Recently, Fr. Suresh Mathew, a Catholic priest in north India, issued guidelines for nuns in the region so as to equip them to avoid hate attacks. Are the guidelines helpful in preventing attacks against missionaries?

Yes, the guidelines can be helpful, especially for religious congregations seeking direction amidst growing hostility.

Have you ever faced any threats or problems during your journeys wearing a religious habit?

I belong to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, an apostolic pontifical congregation founded in France in 1800. Historically, we never had a formal habit. After the Second Vatican Council, we returned to our original charism — dressing simply, suited to mission needs. Our constitution, approved by the Vatican, affirms this practice. Personally, I’ve not worn a habit and therefore haven’t encountered threats for my attire.

Do you think changing the dress code is a way to avoid such issues in the future?

In a secular, democratic country, citizens have the right to choose their dress, religion, and way of life. Attacking someone based on religious attire is a violation of constitutional rights, human dignity, and a punishable offence. There is a dangerous mindset promoting one culture, one religion, one language, etc. This goes against the Constitution. India is multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-religious. Today we want the hijab banned, another day the nun’s habit, and another day something else. This is unacceptable. However, due to such fringe elements, religious congregations may have to weigh their priorities. Sometimes discretion ensures the continuity of mission.

What will be the impact of a dress code change, positive or negative?

The mindset of right-wing hooligans will not change even if we do not wear habit in public. But the dress may provoke them to create problems. One has the freedom to wear what one likes. The decision to wear a habit, or not, should be mission-driven, not fear-driven.

Is wearing religious habits mandatory? Why are some provincials denying permission for nuns to travel in ordinary clothes?

The Second Vatican Council’s Perfectae Caritatis (Art. 17) that deals with the adaptation and renewal of religious life, states that the religious habit must be simple, modest, poor, and adapted to the time, place, and ministry. Habits that do not meet these criteria must be changed. Many congregations in India have gone for simple clothing or uniforms better suited to their ministry’s mission. Yet, some congregations have policies that may not allow major changes.

Do the arrests of Malayali nuns in north India create fear among missionaries? How do marginalised communities view nuns in their regions?

After a nun was detained in Odisha, I heard some young sisters express fear about wearing habits in public. Many sisters, some without donning habits or formal attire, continue to live and work among the most marginalised such as Dalits, Adivasis, migrants, women in distress, and children in vulnerable situations.

Are missionaries and nuns facing threats from fundamentalists?

Yes, and the threats are escalating. But more than nuns or priests, it’s the ordinary Christian faithful who are under relentless attack, especially in rural north India and tribal regions. These stories are underreported in mainstream media and often ignored by the Church leadership. As per the Delhi-based United Christian Forum, there were 834 documented attacks on Christians in 2024 alone — assaults, arrests, church vandalism, forced conversions, and denial of burial rights. In Odisha, Christians are denied burials, forced to renounce faith, detained on false charges, and physically assaulted. Tribal villagers now demand ‘ghar wapsi,’ or reconversion, for burial permission; a cruel exchange of faith for dignity in death. Pastors continue to languish in jail under fabricated charges of forced conversion. Hundreds are imprisoned without bail. Meanwhile, the institutional Church remains largely silent.

Fundamentalists allege that nuns engage in religious conversion in tribal areas. What is the ground reality?

These allegations are unfounded and politically motivated. Catholicism has a rigorous, lengthy process for initiation — catechism, preparation, and voluntary acceptance. No one is coerced. In fact, most who choose Christianity, particularly among Dalits and tribals, do so because it offers them dignity, self-worth, and human rights denied by caste-based hierarchies.

How can we stop the ongoing assaults on the Christian community in north India? Any suggestions?

The political leadership should take the initiative and punish the perpetrators of violence. But this may not happen in India. Here, the perpetrators of violence have often been rewarded.

source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/attacking-someone-based-on-their-religious-attire-is-a-violation-of-constitutional-rights-human-dignity/article69905849.ece