Kathmandu
(AsiaNews)
- "Today, secularism and minority rights are fundamental to democracy. This is
why they will be guaranteed in the new Constitution",
announced the Prime Minister of Nepal,
Sushil Koirala, yesterday
during overseeing the possessions
and properties scattered around the country that belonged to the former royal family.
After over 240 years
of Hindu monarchy, in 2007 Nepal
became a secular state. The
interim constitution, which was approved under UN supervision prohibits proselytizing, but allows
all citizens to express their
faith, including through charitable and
missionary activities. The political and economic instability of recent
years - linked to the power struggles
between secular parties - has strengthened pro-monarchist Hindu movements, who are attempting to
curb the rise in conversions since the end of the monarchy's reign.
However, the drafting of the new
Constitution is in progress and the
words of Prime Minister instill confidence
in the various religious communities.
"Democracy - Jesuit Fr. Bill Robinson
told AsiaNews - will be stronger when
the faithful of all religions are
free to exercise their rights and
when the lives of minorities
are respected".
According to a report delivered
yesterday to Koirala, since 2007 the Nepal
Trust Office has identified and placed more than one hundred acres of land
belonging to the family of the last king
under its control. The goal
of the organization is to convert confiscated
property into structures for the population and invest the assets they find in education and
healthcare.