one of dialogue. We never seek confrontation, but we intend to open talks with the government so that the aim of preventing coercive conversions does not spill over into the denial of fundamental rights such as freedom of conscience,” he concludes.
The United Christian Forum of India, in a memorandum addressed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also asked the state government to review the legislation and postpone its implementation. “Christian charity,” the memorandum stresses, “is not aimed at seeking new followers, but is freely given love for every person, welcomed and loved in his or her fundamental dignity as an image of Christ.”
Christians in the state are invoking the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to profess, practise and propagate one’s religion, while subjecting the exercise of this right to considerations of public order, morality and public health.
(PA) (Fides News Agency, 11/9/2026)
