By Matters India Reporter

Varanasi, Feb 24, 2020: An advocacy group for progressive Catholic religious nuns, brothers and priests in India has asked top Church bodies to oppose openly laws that try to divide citizens in the country.

“The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) are divisive, discriminatory and draconian,” the Forum for Justice and Peace, known as Forum, stated February 24 at the end of their 14th national convention in Varanasi.

Around 50 members of the 500-strong group of priests and nuns working among grassroots groups met February 22-24 at Vishwa Jyoti Gurukal to address the theme, ‘Prophetic Response to the Signs of the Times.”

The group describes the citizenship laws as unconstitutional and “obviously part of a larger strategy” to establish a fascist state based on the ‘Hindutva’ ideology.

It says the controversial laws have caused discontent forcing hundreds of thousands of women, men and youth to protest all over the country. The CAA, the group says, uses religion that goes against the “secular fabric“ of the country.

The forum has resolved to collaborate with other groups to get the CAA revoked and ensure the non-implementation of NPR and NRC.

The group wants the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and the Conference of Religious India, the national body of major superiors of the Catholic congregations, to issue public statements asking the federal government to immediately revoke CAA and stop the implementation of NRC and NPR.

The forum also asks the religious congregations to mainstream and implement their chapter documents that stress the need to get involved with the poor and marginalized.

The full text of the statement follows:

XVI National Convention of the Forum for Justice and Peace (FORUM)

Prophetic response to the signs of the times
February 22-24, 2020
Vishwa Jyoti Gurukul, Christnagar, Varanasi

FINAL STATEMENT

We, the members of the Forum for Justice and Peace (FORUM) were together for three days (22 – 24 February 2020) at the Vishwa Jyoti Gurukul, Varanasi, for our XVI National Convention. The focus of this convention was on our ‘Prophetic Response to the Signs of the Times’. Besides our own deliberations/interactions, several resource persons provided us with various insights on the theme.

As we read the signs of the times, we have become even more painfully aware that the realities in our beloved Motherland, India, is extremely serious! Economically, the country is in shambles: the GDP is an all-time low; unemployment is an all-time high; the few rich become richer and the poor, poorer, with the gap between them increasing. Public sector companies (like the LIC and Air India) are being sold out and banks are on the verge of collapse. The Government has been using the monetary reserves from the RBI. Major Constitutional and other independent bodies are either caged parrots or have to bow to the whims and fancies of their political masters. Farmers continue to commit suicide. Violence has become the order of the day with ‘lynching’ the new normal. The working classes are denied their legitimate rights. The social sector is in the doldrums. The education of our children is being eroded; besides, the Government is clearly moving towards the nationalisation of education. Those in power, spew venom on others through their hate speeches and get away with impunity. Mainstream media is sold out, the police in most cases are partisan and the judiciary has become pliant. The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A with regard to Kashmir has defied all logic. Every effort is made to stifle and paralyse civil society groups and individuals. Those who take a stand for pluralism, human rights, justice and peace have false cases foisted on them, are denigrated, attacked and even killed! At the receiving end of a vindictive system are the poor and excluded, the Dalits and Adivasis, the marginalised and minorities, the small farmers and slum dwellers, women and children (these continue to be sexually abused and trafficked). Every effort is being made to change the essence of our Constitution!

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR) are divisive, discriminatory and draconian. They are unconstitutional and obviously part of a larger strategy for the establishment of a State based on the ‘Hindutva’ ideology, which is fascist in nature. These have been the immediate cause of discontent and protests. Hundreds of thousands of women, men, children and particularly the youth (including students), are protesting all over the country demanding that the CAA be revoked immediately and that the countrywide NRC and the NPR are also withdrawn. Eminent citizens, including top intellectuals and legal luminaires have taken a studied and unequivocal stand against them. The fact that the CAA uses religion, goes against the secular fabric of the country. The selection of only some ‘persecuted illegal immigrants because of religion’, whilst excluding a sizeable number who profess another faith, from three selected countries in the region is unacceptable. It goes against the spirit and heritage of our country which since time immemorial, has been a welcoming home to all, with the belief that the whole world is one big family. With regard to the NRC and NPR: there is concern of the questions that would be asked in order to generate information; about the specific document/s to be produced to prove one’s citizenship. The rules for the implementation of these exercises are not yet in the public domain; there are contradictory statements being made by those in authority; all these have naturally given rise not merely to confusion but also to much angst!

In view of the above, we the members of the FORUM, resolve:

that given the mandate we have as women and men Religious, we personally deepen our prophetic spirituality and responsibility, to effectively respond to Indian reality

that we do all we can to ensure the immediate revocation of the CAA and that the NPR and NRC are not implemented; our engagement will include:

educating our own congregations (communities and formation houses),institutions, villages and others, on the ills of the CAA, NPR, NRC

protesting publicly against the CAA, NRC, NPR

joining hands collaboratively with other women and men of good will (individuals and groups) in these protests

being in touch with competent resource persons and other campaigns/platforms like ‘We the People of India (www.wethepeopleofindia.net ), Citizens for Justice and Peace (www.cjp.in ).

unsubscribing from all mobile servors/ TV channels that propagate these draconian policies

that since the sacred book of all Indian citizens is the ‘Constitution of India’, we will protect and promote its sanctity (particularly the rights and duties enshrined in them) in every possible way; we will also give due place to it in our catechesis and exhibit the ‘Preamble’ in all our institutions

that in keeping with the pluralistic fabric of our country, we will continue to strive to build inclusive communities, through more meaningful interreligious dialogue and the celebration of festivals of other religions

that we meaningfully involve ourselves at the grassroots in the processes leading up to the forthcoming elections in some of the States
Further,

we call upon our Congregational/Religious Leaders at all levels

to ensure the mainstreaming and implementation of our Chapter documents, which emphasize our accompanying and involvement in the life of the poor and the marginalized, the excluded and the victimized, so that we can effectively and prophetically respond to the signs of the times for a more just and peaceful society.

We call upon the Conference of Religious India (CRI)
– to issue a public statement from the CRI asking the Government to revoke the CAA immediately and to stop the implementation of the NRC and NPR- to ensure that women have a greater leadership and decision making role in the Church and society.
to take an unequivocal stand with the victims of abuse both within Church and in society at large

We call upon the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI)
– to issue a public statement on behalf of the Church in India asking the Government to revoke the CAA immediately and to stop the implementation of the NRC and NPR
– to ensure that women have a greater leadership and decision making role in the various Church bodies in India
– to mainstream the Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio issued by Pope Francis in May 2019 and to ensure in a transparent manner that there is zero tolerance to all those who are guilty of sexual abuse and to visibly stand with the victims.

Finally, as FORUM members we pledge, to strengthen the membership of this FORUM encouraging more women and men Religious committed to issues related to justice and peace, to join the FORUM.

-to leave no stone unturned to courageously play a prophetic role in today’s India

24 February 2020
Varanasi