The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Use of languages other than Kannada in churches opposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Use of languages other than Kannada in churches opposed

By Our Staff Correspondent

By Our Staff

Correspondent

MYSORE, SEPT. 12. The District Awareness Committee (Kannada implementation) has appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to prevent the use of other languages in church prayers and rituals in Mysore district.

Memorandum

In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, M.B. Vishwanath, member of the committee, said a few churches were violating the five-point agreement arrived at in June 1988 over languages used in churches.

Anglo-Indians

Mr. Vishwanath said while the Pushpashrama Church in R.S. Naidu Nagar was conducting services in Tamil, the church in Hinkal was doing so in English.

He also pointed out that there was no considerable Anglo-Indian population attending the church at Hinkal.

The church at R.S. Naidu Nagar had been circulating prayer copies in Tamil published using the Kannada script.

By violating the agreement, Mr. Vishwanath said, these churches had revived the language problem in the churches of the region.

He said an order issued by the Vatican had also suggested the use of local languages for rituals and prayers in the churches.

Mr. Vishwanath said the Kannada groups were not opposed to conducting prayers in languages other than Kannada when the tourists come to offer prayers.

He said such gestures from the local Christians were being misused by allowing prayers in languages other than Kannada.

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