Kochi, June 27, 2020: Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal George Alencherry has urged his people to engage in efforts to increase efficiency in all fields of production to strengthen the nation’s economy.
The 75-year-old cardinal made the call in a pastoral letter issued ahead of July 3, the feast of St Thomas the Apostle who is believed to have introduced Christianity in India in the first century.
The Syro-Malabar Church, larger of the two Catholic Oriental rites in India, observes the feast as the Sabha Dinam (Church Day).
The letter discusses the importance of the various activities that Catholics could undertake and changes they should make in their lifestyle to meet the post-Covid era challenges.
“The pandemic experience invites everyone to a lifestyle of simplicity which is an inevitable component in spiritual renewal,” the pastoral letter says.
“To meet the impending threat of food crisis, every inch of cultivable land should be put to use. The clergy also should take part in this initiative. Small scale industries should be strengthened,” the cardinal says in the letter.
The letter reminds priests and laity to get rid of attitudes and practices that stand in the way of a fruitful Christian life.
“Public conscience should be sharpened against the rising tendency of exploitation and corruption. There should be efficient and democratic means by which these evils may be eradicated,” it says. The letter is to be read in all parishes under the Church that celebrate Mass on Sundays under the government guidelines.
Source: The Indian Express