By C V Joseph
Bengaluru, Feb. 16, 2020: Any kind of discrimination that separates people of this great nation on the basis of religion cannot be accepted, India’s Catholic bishops asserted on February 15, the fourth day of their 34 plenary assembly in Bengaluru.
The bishops, who belong to three different ritual Churches, had their separate meetings but deliberated on the plenary theme, “Dialogue: The Path to Truth and Charity,” besides addressing pastoral concerns of their individual Churches.
The plenary is being held at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, managed by the Indian Catholic Church.
The Churches began the day offering Mass in their respective Rites.
Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro led the Mass for the plenary of the bishops belonging to the Latin rite.
He was assisted by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) and Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Daman, the president of Latin rite bishop’s conference.
All 132 of the Latin rite bishops participated in the Mass.
In his homily, the Nuncio said, “Jesus teaches the new Torah with authority as he is God.” The words, “I say to you,” were equivalent to claiming the authority of God. The newness of the savior Jesus Christ is, He himself fulfills the commandments with the love of God.
Swearing is a form of insecurity and we are called to establish in our families, parishes and dioceses a climate of clarity and mutual trust so that we can be considered sincere without resorting to greater tactics in order to be believed. Mutual suspicion is always a threat to peace, the nuncio said.
The proclaimers of the Prayers of the Faithful offered prayers in various Indian languages to show the linguistic plurality and richness of the Indian Catholic Church.
The opening of the 32 Plenary Assembly of the Latin bishops, or Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), began with a prayer to the Holy Spirit and the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries.
CCBI vice president Bishop George Antonysami welcomed the gathering and said CCBI is the largest bishops’ conference in Asia and the fourth largest in the world.
“It observes, judges and acts on important aspects in the mission of aggiornamento (the process of bringing up to date methods, ideas etc. or to revise, update) in the Indian context. It is the need of the hour to strike a healthy balance between two fundamental dimensions such as the inward-looking Church and the outward-looking Church. We have an important role, not just to shape the public opinion but the greater need of forming the public conscience. The Indian Church needs to act at once.”
Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrão, in his presidential address, expressed his joy over the plenary assembly as well as participation of Christians in the nation building. He expressed his appreciation for the efforts made for the growth of the Indian Church at all fronts.
CCBI secretary general Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi presented the CCBI statutes and pastoral plan of the CCBI to the bishops appointed after the last plenary.
The day also saw the release of the new English Lectionary (3 Volumes) along with Book of Gospels, Rite of Administering Marriage, Rite of Administering Sacrament of Confirmation and Querida Amazon jointly by the nuncio, Cardinal Gracias and Archbishop Felipe Neri.
The Qurbana (Mass) in the Syro-Malabar Rite was presided over by Bishop Raphael Thattil of Shamshabad (Hyderabad), along with other prelates of the Oriental Church.
In his homily, Bishop Thattil exhorted the faithful to do everything for the love of the Church to inherit the heavenly kingdom.
“Our actions should be motivated for the salvation of our souls,” he added.
Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Church, addressed the faithful at the end of the Qurbana. The Syro-Malabar Catholics living in and around the college campus participated in the Mass.
The bishops then spent the day discussing various topics related to the activities of the Church. Cardinal Alencherry chaired the sessions.
Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, head of the Syro-Malankara Church, the other Oriental rite, presided over the synod meeting that began at 9:30 am.
The synod addressed the theme and decided to propose to the faithful to keep a positive, constructive and friendly attitude when they relate with the people of other religions. The bishops said the reality of Indian diversity demands friendship and dialogue.
The synod further deliberated on the present scenario in India, especially on political polarization and religious fundamentalism. Any kind of discrimination that separates people of this great nation on the basis of religion cannot be accepted, the Malankara prelates said.
“The sacred Constitution of India has to be respected and valued at any cause,” the synod also asserted.