EWTN News reports on the diverse reactions of the Christian community in India to the recent state assembly elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam. While Christians in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu found relief in the electoral setbacks suffered by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party’s historic victory in West Bengal and its third consecutive term in Assam have caused significant alarm and frustration among the Christian minorities in those regions. The report highlights concerns over voter disenfranchisement in West Bengal and the complete absence of Christian representation in the Assam legislature, prompting Cardinal Anthony Poola to issue a statement urging new governments to serve the “most vulnerable” and build a “more just, inclusive, and equitable India.” This article, while presenting itself as a mere news report, inadvertently exposes the inherent dangers of relying on the shifting sands of secular democratic processes for the protection of the Faith, a peril that the Church has consistently warned against, emphasizing instead the absolute necessity of the Social Kingship of Christ.
The Illusion of “Vibrant Democracy” and the Primacy of Christ the King
The report’s framing of the election outcomes, particularly the concerns raised by Christian leaders, implicitly places hope in the mechanisms of secular democracy as the ultimate safeguard for religious minorities and the common good. Cardinal Anthony Poola’s statement, as quoted, exemplifies this misplaced reliance: “The true measure of a vibrant democracy lies not just in the successful conduct of elections but in the steadfast commitment of elected leaders to serve the most vulnerable. We urge the new governments to work hand-in-hand with all institutions to build a more just, inclusive, and equitable India.” While the sentiment to serve the vulnerable is commendable from a purely human perspective, the Church’s teaching is unequivocal that true justice, inclusivity, and equity can only be found under the reign of Christ the King. Pope Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas, explicitly addresses the futility of seeking lasting peace and order outside of Christ’s dominion:
> “When God and Jesus Christ – as we lamented – were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed, because the main reason why some have the right to command and others have the duty to obey was removed. For this reason, the entire human society had to be shaken, because it lacked a stable and strong foundation.”
The very notion of a “vibrant democracy” that operates independently of God’s law, or one that merely urges elected leaders to “serve the most vulnerable” without acknowledging the divine source of all authority and the ultimate purpose of human society, is a modernist abstraction. The Church teaches that “His reign, namely, extends not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ” (Leo XIII, Annum sanctum, quoted in Quas Primas). Therefore, the true measure of a just society is not its democratic processes, but its conformity to the divine constitution of the Church and the public acknowledgment of Christ’s sovereignty.
The Secular Trap: “Incidental” Faith and Identity Politics
The article’s discussion of Joseph Vijay’s victory in Tamil Nadu provides a stark illustration of the secular trap. Father Charles Antony, editor of the New Leader, notes that while Vijay is “Catholic,” “his Christian identity is incidental to his politics. Attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag against him, paradoxically, may have helped consolidate minority votes.” This statement reveals a profound theological error: the reduction of one’s Catholic identity to an “incidental” aspect of political maneuvering, rather than the very foundation and guiding principle of all public and private life. The Church has always taught that faith is not a private matter or a mere demographic category to be leveraged for votes, but the supreme guide for all human action and the source of true freedom.
Furthermore, the article highlights the BJP’s “anti-Christian propaganda” and “attacks from the BJP [on his Christian identity] with ‘minority’ tag.” This points to the divisive nature of identity politics, which fragments society along religious, ethnic, or caste lines, rather than uniting it under the universal banner of Christ. The Church condemns such divisions, as they contradict the unity of the Mystical Body of Christ. The pursuit of “inclusivity” and “equity” through secular means, as urged by Cardinal Poola, often leads to a false sense of security and a dilution of doctrinal clarity, as it prioritizes worldly political solutions over the supernatural means of grace and the explicit preaching of the Gospel.
The Peril of Voter Disenfranchisement and the Absence of Representation
The article expresses alarm at the “controversial, hurried action of the Election Commission of India that disenfranchised more than 9 million, or 12%, of its 76 million voters under a Special Intensive Revision of the voter list” in West Bengal, and the fact that “there is not a single Christian in the Assam Assembly now, though Christians account for 3.7% of the state’s 31 million people.” These concerns, while valid from a secular democratic standpoint, underscore the inherent instability and injustice that can arise when the foundations of society are not built upon the immutable principles of divine law. The Church, while defending the rights of its members, does not pin its hopes on electoral outcomes or proportional representation as the ultimate solution. Instead, it calls for the establishment of Christ’s reign in all aspects of society, which alone can guarantee true justice and protect the rights of all, including minorities.
The frustration voiced by Christian leaders regarding the BJP’s victories in West Bengal and Assam, while understandable, also reveals a subtle reliance on political power structures for the Church’s well-being. The Church’s mission is not to seek political dominance or special privileges within secular states, but to convert souls and establish the Kingdom of God. The Syllabus of Errors explicitly condemns the idea that “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church” (Proposition 55), and affirms the Church’s right to exercise its authority independently of civil power.
The Church’s Mission: Beyond Political Activism
The article’s focus on election results and political reactions, while newsworthy, ultimately distracts from the Church’s primary mission: the salvation of souls and the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom. The Church’s engagement with the world is not about securing favorable political outcomes or protecting its institutional interests within secular frameworks, but about proclaiming the Gospel, administering the sacraments, and forming consciences according to divine truth. The modernist error, as condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, seeks to reduce the Church to a purely social or humanitarian institution, stripping it of its supernatural character and mission.
The concerns raised by the Christian leaders in India, while reflecting genuine anxieties, ultimately highlight the limitations of secular democracy and the dangers of placing ultimate hope in political processes. The Church’s teaching is clear: true peace, justice, and order can only be achieved when individuals, families, and states publicly and privately recognize the sovereignty of Christ the King and submit to His divine law. As Pope Pius XI stated, “If men were ever to recognize Christ’s royal authority over themselves, both privately and publicly, then unheard-of blessings would flow upon the whole society, such as due freedom, order, and tranquility, and concord and peace.” The path forward for the faithful is not through political activism or reliance on secular “democracy,” but through prayer, penance, and the unwavering proclamation of the integral Catholic Faith, which alone can transform hearts and societies according to God’s will.
Source:
India’s state elections deliver split verdict for Christian community (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 06.05.2026