By Francis Sunil Rosario

Kolkata: BRBC stands for ‘Bengal Regional Bishops’ Council. It consists of eight ecclesiastical provinces in West Bengal and Sikkim. The Archdiocese of Calcutta is the Metropolitan Archdiocese having seven suffragan dioceses. They are Asansol, Bagdorgra, Baruipur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Krishnagar and Raiganj.

The Catholic population in Bengal region is approximately 750,000. The predominant languages spoken by the various ethnic communities are Bengali, Hindi, Santali, English, Nepali, Tamil and Malayalam. Among them, the most common languages are Bengali, Hindi, Santhali, English and Nepali. These also make the Catholic ethnic communities and their dreams for the future.

During the post Second Vatican era, when other continents, i.e. Latin America, Africa, United States of America and parts of European Churches began to theologize their mission perspective and towards contextualization of the socio-cultural-pastoral realities, Bengal had to wait until 1984 when this ecclesiastical body was awakened.

The dream of BRBC was proposed and eventually its statues were promulgated since January 1, 2012. This only shows how slow Bengal has been in the process to theologize and its many endeavors to make the Church vibrant and spirit-filled. The Church in Bengal was not yet ready to launch its ‘reach out programs’ in an organized ways and to take up the challenges posed by the Vatican Council.

Bengal has remained very much maintenance model Church and good in sending excellent reports. The real thrust, purpose and specific goals have remained vague and confusing. One of the major areas, where the Church should have been active to promote ‘Lay leadership’ has remained only a dream.

Thanks to the Bishop of Darjeeling, who proposed at the meeting (2021) that there should be collaborative leadership between the Church hierarchy and the laity. Any barriers between these two should be removed and the Church should be more open to take the laity into confidence. These meetings have not created opportunities to develop the Lay leadership in the light of the documents of Second Vatican council and subsequent documents.

As someone commented, that we are still a ‘sleeping giant.’ When are we to wake up amid the political upheavals that are taking place all over? What are we afraid of? Are we not called for a prophetic mission and even ready to die for the cause of Christ? The dictum that said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, others follow later.’

As the count down for the assembly poll is nearing, the political debates are heating up and the politics of confrontation, violence of different forms are alive today. Who cares for the poor who struggle to survive and find appropriate support due to the pandemic and other sociopolitical reasons to marginalize them further?

In such context, the role of the Church is demanding. Are we not called to be the ‘Light and salt’ of the earth? When are we to move away from ‘Maintenance’ to real actions, that will give hope to the people who feel insecure, abandoned and heavily burdened with taxes and rising prices of essential commodities?

Over 30 years of BRBC’s existence with its promulgation of statues in 2012, it is a high time this ecclesiastical body made an action plan. Pope Francis has already set the agenda for the Global Church with his apostolic encyclicals, ‘Evangelii Gaudium,’ ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ ‘Gaudete et Exsultate,’ ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Fratelli Tutti.’

If Bengal has to move forward in the evangelizing mission, in a practical way with right discernment and relevant focus to the imbalanced structures, and the dominant forces that continue to marginalize the larger communities, the forum has to take up such agendas that can make the Church true ‘Light and salt’ of the earth and to enlighten the darkened world with its values of the Beatitudes and evangelical counsels.

Too much of spiritualizing our real concerns will only keep the Church within the maintenance model rather than becoming true leaven to the society and the Church at large.

In his latest ‘Let us dream – a path to a better future’ Pope Francis has already presented a road map to make the Church vibrant and effective for the common good.

• We have to see clearly, choose well and Act right
• redesign economy in order everyone has dignity
• ‘Globalized indifference (Abraham and Lazarus)
• Hyper Inflation of individualism
• Narcissism, discouragement and Pessimism and not open to the periphery
• Over emphasis on the GDP not the optioned Change of Era – New Wine new Skin – Post Covid 19 new normal
• Maternal economy, doughnut Economy: Care for the poor and Creation!
• Women’s role in the Church (Effectiveness and interventions)
• The Role of the Laity and towards building effective lay leadership
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In the light of the above, we can think collectively, ‘Where are we actually moving? and ‘Where the BRBC is moving’ Quo Vadis? Will BRBC be prepared to create ‘New heaven and new earth’ for Bengal?