By Thomas Scaria
Bangalore, May 4, 2020: As churches remain closed with no Masses, ward prayers, or feasts, many Catholic priests “stay at home,” obeying their bishops and government orders.
“But is that priesthood?” asks Father George Kannanthanam, a Claretian social activist.
According to him, the “self-accepted inaction” among priests has given the impression that priesthood is not an “essential service” and that people can survive without them.
The bearded priest claims that more than 90 percent of parish churches in India have not yet responded to the Covid-19 crisis that had made thousands starving. “Not only priests, even some rich lay people have given the notion that the Church is just the building, which now stands as a waste,” he told Matters India.
“We built huge churches and institutions with people’s money but do we enquire how they are surviving now?” he asks.
He regrets that many parish priests consider their duty is only to govern the parish and “not feed the poor.” Many parish priests argue that their dioceses have social service wing to help the poor. He says he cannot understand the reluctance of some priests and rich parishioners to leave “their comfort zone even when the world is burning.
The priests remain inside churches when the whole government machinery is out to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, he says. “District collectors, medical practitioners, police, politicians, teachers, and people’s representative work day and night for people. But where are the priests and religious?” asks Father Kannanthanam, who has been engaged in social service since his ordination 1992.
He says he could not stay at home after the coronavirus pandemic hit the world. He has been visiting thousands of poor families with food kits and medicines for more than a month.
“I firmly believe my vocation to priesthood is to serve the poor,” explained the priest who was on the way to Doddabellapur on the outskirts of Bengaluru to distribute food kits to the poor when Matters India called him. He was accompanied by Siraj Mohiuddin, a Muslim, and Narayanappa, a Hindu, both volunteers in his mission.
He terms it as a crime if “resourceful people” do not help others struggling to survive. “The same is applicable to institutions and organizations, including the Church,” he added.
Not all institutions, priests and nuns are guilty. Some have responded to the need, but they form not even 10 percent of the Christian community, he asserts. He cited the examples of Bangalore archdiocese and some religious congregations that have come forward to help.
The Karnataka chief minister has commended the Jesuits for offering all their institutions as shelter homes for the migrant workers and isolation centers for Covid 10 patients, the priest noted.
“But they were all part of institutional policies, and not individual signs of commitment,” says Father Kannanthanam said.
Speaking of people from other religions who help his mission, Father Kannanthanam asserted,” Social mind has no religion.”
Siraj, one of the volunteers, said his family prepares food packets for minimum 200 people and distributes them to the poor daily, a practice he started much before Ramadan fasting began. Now, he accompanies Father Kannanthanam to remote villages.
The Project Vision, a social service project founded by Father Kannanthanam, has so far reached out to more than 50,000 people in some 10,000 families with food kits during the lockdown period. Local people, mostly non-Christians helped the priest.
V A Pradeesh, a Hindu grocery vendor who has supplied food kits to Father Kannanthanam during the past two months, says he was impressed with the Catholic priest’s presence among the poor and the needy.
“He is serving people irrespective their caste and creed,” said Pradeesh who has also donated 500 kits to the priest to distribute in a slum area inhabited by Muslims.
Father Kannanthanam, who has received the national award for being the best social worker from the Indian president, says he finds meaning in his priesthood when responds to the needs of the people.
“This Covid season has proved that religious services are certainly falling under the non-essential services,” he said and decried some priests’ worry over the dwindling church collections.
“They have also convinced their followers that their religious life is fine if they attend online Masses,” he said with a laugh.