Bp Vijaya Kumar
Rayarala P.I.M.E.
Srikakulam
What motto do you take as bishop of Srikakulam and why it?
NOLITE TIMERE (DON’T BE AFRAID) these are the words of Jesus to His disciples for difficult and frightening times, assuring them his presence in their lives… and Saint John Paul II encouraged the whole world in His first speech as Pope, “Don’t be afraid, open the doors to Christ.” There are four symbols in the coat of arms, 1) boat: the symbol of mission of Jesus and also is very dear and near to “PIME,” 2) star: the symbol of Virgin Mary, related to the diocese of Srikakulam, dedicated to Mary help of Christians, 3) Bible: the primary duty of a bishop to preach the word of God, and 4) leaf: the symbol of peace and victory.
Could you describe your diocese, its Catholic population, number of priests, religious etc?
Catholic population: 70,000
Diocesan priests: 55
Religious priests: 14
Diocesan brothers: 2
Religious Brothers: 4
No. of seminarians: 27
Catechists: 150
No. of parishes: 36
What will be the priority of your episcopal ministry, and why that?
It is my dream – I don’t know how far it would be possible to achieve it – to implement what Pope Francis said in the opening speech of the bishops’ conference of Italy: “love your priests.” Today, I believe communion between the Bishop and priests is very important in a diocese. It may not be 100% possible, as Jesus too had one, Judas, among the 12, who betrayed the master, but I hope that sincere and reciprocal love between a bishop and priests will enrich the progress of the diocese in a threefold dimension; namely, 1) Dialogue 2) Discern 3) Decide. The immediate priority is to love the people of God who are entrusted to my pastoral care. First year, I would like to visit all the parishes and religious communities and to spend time with them, listening to them and understanding their feelings and assuring my love.
Within 26 years the Catholic populations of your diocese has doubled. How is your mission work going and how far is the anti-conversion fervour working against you?
I am not worried about the anti-conversion fervour, because, first of all, conversion is not changing from one religion to another, but changing people’s heart and value system. If it leads someone to change someone to some other religion, we may deal with it case by case. Today, the word “conversion” should not be confused with change of religion. It is aimed at bring people to God. Once they are near to God, it’s up to God as what to do.
The Hindutva forces are persecuting Christians and the missionaries in other states, especially in the Hindi speaking areas, and it has dampened the mission spirit. What policy should we adopt in the face of organised opposition to Christianity?
Today, I believe it is very important that we build a healthy and fraternal relationship with leaders of the different religions. In a diocese, there should be a “cell” for Inter Religious Dialogue at the local level. We must find ways and means to cultivate a fraternal relationship with people of other faiths.
The Catholic Church is also rocked by scandals of moral failure and problems of leadership; how do you look at the future of the Church in the context of the weakening of the Western Church?
It reminds us of the words of St Paul: “we have a spiritual treasure in a clay pot.” At times we forget that we are receptacles of a great gift and, under certain circumstances, the fragile clay pot may not resist the immeasurable gift of the “spiritual treasure.” Surely, there is a tension between the work of the “Spirit of God” and the work of the “will of the Church.” The Church is progressing in its perfection towards its Master. It is a never ending process. If we look back into Church History, there were “crusades” and “inquisitions,” which we can not imagine today. We have overcome that era, and similarly we will overcome this era also. Let us rectify and progress towards a better life. The power of the Spirit of the Lord is greater than the scandals of the Church. The Church will always give space to some special saints who can fight against these scandals.
Tell me a little about your life? As a PIME, what do you think is the role of the religious in the Church?
I was born in a traditional middle class Catholic family in Khammam. We are 2 sisters and 8 brothers, total 10. I am the last but one. My father, Late Dr John, was an ex-military man, who participated in the Second World War. He was a great living witness of a Catholic lay leader. After returning from the Second World War, he specialized in Homeopathy, Ayurveda and Allopathy medicines and started his carrier as doctor in our home town. He was a jack of all trades; a musician, sculpture, writer, singer, poet, and all his talents were utilized for the purpose of evangelisation with the help of Late Fr Augusto Colombo (who baptized me), a PIME Missionary who was well-known in Khammam and Warangal. My childhood was very beautiful with full of memories of family prayers, gatherings and love and affection. My father was a very generous and God fearing man. We are all proud of our dad who gave us faith, education, sense of service and was a faithful father and husband. My primary education was with the Catechists Sisters of St Ann, founded by Late Fr Silvio Pasquali, PIME, and with Montfort Brothers. I studied BSc and then Joined PIME with the help of Late Fr Thota Balaswamy, PIME. My vocation is something like an “escalator,” in which you have to make the first step and it will take you ahead in spite of hardships and trials… You can understand that there is someone leading you without your knowledge and taking you ahead in spite of doubts and debts.
PIME is exclusively a missionary society, which allowed me to have experience in the remotest area of the diocese of Alotau, Papua New Guinea. The island was called “Woodlark.” Afterwards, Rev. Fr Carlo Torriani invited me to work with leprosy patients in Mumbai with the motto “The Kingdom of God is founded on a stone rejected by the builders.” It was another turning point in my life where I could experience the unconditional love of God in my life.
What is it in the life of Jesus that captivates you most?
The radicality of the mission of Jesus: “I came to call the sinners not the righteous” … “Doctor is not for the healthy but for the sick.” I believe that it should be the mission of all those who are called by Jesus from the sinful nature towards a saintly life, who experience the love and forgiveness of Christ, to share the same with others who are labelled as “sinners,” poor, underprivileged, marginalized, the least and the lost.
How do you pray and what is prayer for you?
Prayer is communion with God… it’s not just those moments when we say the rosary, attend the Mass and novena in the chapel, but it’s a continuous reminder that I am not alone and am with God. It’s 24×7. When you travel, you think of God, when you eat you think of God, when you do something, you think of God, when You talk to someone you think of God… Everything is prayer in our lives. In a particular way I like the prayer of the blind man: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Lk 18:38–39). So beautiful and simple a prayer! A prayer is something made to get the attention of Jesus. It is something made to make Jesus stop, to call us near to Him, to allow Jesus to touch us, to heal us, and allows us to see Jesus in a new light. It is something that allows us to follow Jesus and to be with Him always.
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