Nagpur: Catholic diocesan priests in India have resolved to adopt a more humane and compassionate approach to protect their faithful from what they call “a tsunami of moral degeneration” confronting modern world.
Priests “must preach more fervently, with conviction, but with kindness and compassion of the love, mercy and forgiveness of God to keep couples and families together and reach out to those who have gone astray,” said the Conference of Catholic Priests in India (CDPI) that met in the central Indian city of Nagpur February 25-27.
Around 75 priests representing several dioceses in India saw increasing threats to marriage and its sanctity in campaigns that support same-sex marriages and civic bodies and NGOs that espouse the cause for LGBT (lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexuals, Transgenders). All this has led to people questioning the validity of Church teaching on such issues, said a statement issued on the final day.
The meet that studied the outcome of the Vatican’s extra-ordinary on The Family held in October 2014, chose as its theme, “Effective Ministry to the Families in the light of the synod.”
The statement regretted widespread erosion and disregard for traditionally held Church teaching and dogma on marital love and the Christian family.
Major threats for the institution of marriage and the family, the priests said, came from new age movements, new philosophies and dangerously changing cultural and thinking patterns on socio-moral and religious issues in India. Added to these are the age-old problems of poverty, caste system, heightened materialism and consumerism.
The priests regretted media blatantly promoting the culture of violence and sexual immorality under guise of ‘tv shows,’ ‘video games,’ movies and advertisements. Promotion of contraceptives has triggered a “tsunami of moral degeneration” in society and priests are called to protect the family and the faith from its aftermath.
Changing ideologies and trends in society have removed the sense of sin and the need for repentance from people, endangering the institution of family.
The priests reiterated that the Church has to remain uncompromising on the doctrine on marriage which, they claimed, was based on reason and divine revelation. The Church’s stand on marriage, therefore, has a prophetic voice in the current mentality shaped by relativism, hedonism and materialism, they asserted.
“But despite the dismal situation, the CDPI considers it absolutely necessary to be kind and compassionate in communicating Church doctrine and dogma and invite polite dialogue instead of rudely turning the faithful away,” the statement says.
A priest should not become meticulous and legalistic when dealing with estranged couples and troubled families that have their spiritual life at stake, the statement says. It wants priests should seek the help of laity and trained professionals to prepare partners for marriage and sustain them in their married life.
We priests must preach more fervently, with conviction, but with kindness and compassion of the love, mercy and forgiveness of God to keep couples and families together and reach out to those who have gone astray. When couples and families are spiritually strong, the world becomes a better place to live in. We priests can affect that change through our ministry.
Accompanying the couple for a reasonable time after marriage through various programs would help strengthen their bonding between the partners. These couples would then be able to reach out to other partners and families facing problems.
Priests and the spiritually and morally mature couples must also reach out to children to guard them from “the harsh and erosive forces in society” that threaten their holistic growth.
All this is possible if only priests keep abreast with the changing trends in society and along with gaining in-depth knowledge about the encyclicals and Church teaching on marriage and family. They have to incorporate them effectively in their preaching and programs for couples and the family, the statement suggests.