The appeal was made in a document dated March 2 and published by the episcopate, which includes Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankar rites.
Auxiliary Bishop Percival Fernandez, secretary-general of the conference, signed the text that was published in anticipation of the general elections next month.
The bishops exhort the faithful to fast and pray for peaceful, fair and free elections. The text urges Catholics and all people of good will to discharge their civic duty with utmost seriousness.
«Every voter has the responsibility to vote for a person who» respects life «from the womb to the tomb as a precious masterpiece of God’s creation» and who «promoters values such as human dignity, social equality, religious harmony and national integrity,» the text says.
Moreover, the ideal candidate must «protect the fundamental rights of all citizens as guaranteed in the Constitution of India, work for the over all development of the poor and the marginalized, and preserve and promote social cohesion, communal harmony and cultural plurality.»
