“Every day we encounter Jesus in the flesh and in the wounds and bruises of our tribal and marginalised communities of the Raigad mission,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI). The prelate spoke on the second World Day of the Poor, titled ‘This poor man cried and the Lord heard him,’ an event Pope Francis established. In the Archdiocese of Bombay (Mumbai), “we meet the poor among our tribes of Raigad,” almost 200 km from the mega city, “not only with a festive lunch and a day of prayer, but also through a daily encounter to empower them.”

According to Card Gracias, one of the greatest challenges of the modern Church is “the need to go to the margins of society and give hope to marginalised groups, raise a prophetic voice and engage in advocacy to bring about a new social order.”

The Jankalyan Centre for Community Organisation (CCO) is situated in Mahad Taluka, Raigad District, about 180 km south-east of Mumbai in the foothills of Mahabaleshwar, the mission area of the Archdiocese of Bombay.  In Raigad district, the local tribal community represents 11 per cent of the total population.

Fr Calistus Fernandes, director of the centre, said that although “the face of Raigad is undergoing a rapid change due to the setting up of numerous industries and globalisation,” a “large section of this tribal community still lives in dehumanising conditions.”

In fact, the “Lack of basic amenities like health, water, shelter and education” as well as “malnutrition, illiteracy, superstition, exploitation (especially of women), unemployment, deforestation and other equally serious factors threaten the lifestyle and the very existence of these tribals.”

The Jankalyan centre, like other 20 CCOs in the district, is committed to “serve the people, especially the marginalised and the oppressed, with a preferential option for the tribals.” Its goal is to promote an “abundance of life based on life values and communal harmony through fellowship.”

“Do not make students smart like corporate companies. Catholic schools in India should make them ‘Good,’ not smart,” Justice Joseph said.

Good human beings are useful for societies’ upliftment as responsible citizens, he added.

Justice Joseph was the chief quest and addressed at the All India Association of Montfort Schools (AIAMS), Montfort Technical Institute and Mont-fort Higher Secondary School, St Thomas Mount, Chennai on November 9.

More than 115 principals and delegates from all over India attended the November 9-11 event that had the theme “Holistic Catholic Education in India.”

Montfort Brothers of St Gabriel have 180 schools spread across the country.

Christian leaders and activists in India have made an impassioned plea to make their institutions free of sexual harassment and safer for children and women.

Catholic and Protestant leaders made the call at a panel discussion on gender justice and women’s safety in Christian institutions in New Delhi. The discussion was part of the Nov. 17 silver jubilee programs of United Christian Action (UCA), an ecumenical forum of Indian Christians.

“Sexual harassment and gender injustice are everywhere and the church institution is no exception. It has to be acknowledged first and then addressed accordingly before it is too late,” said Sister Tresa Paul, legal consultant at the Jesuit-run Indian Social Institute in New Delhi.

In September 2017, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India issued a set of guidelines to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace, but church institutions have not followed it up, she said.

The guidelines wanted every diocese to constitute an internal complaints committee “within six months, which did not happen,” the Holy Cross nun told the gathering of 200 invited leaders.

Catholic Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi and Protestant Bishop Waris Masih of the Church of North India’s Delhi Diocese were among the attendees. The prelates’ presence was a sign that church authorities are willing to listen to concerns of sexual abuse within Christian institutions, Sister Paul said.

UCA chairwoman Esther Kar said the program discussed sexual violations and gender justice because “it is the most pressing issue in society,” especially against the backdrop of the ongoing #MeToo movement.

The movement has gained momentum in India, with many women in the media, films and even the government claiming sexual harassment from prominent men in their workplaces.