Darjeeling, India, Jun 5, 2007 / 10:59 am
The first Buddhist convert to Catholicism from the country of Bhutan, Fr. Kinley Tshering, is hoping to return to his Buddhist homeland once his term as rector of St. Joseph’s School in Darjeeling, India is up.
The 49-year-old Jesuit does not know what he would do in his native Bhutan since Buddhism is the state religion and the government, as a policy, does not tolerate other religions. Christians remain social outsiders.
But he told UCA News that he would like to simply be present there and discern God’s will in terms of how to proceed. The priest, who is related to Bhutan's royal family, says he hopes Bhutan will become a democratic nation soon. The new constitution guarantees freedom of conscience, but churches are still not allowed.
However, religious tolerance exists in Thimpu, the capital city, and the priest says the anti-Christian phobia seems to have relented a little in recent years. Furthermore, the royal family “is very tolerant toward Christianity. The present king and all the queens studied in our schools," the priest told UCA News.