By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, Sept 27, 2022: An advocacy group for Catholic religious in India has urged the leaders of their congregations and their national association to implement Catholic social teachings that stress involvement in the life of the poor, marginalized, exploited and vulnerable.
“This will enable us to effectively and prophetically respond to the signs of the times for a more just and peaceful society,” says a statement from the national convention of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace.
The 17th convention addressed the theme “Deepening our Identity as Religious: Responding to the Signs of the Times.”
More than 60 men and religious from 16 Indian states representing 20 congregations participated in the September 22-24 conference held at the Montfort Social Institute, Hyderabad, capital of Telangana state.
The participants urged their leaders to ensure the mainstreaming and implementation of all general and provincial Chapter documents and Catholic Social Teachings, “which emphasize our accompanying and involvement in the life of the poor and the marginalized, the excluded, the exploited and the vulnerable.”
They called for conducting programs on the Constitution of India and Social Analysis with the necessary exposure to the realities of the poor, at all stages of formation.
They also want the leaders of Catholic religious congregations in India to take “an unequivocal, visible and vocal stand and to accompany the victims of abuse both within Church and in society at large.”
“We need to go on an inner journey to re-discover interiority and capacity to appreciate what is important and to live it with passion, enthusiasm and energy,” she said in her keynote address.
She also said every religious has to go through a personal transformation and “this is not magic but a slow intentional process. We will be asked to shift, adapt, change and live into the future that will not look the same as we see it now.”
The process, she added, is a gift from God and “we have to be open by deepening our prayer, listening and discerning and practicing radical availability to the signs of the times.”
Bishop Raphael Thattil of Shamshabad, in his address, exhorted the participants to continue playing a prophetic role in the Church. Referring to Pope Francis’ homily on the Good Samaritan, he said that many in the Church today stress the ‘cultic’ and conveniently forget about being ‘prophetic.’
He commended the significant role that the participants play for the cause of justice in the Church and in the country today.
Earlier, Buddhist monk Tashi Chodup led the assembly in a meditation.
Another resource person was Meera Sanghamitra, a renowned activist actively involved with feminist, civil liberties, transgender rights issues as well as in the National Alliance of Peoples Movements (NAPM. She provided an incisive picture of the many issues that grip the poor and marginalized today.
The possible way forward, she added, should be in Hope, Healing and Harmony, along with Struggle, Solidarity and Sustained engagement in the present socio, political, economic, cultural and religious context.
The convention expressed its concern at the deteriorating situation on every front in the nation. “Fascism seems to have come to stay. We have reached abysmal depths on every parameter: be it social, economic and political,” it regretted.
The forum quoted the Global Human Index that ranked India at 132 among 191 countries evaluated. “There are several other global indices today which put India at rock bottom,” the participants said.
The convention expressed alarm at the poor in India becoming poorer every day while the rich and powerful continue amass scandalous amounts of wealth.
“The Adivasis are robbed of their jal, jungle and jameen. The Dalits and OBCs and other subaltern groups, are still denied the dignity, equality and justice, which are legitimately theirs,” it regretted.
Minority groups such as Muslims and Christians are targeted with hate speech and persecution, “by a regime which systematically and continuously denigrates and demonizes them with a divisive and violent agenda.”
The forum noted that intolerance is on the rise in the country. “Unconstitutional anti-conversion laws are center-stage today. The four labor codes go against the rights of the workers and clearly favor the profiteering big corporates.”
It bemoaned the “pitiable conditions of the migrant workers” that came to the fore after the nationwide lockdown announced in March 2020. “The fisher workers of Kerala and other parts of the country are fighting against corporates who intend to destroy their livelihood. Unemployment and spiraling inflation have greatly impacted the lives of the poor.”
The forum criticized the anti-poor and anti-minority new National Education Policy that caters only to a small section of the rich and the elite.
“Corruption is mainstreamed, crony capitalism is rampant,” the statement pointed out.
The progressive Catholic religious said they are “deeply pained at the silence of the Church: bishops, priests and religious on issues which are destroying the democratic, pluralistic and secular fabric of our country.”
On their part the participants resolved to continually deepen their identity as radical disciples of Jesus and have the prophetic courage to respond to the signs of the times.
They also pledged to ensure personal transformation as the first step towards social transformation. The would “internalize and actualize the values enshrined in the ‘Constitution of India’ giving it due place in our formation, catechesis and in all our ministries.”
Another resolution was to continue to strive to build more inclusive communities, transcending the religious, caste, gender and ethnic divisions and every form of sectarianism
Montfort Brother Varghese Theckanath, the host and director of the institute, traced the forum history since its inception and explained the dynamics of the convention.
The inaugural session included the release of a booklet ‘The Kuravilangad Case: A Critical Study’ published by the forum and an interaction between Sister Nirmalini and the participants.
Forum’s national convener Presentation Sister Dorothy Fernandes welcomed the dignitaries.
The convention re-elected Sister Fernandes as the convener of the forum, Capuchin Father Antony F Thekkiniyath, the secretary, and Indian Missionary Society Father Anand Mathew, the treasurer.
The members of the core team are Jesuit Fathers Cedric Prakash and John Bosco, Holy Spirit Sister Julie George, Brother Theckanath, Congregation of Jesus Sister Ancy, Salesian Father Devassay Kadaparambil and Sister Anitha Chettiar, a member of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary.