Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in his address to the Christian community at Amaravati stated that “he would stand by the Christian community till the Dalit Christians are accorded the status of SCs and STs for reservation benefits.” His stand for Dalit Christians is laudable.Article 15 of the constitution says: “the state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of them.”Even though our constitution guarantees equal rights to every citizen, Dalit Christians are denied reservation benefits on par with the Hindu Dalits on grounds that in Christianity they have no caste system. Though Sikhism and Buddhism do not follow the caste system, they are accorded all the reservation benefits on par with the Hindu Dalits.The socio- economic disabilities of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims are the same as those suffered by caste Hindu Dalits. But the religion based discrimination is still continuing under the cover of controversial presidential order of 1950.Therefore the incoming government at the centre, irrespective of party affiliation should see that equal justice is done to the Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims on par with the Hindu Dalits, Sikhs and neo - Buddhists for reservation benefits.- Thomas Mulackel, Bangaluru
Nuns, indeed, are the face of the Catholic Church in India. There are about a lakh of them in various congregations. They run schools, hospitals, orphanages, destitute homes and hostels all over the country. They are the ones who tend to the needy in the remotest areas of the country. “Women religious form the largest workforce within the Church,” said Sr Julie, a lawyer who belongs to the congregation of Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit. “Still, they get no respect, face sexual abuse, get low wages and are allowed to perform only stereotypical roles. They have no say in policy matters. All decisions are taken by the diocese headed by priests.”“There are many reasons for the change,” said Sr Gloria. “Earlier, every family would have seven or eight children, and many parents found it prudent to send one or two of them to convents where these girls would be given good education. Now the size of families has come down and the income level has increased.” She and her sister joined the convent in 1966. “Several other girls had become aspirants along with us on the same day,” she said. “It was a big event. Now we never get to see such days.”Some attribute the fall in the number of aspirants to the changing social mores. “The influence of worldly life is so much that not many girls want to live this life of deprivation. The young girls find no attraction [in this life],” said Sr Susamma of the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites in K
I enjoyed your editorial “The Return of the Old Testament?” You pose a question, and the answer is a resounding “Yes!” A lot of what is believed by Roman Catholics today is the result of subsequent deviations. The tragedy is that we have been brainwashed to believe that all that—including ministerial priesthood—come from Jesus. We have lost Jesus and our Church has become more important.Subhash Anand St. Paul’s School, Bhupalpura, Udaipur- 313001
All critics agree that Paul VI was a holy man. While meeting people, Pope Paul was very keen to know their nationality, names, age, native town or village, occupation, health condition and relationships. He would touch each of the visitors, personally giving them souvenirs. This is real holiness, viz., faith-based human relationships, and Christianity is essentially hope-oriented, Joyful, servant-like relationships. Peter Hebblethwaite, an ex-Jesuit, who wrote the definitive biography of Paul VI has described him as the first Modern Pope. His rejection of the triple crown (tiara), was symbolic of the rejection of Medievalism. What struck everyone was Paul’s desire to touch the visitors’ hands, to look into their eyes, giving personal touches to all in the crowd, until he was escorted away by security men.Catholics all over the world, both the clergy and the laity, considered Humanae Vitae as a betrayal of their trust and hope. Overruling the Commission of Cardinals set up to advise the Pope on this topic Paul baldly said: “In morals and in dogma, all should obey the magisterium of the Church.” Paul has forgotten that collegiality was the structure of the Apostolic Church and that monarchism was an aberration, a Trojan gift from (pagan) Constantine. Many National Episcopal Conferences questioned the legality and validity of Paul’s Encyclical as there was no collegial consultation or consensus on a matter of such vital importance. Paul conceded that his teaching w
While delivering judgment against mass killings of Sikhs in 1984, convicted for the crime from some of the congress leaders, the Delhi High Court stated that “a majority of the Perpetrators these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and thus criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades.”The Court observed that “there has been a familiar pattern of Mass killings in Mumbai in 1993, in Gujarat in 2002, in Kandhamal in Odisha, 2008, in Muzafarnagar in UP, 2013 to name a few.”At the time of Gujarat violence in 2002, then the Chief Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the violence in the state was brought undercontrol within 72 hours! But the violence continued every day and official death toll has exceeded 800 and the unofficial toll was more than double. Also, about 500 missing cases and more than 250 cases of atrocities against women and children have been reported. Over 2 lakh people were living in appalling conditions in the shelter camps indifferent parts of the state.Even the Supreme Court came out heavily on Modi’s Government on communal violence in the state and said, “The modernzday Neros were looking elsewhere when innocent children and helpless women were burning...”When the communal violence in Gujarat had deeply shaken the whole country and abroad, then the Chief Minister Narendra Modi, said that “it was natural reaction to the Godhra incident.” In 2008, in Kandhamal in Odisha, mob violence against
