QUESTION: ‘Difficulties and crises within the Catholic Church are not signs of a church in decline, but of one that is alive and living through challenges,’ said Pope Francis. How do you relate this with the crisis within the Syro-Malabar Church?

ANSWER: If the Syro-Malabar Church responds to the following in a positive way, the present crisis can become a great opportunity for new growth and life: keeping the church very close to the poor, moving forward listening to the people of God, focus on the challenges faced by the least in our society, responding creatively to the challenges in nation building, being highly political but not part of partisan politics, not being too sensitive about how we are seen by others, but keeping the integrity of the Gospel values, maintaining them even in the midst of suffering, seeing institutions not as an end, but as a means for spreading the gospel values, willing to ask for forgiveness for the mistakes made instead of covering them up in any and every way possible, respecting the laity with a deep sense of awe, being an inclusive body of people and above all else willing to “walk the talk” in the daily challenges of life. In short, we as a church must practice the true “cost of discipleship.” It has to continuously evolve into a prophetical movement rather than a self-serving institution. That will make our crises both signs of being alive and of living through any challenges that we may encounter.

Bishop Sebastian Adayanthrath, Mandya