On Aug.30th 2016 CCV (Church Citizens’ Voice) published the article: “Now or never? Syro-malabar Diocese in Chennai?” by P.C.Joseph, a spokesperson for Catholics in Chennai who are opposed to creating a different, divisivse Rite-specific diocese and new divisions in the already existing, smoothly functioning and longstanding Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore of the Latin Rite which takes good care of Catholics belonging to various Rites.
Since this scribe had been writing on the subject for long from the sixties, at the request of the that group in Chennai I visited in the last week of September to meet the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore to find out his thinking and discuss it with the group who were working for a happy solution for the last 50 years. The minds of former Archbishops, starting from R. Arulappa in the 1960ies followed by Archbishops Casimir Gnanadickam sj, Arul Das James, A.M.Chinnappa sdb have been racking their brains to solve this issue for good, without much success. Now it is for the present Archbishop George Antonysamy, formerly in the diplomatic service, to try his turn and luck.
No Demand from Laity
The meeting with Archbishop Antonysamy
took place on September 30th
afterfoon on St.Thomas Mount. He was just finishing his retreat with the
diocesan priests and was very gracious to meet me and express his thinking on
the issue. Very frankly he told me, “not a single
lay person ever approached him with the request of setting up a Syromalabar
Diocese in Chennai.” The clamour for it
first and foremost has always been from the part of Syromalabar Bishops and
then priests of that Rite, who are going to benefit from such a new
Ecclesiastical structure.
By
benefits what is meant are positions like Bishoprics, positions of Parish
priests and heads of important
institutions in the new diocese. The simple lay people are not the least
bothred about these things. It is something like those who form new political
parties for the sake of becoming MPs or MLAs or other profitable positions in
the new political party. This is
beautifully expressed in the complaint of the Syromalabar Church’s oft repeated
argument quoted ad nauseam at various occasions: “We
produce 70% of the clergy of this country but we control only about 0.04% of
the territory. Therefore we are justified in wanting more territory.”
From this as
anyone can clearly understand, it is all
about Control: financial and
political. It is precisely for this reason,
writers like me never hesitated to call this “Religious Colonization”
pure and simple. True evangelization or spreading the good word is just the
opposite, serving the poorest of the poor, and caring for the afflicted and
abandoned, not ruling over territories or lording it over people which is
diametrically opposed to the spirit of the good news Jesus preached by his
words and deeds --- especially his mendicant life of three years treading the
dusty roads of Palestine, without having even a postal address, let alone
Episcopal palaces, or posh air-conditioned rectories or offices to stay in and
exert authority.
Evangelization is
incarnational
Evangeliztion is incarnational,
as Jesus did, becoming one with
the people of the place, not importing one’s own culture and tradition. Since Jesus was born in Israel, he became a Jew,
lived a Jew and died a Jew with the inscription “Jesus the Nazarene King of the
Jews (INRI) on his cross. Had he been
born in India, he would have been a Hindu,
said this scribe, and the Archbishop readily agreed.
To start a new
Syromalabar diocese anywhere the first thing needed is the consent of the Local
functioning Bishop. Now that person is Archbishop Antonysamy. His wish is, and
it has to be the wish of the people of the place, Chennai, which is
overwhelmingly against. Some 40 years
ago when a consultation of the people was done under Archbishop R. Arulappa,
all participants readily welcomed Kerala priests and sisters to work in various
parishes, as most of them have been
known for their real missionary spirit
and zeal. But when it came to entrusting
certain parishes to Syromalabar priests,
opposition was too strong and reportedly only 2 among the big gathering voted for
entrusting. That thinking of the people reportedly continues even today. In any
case, it has to be ascertained.
Peoples’ Synod
Suggested
So the
Archbishop told me, that he is thinking of inviting Cardinal George Alanchery, the
head of the SMC, other interested Syromalabar bishops and priests, as well as
the people’s representatives in Chennai for holding a Synod in Chennai to asses
the general thinking of the people of God and act accordingly. On his own, he
cannot, he will not and he should not say
“YES” or “NO” to a Syromalabar Eparchy, in Chennai, which is right and proper.
No one can object to his stand.
I discussed
this thinking of the Archbishop on Oct.3rd
with the group headed by P.C.Joseph, T.J.
George, Peter Manavalan and others in
Chennai. The right outcome of such a consultation will depend on the proper representation of the members of the
synod, depending on whether the participants are mostly nominated Yes-men and
women of the bishop or the Parish priests or elected persons and therefore
representing the views of the local people.
When the present Pope ordered a survey of the people of God (lay
people) on “Challenges facing Christian Families” all over the world for the
last two Vatican Family synods, most of our Indian bishops never conducted any real survey, but sent the opinions of the
bishops and their council of priests as the opinion of the laity. That should
not happen in this consultation on a SM Diocese in Chennai.
Voting with Slips
To prevent such a mishap, what I would suggest
is the following. Once the date of the Synod of the people is fixed, all parish
priests may be requested to announce it in their parishes with a sermon
highlighting the pros and cons of a new Syromalabar Diocese and request the
laity who wish to take part in the Synod to vote by dropping a slip with the
voter’s: “Name, postal address and phone and with the inscription: “I am for
the Syromalabar diocese” or “I am
against a Syromalabar diocese” and drop
it in the collection box to be put up in
every parish. A period of three Sundays
should be given for the laity to drop their votes. Those who voted in this way
should be invited for the Synod to discuss various issues. Of course the
organisers of the Synod may work out better ways for people’s participation.
The major
threats afflicting the Church in India are manifold. Remember the priestly
prayer of Jesus “that they may all be ONE”
which included not only the believers and followers Jesus, but of the
whole world, followers of different religions, unbelievers and atheists. That
is why Jesus presented himself as the Son of Man, the ideal humane human being
for all times, peoples and places.
Six Major threats
The main
threats to this unity in India is: 1. First it’s age-old divisive Caste system and caste
mentality afflicting the whole church
starting with the Bishops. A clear proof of Bishops and priests infected with caste mentality was the
recent kidnap on last April 26th of Bishop Gallela of Kadappa,
a Dalit by his own three parish priests who belonged to the superior
Reddy caste. I wrote several articles on it and sent them to all Indian
Bishops. A major aberration was that
practically no Catholic weeklies wrote on this Kidnap. No area of India is free
from this Caste mentality. In Kerala they have the community of Puthuchristianies
(newly converted from Pulayas and Parayas) and separate places and
positions allotted to them in the Church in Kerala. In Tamilnadu and Andhra this caste division
is more sharp and biting.
2. Second is
the inter-Rite rivalries between various Catholic Rites in India – Latin,
Syromalabar(SMC) and Syromalankara Churches. This can be compared to two main
political parties – Congress and BJP – and the ever so many skeleton parties
sticking to them to get visibility, political and financial benefits. The
Syromalabar and Malankara churches may be compared to skeleton parties, which
they are sure to object although facts may prove the contrary.
3. A third
threat shattering the quality of the Catholic community is the pure blood
marriage (Endogamy) practiced by the Kottayam Diocese in Kerala which is part and parcel of SM Church and
endorsed silently and promoted by word and writing by many Bishops themselves.
In the present case we have the latest letter of Bishop Angadiath of Chicago
diocese supported by Cardinal Alancherry and Archbishop of Kottayam. We
discussed this clearly racist practice, against the decrees and directives of
the Vatican, especially of the Easten Rite many times in CCV and sent them to
all Indian Bishops, with not a word of response from any of the bishops, except
one stay bishop of Faridabad in Delhi.
Clergy-Laity divide
4. Fourth is
the sharp Clergy-laity divide in almost every diocese in India where they have
not constituted either the
Diocesan and Parish
Pastoral Council to guide the spiritual
needs of the parish or the Parish Financial council to look after the financial
needs and issues which are not to be left to the whims and fancies of the
Bishop, Parish priests and their yes-men. This is a directive from
the 50 year old second Vatican Council,
still to be implemented in most of the dioceses
and parishes in India.
5. Fifth is
the exhibition of the pomp and posh living of the Pyramidal structure of
the Church which Jesus turned upside
down down when he washed the feet of his disciples and when Pope Francis gave
his momentous address on the Synodality of the Church during the two Vatican
Family Synods. This scribe wrote it more than 40 years ago as New Leader
editor.
Caste system
in India has only four grades or steps in the ladder upwards and down wards – Bhramins, Shetriays,
Vaisias and Sudras the good for nothing Dalits and untouchables. But the
pyramidal government structure in the church has many more steps – from the
Pope at the very pinnacle of the Pyramid
to the good for nothing laity at the bottom with ever so many descending
divisions like - Cardinals (His
Eminences), Archbishops (His Graces), Eparchs, Bishops(His Ecellencies),
Monsignors, Priests, Religious, Chevaliers(from the laity) and finally the
riffraffs called the laity.
Francis &
Inverted Pyramid
When Pope
Francis overturned this Pyramidal structure in his epoch making Synodal speech,
he placed himself one step below the
bottom group laity to truly deserve the title (“Servus servorum”) Servant of Servants. Recall his start
at the very outset of his pontificate, calling himself a sinner (“I am a sinner” in his first interview)
not calling himself “His Holiness”. For
this and many other things Elton Johnson
graphically described Francis as: “Miracle of humility
in an Era of vanity.”
His latest description of
the laity was that the clock has stopped and now it is the “Hour of the
Laity” when every one should look up to (not look down on) the laity to draw inspiration and listen to what
they have to say in pastoral and financial practice. Are the bishops and the
clergy listening to these admonitions of Pope Francis? To Solve the burning
issue of starting a new Syromalabar Church in Chennai, this is a MUST, that is,
listening to the people of Chennai and
drawing inspiration and guidance from them. Readers with different or better
views and suggestions are cordially invited to send in their suggestions for
publication in the CCV for further
reflection, modification and action.
6. All
honorific appellations and different styles of royal dress in red and purple,
in silk and satern must be wiped out as
an insult to the “Behold the Man” half naked and going to be crucified. Jesus
never wore a special glitering royal dress of a prince even during his royal
ride into Jerusalem on the back of an ass with the accompaniment of olive
branches, not gold studded ambrellas and golden or silver crosses. Here the
first need of the Church is to evangelize the so-called “Evangelizers”.
There are
many more things to say. But it is enough to point out, what is happening to
many organised religions, especially to Islam and the start of divisions within
Islam into Sunni and Shia, which reminds us of the bitter animosities between
Catholics and Protestants in Ireland.
The Rite rivalries in the Church in India has all the potential to grow
into such an open confrontation between Suni and Shia, if the sharpening
divisions are not nipped in the bud. Unity is strength, divided we fall, the
whole Church in India, both Syro and Latin. Let not misguided zeal for the
House God (are they shining posh cathedrals?)
lead us literally to ZERO!
Contact at: jameskottoor@gmail.com, Mob:09445219203
(This
write up will be forwarded to all Indian bishops for information, reflection,
sharing, reaction and new suggestions. Please do something similar or better
for the greater good of the public or (ad majorem Dei gloriam) for the greater glory of
God! which in fact is the creation of a humane humanity!
*****************
Published in Church Citizen’s
Voice(CCV) Kerala, 10/7/16;
Comments:
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A very pointed article, especially the six points which ail the Catholic Church. But unfortunately it is our Laity stalwarts like John Dayal who are mum on Casteism among Catholics. The Casteist issue helps him pose as a leader of the Laity which is absolutely misplaced.
Regards
Isaac, Kolkatta
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Dear
James,
Just
one observation. If Jesus were to be born in India he would have been born as a dalit, not a high caste
Hindu. You say in your article that Jesus would have born here as a
Hindu. No, not a Hindu, but a dalit.
Joe
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Yes Joe, you are 100% right. If I had more time to reflect perhaps I would have written just that. I came back from Chennai only yesterday and I wanted to finish the report and send it today. I am fully sold on what you say. Perhaps I would have gone one step further and said, he would have been born an "Untouchable", not Dalit. Now I am fully concerned about the untouchables in India whether in society or Church. Thanks for the timely correction. God bless you. James
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Excellent article,
James
God bless
John Dayal,Delhi
Sent from my phone