AS MANY as 61 bishops gathered at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, for the 30thGeneral Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India from Feb. 1 – 8, 2012, on the theme: “The Church’s Role for a Better India”. They were helped by the deliberations of the Catholic Council of India, which reflected on the same theme at its XIth General Body Meeting. At the end of meeting, they addressed the following message to all people of good will.

They sensed for country’s Yearning for a Better India. They recalled that India has been noted for its deep spirituality, its saints and sages, rich diversity of cultures and religions. People yearn for the ideal enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution of India of a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic Republic which will secure for its citizens social, economic and political justice; liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of opportunity; fraternity, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation.

But this yearning has remained largely unfulfilled. Economic development has brought about increasing inequities, an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor with consequent tensions spilling over into violence. They see around a betrayal of the poor and marginalized; tribals, dalits and other backward classes, women and other groups who live in dehumanising and oppressive poverty.  They witness rampant exploitation of children. There is disappointment with those in public life for whom ethical concerns matter little.

In the footsteps of Jesus, the Church has sought to serve the country. In the field of education, she has established a vast network of schools and colleges. Noteworthy is the fact that 59.3% of these institutions are in the rural areas. Girls constitute 54% of the students. 71.7% of students are from other religious communities.

The range of health-care services, most of them in rural areas, is immense with 788 hospitals, numerous dispensaries and centres for mental health, leprosy, tuberculosis, and terminally ill. In particular those centres catering to people afflicted with HIV/AIDS.  

Well known too is the Church’s involvement in development and social projects in the country from water harvesting to establishing self-help groups and so on.  The Church has also entered, in a big way, into capacity building and empowerment programmes. Special mention must be made of Caritas India, the coordinating Agency of the Catholic Church in India for Social Work which celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year.

But the Church does not wish to rest on her laurels. She recommits herself to being a prophetic Church, taking a decisive stand in favour of the poor and marginalized.  How does she as a prophetic Church plan to contribute towards a Better India? The Assembly of Bishops accepted the following as guidelines for future action:

Bishops declared to take the lead by an austere and prayerful life and will inculcate in their faithful, a spirit of true contentment as against unbridled consumerism. They will set in place systems to ensure transparency and accountability. To strive for a Better India, she herself must become a Better Church.  

They will make better known and implement the Church’s Social Doctrine, which underlines the centrality of the human person in all activities along with a commitment to the common good, aiming at the integral human development of all with a view to creating a just society.

In spite of the attacks on the Church, they will continue their work for the disadvantaged and marginalized, enlisting our doctors, lawyers and other qualified personnel into their service. In reaching out to the least and the last of society, the Church portrays the compassionate face of Christ.    

They will inculcate the sacredness of human life from the very first moment of conception to its natural end in death. They are painfully aware of female foeticide, which has led to an imbalance in the male/female ratio of our population. They are saddened to witness the baneful effects of substance abuse on the individual himself/herself, the family and society.

 

Following up on the CBCI Education Policy, the Church will use her network of educational institutions as agents for social transformation, taking special care that our students imbibe ethical and spiritual values which will enable them to be citizens of our country who will serve the country with honesty and integrity.

Since one of the major causes of violence is injustice, the Church commits herself to the liberation of the weaker sections like tribals, women and dalits. In particular, she wants to reach out more to unorganized groups like fishermen, farmers, migrants, domestic workers, victims of trafficking and so on. She will engage in advocacy and networking with NGO’s and other like-minded groups and individuals dedicated to the cause of the poor. She will cooperate with government in its efforts to improve the lot of the poor and help them avail the benefits and grants set aside in government schemes for them. The Church will be a voice for the voiceless.

Recognizing that untouchability and caste discrimination are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus, they committed to root out this evil, wherever it exists, from within the Church and make concerted efforts to empower dalits. They also commit themselves to join hands with our dalit brothers and sisters in their fight for equal rights and the Constitutional benefits, which are denied to them on the basis of religion. They assured the marginalized and weaker sections that we will do everything possible to train and equip them for leadership positions at local, regional and national levels.

They decided to stand for the protection of the environment. Referring to illegal mining, deforestation, some mega projects, pollution of water, air and land are destructive for ecology, they decided to resist such moves and encourage greater use of natural sources of energy, promote organic farming, encourage proper methods of waste management and other such initiatives.

The Church will seize opportunities to be an instrument of reconciliation, seeking to be a bridge-building community among peoples. They will encourage our lay faithful, especially our Small Christian Communities, to engage in a dialogue of life whereby they interact with people of other religious traditions, being open to them, sharing their joys and sorrows. They will encourage our faithful to enter into a dialogue of action whereby people of different persuasions work harmoniously with a common concern for the good of society.

As leaders of the Church in India, they re-affirmed their commitment to build a Better India. They realized that we cannot achieve our goal in isolation and therefore invited all sections of the Church, priests, religious men and women, lay faithful and all men and women of goodwill to be fully involved in this noble endeavour. In the realization of a Better India, the role of the lay faithful is of decisive significance.