By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, March 29, 2022: Dalit Christians on March 29 urged the apostolic nuncio to revoke the appointment of Bishop Francis Kalist of Meerut as the new archbishop of Pondicherry-Cuddalore.
Led by the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement, hundreds of people protested in Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, against the a non-Dalit’s appointment as the archbishop of Pondicherry-Cuddalore.
They want the nuncio to appoint a Dalit archbishop. “Otherwise Dalit Christians will stop the consecration of Bishop Kalist scheduled for April 29 in Pondicherry,” M Mary John, president of Dalit movement, told Matters India March 29.
He said the Dalit Christians plan to hold similar protest demonstrations in other parts of Tamil Nadu and in Pondicherry with this demand in coming days.
It noted that no Dalit archbishop has been appointed so far in the Pondicherry-Cuddalore archdiocese. Dalit Christians have protested to end the injustice by demanding the appointment of a Dalit archbishop. However, the Church has appointed a caste archbishop again, John regretted.
Dalits form 64 percent of the Indian Catholic Church. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry they form 75 percent.
“But out of 180 Catholic bishops in India, only 11 are Dalits, and only 2 out of 31 Archbishops are Dalits. Only one of the 17 bishops in Tamil Nadu-Pondicherry is a Dalit,” John explained.
He regretted that the same scam continues in the positions authority, in institutions, education and employment, and in financial resource. The Dalit Policy of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India has said the Dalit Catholics should be given 64 percent representation in all these, he pointed out.
“Dalit people in India have seen the dawn of the day ever since the adoption of the Indian Constitution. But the Dalit Christians are yet to see the dawn of the day in the Catholic Church in India. Caste bishops and archbishops are deceiving the Constitution, the government and these people,” John alleged.
He pointed out Pope Francis’s “clarion call” for the equality and equal rights to the historically oppressed and marginalized peoples.
But the authorities in the Indian Catholic Church ignore this and the Pope’s Indian Ambassador is acts in support of them, the Dalit leader alleged.
The Dalit people condemned Bishop Kalist’s appointment and resolved to stop his consecration. They also demanded immediate resignation of Archbishop George Anthonysamy of Madra-Mylapore, chairman of the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council, owning up for the Church’s failure to find a Dalit archbishop.
Anther demand was that the CBCI should immediately grant 64 percent rights to the Dalit Christians, according to its own Dalit policy.
The protesters want the nuncio to stop promoting caste domination in the Indian Catholic Church by immediately appointing Dalit bishops and archbishops. “Otherwise, he should quit India immediately,” says a press note from the Dalit movement
They also appealed to Pope Francis to stop appointing only caste bishops and archbishops in India. They want the pontiff to uphold social justice and respect the Indian Constitution by appointing Dalit bishops and archbishops for the country.
The Dalit Christians urged the government to enact laws and intervene to end the continued discrimination of the Dalits in the Catholic Church.
They also want the government to ban the nuncio if he continues to promote untouchability and caste discrimination in the Catholic Church.