Telangana Christian leaders demand burial grounds, pastors’ honorarium and anti-hate speech law
Leaders representing 42 Christian denominations and church networks in Telangana have demanded burial grounds, a fixed monthly honorarium for pastors, an anti-hate speech law and greater political representation. The demands were adopted at a meeting organised by TUCPA in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: Leaders representing as many as 42 Christian denominations and church networks across Telangana have demanded immediate allocation of burial grounds, a fixed monthly honorarium for pastors, legislation against hate speech and adequate political representation for the community.
The demands were unanimously adopted at a high level emergency meeting recently organised by the Telangana United Christians Pastors Association (TUCPA) in Hyderabad.
Representatives of major traditional and independent church bodies, including Baptist, Church of South India (CSI), Methodist, Lutheran, Mennonite, Hebron and Pentecostal denominations, along with prominent community leaders, participated in the meeting.
The Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was urged to fulfill the promise of allocating adequate land for Christian burial grounds that he made during State government’s official Christmas celebrations last year.
The resolution made four key demands including statewide allocation of burial grounds to ensure that Christian families have dignified and adequate space to conduct last rites, fixed monthly honorarium for Christian pastors, enactment of an anti-hate speech law to curb communal provocation and protect minority communities and their institutions and political and administrative representation for Christians.
TUCPA General Secretary Goneh Solomon Raj called for concrete government action on the issues raised.
