Jharsuguda: Catholic priests should get rid of their stereotype mindsets that subscribe to male chauvinism and learn to recognize and promote women religious’ contributions to the Church and society.
This was the clarion call from a pastoral planning meeting of Sambalpur diocese in Odisha state, eastern India.
“The religious Sisters need to be given space in decision making process in different levels in the diocese,” asserted 82 priests and nuns who attended the March 10-11 workshop at Jharsuguda, the diocesan headquarters.
Bishop Nirajan Sual Singh of Sambalpur, who opened the workshop, said the purpose of the workshop aimed to foster among Church workers understanding of partnership and collaboration in the mission.
The meet acknowledged lack of proper recognition of the nuns’ contributions in the diocese. Priests, both diocesan and religious, need to overcome their patriarchal mindsets and recognize women religious as equal partners in the ministries, the participants said.
Another area of concern was collaboration and cooperation among different religious congregations in the diocese. Meaningful collaboration and collective decision among the religious and diocesan clergy is a must for common good, the workshop stressed.
Montfort Brother Varghese Theckanath, a social scientist and the main resource person, stressed the need for making the pastoral plan specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
The workshop, he explained, was a moment of collective leadership experience in the diocese. He then explained basic qualities of a leader as the ability to reinforce values, purpose and meaning. An effective leader also possesses the ability to create vision and strategy and build community.
Bishop Singh, who spoke on ‘Consecrated Life,’ called for recognizing women as equal partners and changing laws to accommodate them.
Fr. Ajay Kumar Singh, director of the Bhubaneswar-based Odisha Forum for Social Action, highlighted the contemporary situation of Dalit, Adivasi, and Minority communities in Odisha.
Referring to the current political situation he noted increasing threats to India’s secular, egalitarian and democratic constitution. “Four of the five constituents in the preamble are in slippery mode; socialist, secular democratic republic. India chose to be socialist country. The huge divide between rich and poor reflects that it did not consolidate on these principles; rather yield into capitalist economy.”
He also noted that India’s democracy was slowly giving way to majoritarianism that could destroy the plurality of the nation.
“There are challenges from caste, communal and corporate forces that undermine the empowerment of Adivasi, dalit and minority communities. The democratic organs of the state too in complicit and violate the rights of the margins and ethnic religious minorities,” he added.
Sr. Julie George, another social activist, explained how society perpetuates discrimination among different sections of society; such as adivasi, dalit and minorities. Women, she added, were at the receiving end in all areas, including the Church. “It is quite alarming that we violate the rights of these vulnerable groups whose rights and dignity God has asked us to protect and promote,” she said.
The meeting ended with a panel discussion that addressed various issues and challenges among priests, nuns and religious working in the diocese.
Bishop Singh, who summarized the workshop outcome, stressed the need for proper communication among all sections in parishes. He urged the participants to imbibe a sense of ‘We feelings’ and belongingness in the diocese.
“I do feel it is act of God that both religious and diocesan clergy came together to discuss the commonality of our mission and call for society recognizing the uniqueness of our charism and common purposes,” the bishop told Matters India.
He said the workshop helped the Church workers come closer and work for the welfare of people overcoming misunderstandings and rifts among them. “More importantly, both the diocesan clergy and men religious felt the need to reflect, recognize and realize the need to overcome patriarchal and feudal mindset and give due respect the women religious as equal stakeholders with dignity,” Bishop Singh said.
The prelate asserted that justice, peace and equality cannot be established in society if people held on to their stereotype mindsets.