By Matters India Reporter

New Delhi, Dec 20, 2019: Jesus was born with questionable identities of citizenship, place of origin and even parenthood, points out Father George Pattery, the head of more than 4,000 Jesuits in India, where a recent amendment to the citizenship law has provoked countrywide uproar.

“In fact (Jesus) was born in a makeshift manger while his ‘parents’ were struggling to get themselves registered according to the newly introduced and unquestioned Citizenship Amendment Act of Augustus Caesar,” notes Father George Pattery, provincial of South Asia Jesuits, in a Christmas message on December 20 as the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens of India (NRC) entered the fifth day.

Reports of violence continue to trickle in from various parts of the country, despite a government advisory asking private satellite television channels to not air content likely to instigate violence or affect the national integrity.

The protests erupted after a police crackdown on demonstrators in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15.

Police firing on protesters has led to the death of two persons in Mangalore, southern India, and one in Lucknow, capital of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Father Pattery’s message to confreres, collaborators and supporters raises the questions: “Was he from Nazareth? Bethlehem? from nowhere? from anywhere? of insignificant location? Questions were raised about who his parents were.”

“In fact Jesus belongs to those without identities of citizenship, place of origin and even parents; Jesus belongs to those on the peripheries, struggling on the borders of nation-states for entry, those struggling to get some sort of recognition within nation states and civil societies; Jesus belongs to those born of dubious parents,” the 69-year-old Jesuit says.

“How do we want to celebrate Christmas 2019? With whom do we want to celebrate? Perhaps we have no time to be with ‘seekers of identities’? Perhaps we are ‘sure’ of our identities as Jesuits, Directors, Principals, Provincials, Bishops, and Priests? We have no time to be with seekers of identities, because we have to celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas in any way,” he concludes.