Ranchi, May 21: Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo today stressed that he fully shared the concerns of Pope Benedict XVI that any discriminatory restrictions on the fundamental rights of religious freedom was ?contrary to the ideals of India?s founding fathers?.

Toppo?s statement came in the wake of BJP?s demand for the introduction of an anti-conversion bill in Jharkhand at the earliest.

?The BJP has run out of issues, particularly in Jharkhand where the party has been placed in a tight spot after Babulal Marandi?s resignation. The party has been raising the conversion issue only to divert people from development issues,? Toppo said.

Toppo?s reaction comes in the wake of a statement issued by state BJP chief Yadunath Pandey in which he had accused the Pope of trying to meddle in the internal affairs of India. Pandey had said in the country everyone was free to embrace a religion and the Pope?s comments had insulted the Hindus and the people of the country at large. He had gone on record demanding an apology from the Pope.

Pope Benedict while welcoming the Indian Ambassador to the Holy See, Amitava Tripathy, who presented his credentials to the holy father at the Vatican had remarked that there were some disturbing signs of religious intolerance in some states which have introduced anti-conversion Bills thereby curbing in a bid to curb religious freedom.

?The Roman Catholic Church does not believe in forced conversion through fraud and allurement. I can stress with authority that so far as the Roman Catholic Church in concerned, there has never been any case of forced conversion,? Toppo stressed.