By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, Aug 17, 2020: The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) on August 17 mourned the death of Sister Caridad Paramundayil, the first woman to edit a major Catholic publication in the country.
Sister Paramundayil died of a cardiac arrest earlier in the day at a hospital in Kolkata, eastern India.
The 71-year-old member of the Sisters Adorers Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament and Charity “was the editor of The Herald from 1994 to 1997, a period when Pope John Paul the Second, now saint, was repeatedly talking about the untapped “feminine genius, “ so essential for the Church and the world,” says a condolence message from the Indian Catholic press body.
Acknowledging that Sister Caridad’s death a huge loss to the media apostolate and works of charity of the Church, ICPA president Ignatius Gonsalves says “her legacy as a pioneering woman editor would live on, inspiring many, especially the women religious of India,” says the message signed by
He also regrets that “even the small gesture” of Pope Francis to allow women in the feet washing ritual was not universally accepted.
“It is noteworthy that Sister Caridad had all the qualities of head and heart essential for an Editor- academic qualifications in many subjects including History, Psychology ,Education and Theology, knowledge of many languages and a preferential option for the marginalized,” the ICPA message adds.
Gonsalves also noted that Sister Caridad was engaged in the rehabilitation of sex workers for several years in various parts of the country.
“In the right conditions she would have blossomed as the ‘Mother Angelica of India’,” Gonsalves concludes.
Mother Angelica or Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, (1923-2016), was a Catholic American Poor Clare nun best known for her television personality. She was also the founder of the internationally broadcast cable television network Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and the radio network WEWN. EWTN eventually became a voice for Catholics worldwide.