By Stanislaus Alla
New Delhi, July 13, 2022: The picture of a bishop kneeling and kissing the hands of the Missionaries of Charity Sisters (founded by St Mother Teresa of Calcutta) as they were welcomed into his diocese is in circulation.
As reported, the MC Sisters were expelled on July 6 from Nicaragua and Bishop Manuel Eugenio Salazar Mora of Tilarán-Liberia in the neighboring Costa Rica, welcomed them. Among the eighteen Sisters, seven are Indians. “It’s an honor for our diocese of Tilarán-Liberia that the soles of your feet should tread on these lands,” the bishop humbly acknowledged on Facebook.
This brings us back to the topic of the kissing of hands and of the feet. Of course, in Jesus Christ we have the extraordinary gesture of ‘feet-washing’ of the Apostles -indeed a powerful symbol of service. In spite of the examples of the Popes, especially Pope Francis himself who washed the feet of prisoners and people of diverse races and religions, cultures and nationalities, many bishops and priests hesitate to wash the feet of the faithful during the Maundy Thursday’s liturgy.
It is a pity that several Catholics, including the Church’s officials, find as many reasons as possible to skip this ritual. Even some who go through it, try to find reasons, theological or otherwise, and exclude one or the other: for instance, women or those of other religions. This is arguable but my intention is only to bring to the notice that such things have happened at the highest levels and could be replicated.
Leaving the feet-washing ritual aside, let’s get back to the kissing of the hands of the MC Sisters by Bishop Salazar Mora of Costa Rica which reminds us of another bishop who found many reasons and occasions to kiss the hands of the faithful, and of the others -Pope Francis.
Recall the iconic picture of Pope Francis embracing and kissing a disfigured person (just to describe him, no disrespect), Vinico Riva, on November 6, 2013, during the Wednesday’s General Audience at St. Peter’s. It was not done for popularity or to impress anyone.
The Pope walks the talk, or rather, walks the texts he sent out earlier on Twitter: “Lord, teach us to step outside ourselves. Teach us to go out into the streets and manifest your love,” “True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of our hands getting dirty so as to help those in need” and “True power is service. The Pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.” He regularly and consciously welcomes and embraces the poor, the neglected and the abandoned.
Let us recall that Pope Francis
Kissed the feet of South Sudan leaders, pleading them to shun the path of violence and embrace peace,
Kissed the hand of a missionary priest who was freed after two-year captivity in Africa
Kissed the hands of Holocaust survivors,
Kissed a Polish sex abuse survivor, and many, many others.
My favorite image is that of Pope Francis kissing the hands of Trappist Father Jean-Pierre Schumacher, the last survivor of the 1996 attack on the Tibhirine monastery in Algeria (Of God’s and Men is a film based on the life of these monks, and is highly inspiring). During a visit, Pope Francis met Father Schumacher’s in Morocco on March 31, 2019, who, along with another survived while seven monks were killed. These seven and others martyred were beatified in 2018.
It is one thing to admire and appreciate Pope Francis and the bishops who embrace and kiss the poor, the neglected, the ignored, the bypassed. It is another thing if we can learn something from such symbols and images which are powerful. Today we live in a digital world and what people come to know of the Church, of the Church’s leaders is largely through images. Bishops and religious superiors (be they Generals or Provincials) can powerfully express their genuine concern and kindness through gestures that are symbolically significant.
On occasions such as celebrations or inaugurations or other events it is possible to highlight some people (who are usually ignored) by involving and honoring them (possibly, some already are doing it): one may kiss the hands of a construction worker or a catechist who served for decades or a teacher who retires after decades of service. This is not everything (giving them just wages is primary and indispensable) but it helps us recover a better image of the Church. Servants and their services, of the unnoticed, need to be acknowledged, appreciated and celebrated.
Most of the Catholic faithful love to kiss the ring of the bishop reverently and devotedly and such an important practice must be promoted and upheld. Simultaneously, it is important that bishops and other religious leaders also find occasions to kiss the hands of those who serve the Lord unreservedly. Standing in front of those who gave their all to the Lord, be they catechists or teachers or workers or others, one feels a sense of unworthiness.
Do you already hear, India is different, our culture is different? No surprise. While many of the Church’s leaders are truly service-minded and holy, there is plenty of space for many to grow in the virtue of humility. Multiplying true gestures of service and humility can have a great impact on the image of Catholic Church in India, notwithstanding the crosses that are on the way.
So, when the next time a bishop takes a poor person’s hands to kiss them, tell them not to hesitate. If the bishop needs humility to do so, the poor need greater humility (remember St Peter at Last Supper) to let the hands be kissed. The hands that slogged, struggled and survived are holy.
(Jesuit Father Stanislaus Alla teaches moral theology in Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi)