By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, Jan 4, 2023: More than 3,000 Indian Christians from all walks of life representing every section of society have endorsed a statement distancing themselves from the Christmas celebration hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They have signed a statement, “Not In Our Name,” targeting the Christian representatives at the celebration “who thanked the prime minister profusely for many things,” while ignoring the “hard truth” that the premier and his government have “consistently disregarded their constitutional mandate, be it to the minorities, the Adivasis, the Dalits, the backward castes, the farmers, labourers, or migrants.”
The full text of the January 4 statement is given below:
Not In Our Name!
Christmas Celebration with the PM is Not in Our Name!
We are in the Christmas Season: a time when we are all called to internalize and actualize the gifts of joy, love, peace, truth, justice and hope which Jesus our Saviour offers to us!
Today we also need to take legitimate pride in the fact that Christians in India have contributed significantly to the country: in the freedom struggle, as members of the Constituent Assembly, and ever since independence, in every sphere of public life particularly in the educational, medical, social, cultural and political sectors. The services of the Christian community to the poor and marginalized, the excluded and the exploited, irrespective of caste and creed, is unparalleled in the nation today. This fact has been duly and consistently acknowledged by citizens from all walks of life.
However, in the recent past, particularly since 2014, Christians in India have been victims of continued attacks and vilification from members of the ruling regime, all over the country. Christians and Christian schools and institutions have been hounded and harassed, their places of worship destroyed, they have been denied their ordinary rights as citizens and been subject to denigration and demonization. The anti-conversion laws which have been put into place in BJP-ruled States are used as weapons against the fundamental right to preach, practise and propagate one’s religion. Celebrations in schools have been stopped and Christians have been arrested without any warrant and put behind bars for no offence of theirs.
Since May 3, 2023, the Christians of Manipur have been subject to constant attacks which still continues unabated and with apparent approval from the BJP Governments both in the State and at the Centre.
In the wake of all this, it is ironic that the Prime Minister hosted around 100 Christian representatives of different denominations on Christmas morning for a celebration. While it is certainly within his right as Prime Minister to host a reception for whomsoever he wishes one naturally would question the intention of this reception when he has not condemned a single attack on the Christians, under his Prime Ministership.
Interestingly, while he praised Jesus Christ and waxed eloquent about the services of the Christian community, he did not share remorse or empathy for the situation of the Christians in the country today.
Those invited to the Christmas reception were a select group of Christians. While the invitation was from the Prime Minister, here was an opportunity for them to courteously decline the invite in the light of what has been happening to the Christians in Manipur and elsewhere.
Hence, their acceptance of this invite was not in our name!
The Christian representatives, who spoke, thanked the Prime Minister profusely for many things. The hard truth is that the prime minister and his government have consistently disregarded their constitutional mandate, be it to the minorities, the Adivasis, the Dalits, the backward castes, the farmers, labourers, or migrants.
Hence, their gratitude to the prime minister was not in our name.
When these Christian representatives spoke at the reception, they were giving a tacit approval to the omission and commission of this government.
Hence, their words were not in our name!
India today fares extremely badly on every global index be it in the economic, educational, health or social sphere. By their lack of prophetic courage to highlight the grim realities in the country today, these Christian representatives publicly betrayed the Gospel of Jesus and His values of truth, justice, joy, love, dignity and peace.
Through their culpable silence, they failed to uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution of India.
Hence, their silence was not in our name!
Today we the Christians of India together with conscious and committed citizens pledge to protect and promote the Constitution, Country and Citizens of India and to work with and work for all those who are victims of an unjust, insincere and authoritarian regime.
Among the signatories were Member of Parliament Derek O’Brien, M G Devashayam, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, John Shilsi, retired Indian Police Service officer, Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, a leading lay woman theologian, Flavia Agnes, a renowned advocate, journalists Pamela Philipose and John Dayal, and Rome-based Jesuits Father M K George and Xavier Jeyaraj and their India-based conferrers Prakash Louis and Cedric Prakash.
The stated ethos of CBCI Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism (according to its website) are:
1. Harmony of Faiths, Religions, Ideologies, Perspectives and Ways is the sublime rationale and common goal of human life. A ‘dialogical process’ is the means to achieve that goal. ‘Willingness to unlearn’ and ‘go beyond the already known’ is the sure way to ‘learn the yet to be known’. A ‘culture of cross-cultural relations’ and the ensuing ‘walking together in life’ is the way forward for the humans.
2. “ . . . Dialogue is essential if we are to know, understand and respect one another. But, as experience has shown, for such dialogue and encounter to be effective, it must be grounded in a full and forthright presentation of our respective convictions. Certainly, such dialogue will accentuate how varied our beliefs, traditions and practices are. But if we are honest in presenting our convictions, we will be able to see more clearly what we hold in common. New avenues will be opened for mutual esteem, cooperation and indeed friendship.” Pope Francis, January 13, 2015, Address at the Interreligious and Ecumenical Gathering Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias (one of jewels in our Pope’s close circle/court), Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi, Bishop Paul Swarup of Church of North India’s Delhi diocese, St. Stephen’s College principal John Varghese, Father Kevin J. Kimtis, second secretary of the Vatican Embassy, and Bishop Thomas Mar Antonios of Gurgaon Syro-Malankara Church, and other church officials who attended the invitation of our Prime Minister, would all say that met him in keeping with the above stated ethos of the Commission for Dialogue & Ecumenism. They can always say they followed the Pope’s guidelines mentioned above. However, it is most likely that in the spirit of bonhomie they have turned a blind eye to the Pope’s clinching phrase “dialogue and encounter to be effective, it must be grounded in a full and forthright presentation of our respective convictions.”
Secondly, could they have shunned the PM’s invitation en masse when they know there are so many skeletons in their cupboard? Cardinal George Alencherry, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, Bishop K.A. William, and inexplicable deaths of several young priests and of course nuns in convent wells – the cases are just increasing! They couldn’t have taken the risk of visits by government agencies and allowed opening a can of worms!!
Thirdly, St. Stephen’s College (Premier Christian institution of India which reserves 50% seats for Christian students) Principal John Varghese profusely praised the PM for his National Education Policy. He is an authority on Educational Policy, Educational Administration, English Literature and Media & Communication. It would be interesting to see if anyone out of the 3500 signatories can challenge him for what he declared at PM’s garden party.