Future priests and nuns in India need to have the mind and heart of Pope Francis to work for and with the poor, says an association of Franciscans in India.

“Today’s youth who are joining us for Religious formation in various stages throughout the country must understand and effectively disseminate the vision and mission of Pope Francis in the Indian context with special focus on those at the periphery, with other religions and cultures and with the whole creation,” says a press note issued at the end of a five-day national seminar in Vailankanni.

It was organized by the Asso-ciation of Franciscan Families in India (AFFI) along with the Bengaluru-based National Biblical Catechetical Liturgical Centre (NBCLC), Sept 25- 29.

“We shall guide our candidates who wish to be future priests and nuns to be in solidarity with those in periphery and the discriminated ones under top priority through interactions in slums and rural areas,” the press statement added.

A Mother Teresa of Calcutta research scholar in the United Kingdom was honoured with a prestigious award from Albanian government in London on 2nd October 2019.

The Ambassador of Albania to the UK, His Excellency Qirjako Qirko, handed over the Albanian Nation’s Ambassador Award, bestowed by the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama and the Minister of State for Diaspora Pandeli Majko, to Mother Teresa author Dr Gëzim Alpion of the University of Birmingham.

Mother Teresa was born as Gonxhe Agnes Bojaxhiu to ethnic Albanian parents in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 26, 1910. At 18, she left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland and arrived in India on 6 January 1929.

Ambassador Qirko told that the reasons for conferring the award include: “Professor Alpi-on’s 20 years of scholarly dedication to Mother Teresa’s life, work and legacy; his lobbying for the canonization of Mother Teresa from 2014 to 2016; and his ongoing lobbying for the construction of the Arbëri High-way, which will shorten considerably the distance between Skopje, Mother Teresa’s birthplace, and Tirana, and will benefit Albania, as well as Macedonia, Kosova and Bulgaria. Professor Alpion’s contribution in this respect is valued by the Government of Albania.”

Religion and government are now identified with each other in India, a situation that prevailed in Europe before the separation of Church and State, Father George Pattery, head of Jesuits in South Asia, said.

He stressed the need for a “mature, secular society” that would help India “separate religion from politics and religion from government”.

“The secular idea helps religion not to have control over society. Remember, in Europe we had Church and State identified with each other — we are moving towards that kind of a situation in India. Religion and government here are now getting identified,” Reverend Pattery told.

The Telegraph after delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of a two-day conference of Jesuit-run institutions in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The conference is being held at the Jesuit-run St Xavier’s College, Calcutta.

Father Pattery said Indians “seem to be going backward” by failing to separate religion from the government, adding that the trend had to be stopped.

“Religion’s hold on politics should be diversified. The secular idea is preciously that —to separate religion from the government. But we seem to be going backward. Therefore, that has to be stopped.”

No government of the country can identify itself in favour of any religion, said Prabhakar Tirkey, president of the Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh (National Christian Federation) in Ranchi.

“India is a secular state, and the country has no religion,” he said.

He was speaking at the end of the two-day national executive meeting with leaders’ conference.

Explaining Article 15 and 25 in the Constitution, Tirkey said that no government can deprive any citizen within the country of one’s fundamental right based on religion, caste and race.

All religions are equal and the right to religious freedom and the right to propagate it freely for one’s religion have been provided under the Constitution, he stressed.

Despite the Constitutional guarantee, religious minorities in India such as Muslims and Christians are being tortured only for political selfishness.

The National Christian Federation believes that the promotion of religion is a constitutional right. It is illegal to stop the Christian community from preaching and registering cases against them in the name of conversion, Tirkey said.

“The Constitution of India is the code of conduct of every citizen of this country. Following this code of conduct is the ultimate duty of every citizen of the country irrespective of any distinction,” he added.

In the Constitution of India, provisions have been made for the protection of every person living inside the country and their tradition and religious beliefs. All citizens are equal in terms of the constitution, Tirkey reiterated.

The focus of the conference was to create awareness on the rights of Scheduled Tribes provided by the Constitution and the Government of India.