By Saramma Emmanuel

Khandwa: Catholic religious in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have pledged to emulate Pope Francis’ vision in their lives and mission to foster a vibrant Church focused on the advancement of the less privileged.

More than 60 nuns and priests on January 21 attended a special seminar of religious men and women engaged in mission work in the Catholic diocese of Khandwa. The theme of the seminar was “Missionary Discipleship in the Vision of Pope Francis.”

The speakers stressed Pope Francis’ unique qualities such as humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, concern for the less privileged and commitment to interfaith dialogue.

“We as Catholic religious are bound to follow these great examples set by Pope for the wellbeing of everyone especially the people who live in the margins and those need special care,” says Sister Lizy Thomas.

The Holy Spirit nun, director of Uday (dawn) Social Development Society, an NGO of the Holy Spirit Sisters based in Bhopal, was the main speaker who focused on the benevolence of the pontiff that lifted up the morale of the Catholics across the globe.

Quoting from the finding of Gallup International, a global polling organization, Sister Thomas said, “Pope Francis bagged the best leader of the world with 58 percent of those polled backing his ideals.”

The survey result announced in early January, she says other identified candidates were political leaders of different countries.

“This is an endorsement to the view of our pontiff and we need not only to take stock of them but also to practice them for the welfare of the people and the society at large,” Sister Thomas told Matters India on Jan. 27.

“What makes the Pope Francis different from his predecessors is his human centric approach especially the poor and the afflicted rather than the dogmas and rituals”, she points out.

“The pontiff,” she adds, “has shown us with his own life an effective example how the Catholic Church – dioceses, parishes, religious houses and families – can reinvent itself in the spirit of love and unity.”

She quoted a German missionary recently appointed a bishop in Peru as saying that Pope Francis has caused sea change in the Church and brought a ‘paradigm shift’ in by focusing on the margins rather than the center. The Pope works so diligently to bring about transformation within the global Catholic Church. He places the human persons at the center of the concerns of the church and not the dogmas and rituals.

Sister Jaya (one name), a participant, said, “As we work in interior villages we have a greater responsibility to adopt an inclusive approach as has been propagated by the pontiff to reach out every needy in time.”

Divine Word Father Andrew agreed and added that the need of the hour is to plan together for the development of the mission as a whole like the Pope to develop everyone, especially the disadvantaged.

The participants vowed to enhance their knowledge about the constitution of India to be deep rooted in the democratic values and help the people to bargain for their rights and protect them from exploitation.

They also underscored the need for involving themselves with the local leaders and local bodies for clearing misunderstanding about Catholic mission and protect the Christian community from sectarian violence.

The participants promised to promote spirituality rather than religiosity for a greater tomorrow.

Madhya Pradesh is one of the states in the country where Christians face persecutions from right wing Hindu groups.