[Hpi] Hindu Priest Joins Spain’s Congress on Religious Minorities

The Hindu priest from Ceuta, Juan Carlos Ramchandani (Pandit Krishna Kripa Dasa), participated in the “International Congress on the Legal Status of Religious Minorities without a Cooperation Agreement” in Spain. This congress was organized by the Public University of Navarra (UPNA), the Pluralism and Coexistence Foundation, and the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain.

The congress aimed to address the challenges of including religious diversity in society, where strong social prejudices and significant legislative discrimination still persist. Academic experts from Spain, France, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Romania, specialized in the study of religious freedom and conscience, came together for this event.

In addition to representatives of faiths without agreements with the government, such as Buddhism, Bahai faith, Church of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, there were also representatives of faiths without “deeply rooted” status: Hinduism, Scientology, and Taoism.

Ramchandani attended as speaker and president of the Hindu Federation of Spain and vice president of the Hindu Forum of Europe. His presentation titled “Hinduism in Spain, an Unusual Status” was part of the section, “The inclusion of Confessions merely listed in the Registry”.

He spoke about the unusual situation of Hinduism, the oldest form of religion in humanity that is still practiced in great numbers, in Spain, where it has a documented presence for 150 years and with approximately 75,000 members of the faith spread throughout the nation, but which lacks the deeply rooted status known as Notorio Arraigo (well-known roots) and therefore lacks official recognition with the privileges and duties that the government of Spain grants to the religious faiths that do have it.

Source: Conversation with Bing
Hindu Priest Joins Spain’s Congress on Religious Minorities.
https://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2024/03/24/hindu-priest-joins-spains-congress-on-religious-minorities/.