Violence Is A Wake-Up Call For Church
Attacks against Christians in several states, especially Orissa in eastern India, have prompted Indian bishops to establish a special committee to review “our evangelization methods,” the prelate noted in his biennial report to the CBCI’s 29th plenary. As many as 163 bishops from India’s 164 dioceses were present at the plenary that has chosen Youth for Peace and Harmony as its main theme. Some 40 Catholic youths also attended the event along with secretaries of CBCI commissions and centers. Archbishop Fernandes’ report asserted the “wanton” and “sacrilegious” attacks on Christians and their institutions were premeditated. “Even more villainous was the malicious damage” to human relations “with a systematic campaign” that tried to divide communities, he said. Added to this were the “apathy” to and “certain complicity” of local governments in anti-Christian violence, especially in Orissa, that encouraged the attackers, the prelate noted. However, the archbishop also highlighted some positive outcomes from the violence. He said Christians in India rallied behind their persecuted brethren offering material and psychological help. The archbishop saluted the victims who opted to die rather than give up their faith. He also commended people of other religions who defended Christians’ right to practice their faith in peace and freedom. Soon after the attacks, Church agencies rallied behind Orissa’s Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese to rescue and rehabilitate victims, the prelate said. The special committee, set up in the wake of the attacks, would study various challenges facing the Church in the country and advise the CBCI secretary general on appropriate actions. The Church in India found some relief from this gloom when the Vatican recognized Sister Alphonsa, “a nun unknown during life but acclaimed after death,” as India’s first female saint in 2008, the report said. Another recent milestone was the Indian Mission Congress in October 2009 where some 1,300 delegates from India’s various dioceses attended. In recent times, CBCI also undertook an exercise to reorganize its structure to accommodate India’s three ritual Churches that have separate episcopal conferences. Archbishop Fernandes explained this was done to avoid duplication of work and frittering away “the precious and limited resources of the Church.”
