Abp George Panikulam

Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Uruguay,
Ethiopia and Somalia and Titular Abp of Caudium.

You are a man of Puthen-chria, so is Saint Mariam Thresia, how do you look at the saint; her history narrates lot of incidents of diabolic trials and persecutions, what sense do you make out of it, and how do you interpret the meaning of it to the public men and women?

True, St Mariam Thresia hails from Puthenchira. I too have the privilege to be from the same village. But it is in no way a privilege to boast off, but an invitation to imitate.

Like Mary of Nazareth, Mariam Thresia too was not recognized by her own people. But God recognized her and called her to be an instrument of his compassionate love to the people in need. With profound gratitude she received the call of God, and responded to it with utter humility and extraordinary simplicity, exemplary poverty and ardent desire to imitate the Crucified Lord. Already from her younger age, the Lord instilled in her the true sense of His cross, the saving love. That became the thriving force behind her zeal for serving the suffering human beings. Her Spiritual father, the Ven. Fr Joseph Vithayathil, and at his insistence Mariam Thresia herself, have jotted down the varied types of diabolic trials and other sufferings which the Saint had to go through. I have not known the Saint in person; but from my very childhood I knew Fr Vithayathil well and I do not see any reason to doubt about the truth in their recordings. But Mariam Thresia is not unique to face such trials. The History of the Church presents several Saints who went through it. Even the desert experience of Our Lord, included, diabolic trials. Further, it is through His sufferings and crucifixion that He saved humanity; through His Resurrection He opened the way for us to enter into the presence of God. Since He experienced in His own body our weakness and trials, He became one of us and became our only Mediator before God (Heb. 5:2-4; 10:32-36; 12:5-11). For the Author of the “Letter to the Hebrews,” the sufferings and trials make part of a school where God disciplines His loved ones (Heb.12:5-11). The message which St Mariam Thresia gives the People of God is that Suffering and trials, diabolic or merely physical, are integral part of Christian life. It is in no way suffering for the sake of suffering, but the way to reach to sanctity which God expects from His faithful.

You had been Nuncio in Honduras and Uruguay, although they are not in Amazon countries, you know the Amazon Synod and the recommendations for Amazon rite, women deaconesses, priesthood for married men of proven virtues etc, what is your considered opinion?

Amazon has a long history; indeed a sad history of encroachment and exploitation. On the one side, its precious nature, unique in the entire universe, is prey to continued destruction. On the other, its inhabitants are victims of terrible human rights’ violations. Most part of the Amazon is territory of Brazil. The political history of that country has gone through marked separation of the rich and the poor and a suppressed thrive for liberation of the latter. Utter poverty, lack of education and unemployment has vexed the people of the region. These would have been the reasons which prompted Pope Francis to call a Special Synod on that emarginated region and its population. The participants in that Synod, recognizing the urgently needed, and so far neglected, pastoral care of the Amazon people, put forward the feasible proposals and recommendations, they thought necessary. For some who do not know the exact situation of the Church there, thought such proposals, as the Amazon rite, Diaconate to women, Priestly Ordination for married men of proved virtues etc., as unwanted and provocative exceptions to the existing traditions. The immediate reaction of the Holy Father was that he will give due consideration to the said proposals. Personally, knowing the situation of the Church in Amazon a little bit, I do not think that what happened in that Synod is unfit or scandalous. Strictly speaking, only the divine mandates regarding the faith and life of the Church are unchangeable. Since the Pope is the supreme law giver in the Catholic Church, he can, with the needed reflection and consultation with experts in the matter, can change any human law for the common good of the faithful, in a given situation in the Church. There is nothing strange in it. The entire Salvation History is a history of reform and change. The best examples in the Old Testament are the prophets sent by God to reform and change the religious and social life of the People of God. They corrected and transformed the People of God so that, abandoning the wrong ways, they follow the paths of God. The prophetic mission was also a call to turn from mere external observation of man-made laws to interior acceptance of God’s Law. In point of fact, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His saving mission, had to reform and transform the Old Testament Law. The same continued in the Early Church on the issue of accepting the gentiles to the Christian Faith. How St Peter, after receiving a revelation from God and guided by His Spirit, imparted Baptism to an entire family is narrated in Acts 10:44-11:18. Acts 15 show, instead, St Paul’s struggle in the Council of Jerusalem for the same cause and the unanimous approval he gained for it from that Council. Ever since and through twenty centuries the Church of Jesus Christ has gone through drastic changes. The Second Vatican Council is perhaps the best example of it.

The Catholic Church was affected by scandals of sexual and other interval issues, as an experienced Church diplomat of the Vatican, how do you look at the present situation of the Church?

With regard to the sexual abuse committed by priests and religious in the Church and the terrible scandal it caused to the faithful, I would like to restrict myself to the reaction of Pope Benedict XVI. In a six hour interview he granted to the German journalist, Peter Seewald, in July 2010, this theme came up. That interview was published in Italian by the Vatican Library Press in October of the same year under the title “Luce del Mondo- il Papa, la Chiesa e i Segni dei Tempi” (Light of the World: the Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times). Pages 45-68 of the book contain the response of the Pope to this particular question. Here is a summarized version of his reaction:1. I felt like a heap of dirt falling on me. Or better said, it was like the irruption of a volcano spitting dirt in the whole Church. 2. When persons called by God and entrusted with the mission of leading the people to God lead them away from God, it is a grave sin. I was terribly shocked and interiorly hurt. 3. On the one hand, it badly affected the true meaning and value of priesthood, on the other however, it caused unimaginable damage to the credibility of the Church. 4. The Church needs a thorough purification and constructive action. It should stand with the victims of abuse and alleviate their pain and take all the necessary actions against the abusers. 5. The faithful should not loose courage, fall into negativism and overlook the bountiful good that still exist in the Church. 6. It is a moment to deepen our faith and trust in our Saviour, the founder of our Church. 7. Our hope, which sprouts from our faith in the Lord, if it is really strong, can repair the massive damage caused in the Church and it could open up new horizons for a splendid growth.
Ever since his election on 13 March 2013, Pope Francis has taken prompt, courageous and strongest action against all sorts of sexual abuse from the part of priests and religious in the Catholic Church. He stands with the truth, and irrespective of the hierarchical ranks and posts of the abusers, he has proceeded with immediate juridical action, both civil and canonical. He has also tried his best to reach out to the victims with utter humility asking forgiveness for the drastic damage such violations have caused to the dignity of their persons.

Perhaps, if the candidates to priesthood receive a better formation to grow in truthfulness and human maturity, with a better knowledge of the biblical sense and value of the New Testament priesthood (e.g. teaching profoundly the contrast between the pastors profiting from the herd entrusted to their care and abusing it, against whom Prophet Ezekiel is mandated by God to pronounce woes (Ez. 34) and the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep in St John (Jn.10), as well as the profound meaning of the New Testament priesthood in the ‘Letter to the Hebrews’), things might change. Equally, they might be formed to grow in interiority and integrity instead of in worldly interests, self-exhibition and never- ending ambitions. The people of God expects from those entrusted with the mission of ministerial priesthood, interiority and integrity, maturity and humanity as well as readiness to serve and ability to announce the Word of God. All these put together will help to keep away the clergy from sexual abuse.

As a retired of the Vatican Nuncio how do you see Pope Francis and his attempts of renewal of the curia and the Church? How do you appreciate him as an icon of the Catholic Church?

For me, Pope Francis is above all a Pastor filled with divine compassion. More than an Icon of the Catholic Church, he is a living Witness of the Word made Flesh. He has a profound knowledge of the meaning of Incarnation and the human aspect of the Church which originates from the faith in the incarnated Word and his Mission. It in no way means that he does not respect the divine aspects of the Church. Like Jesus brought salvation to the world through his humanity, the Pope tries to bring the world closer to God underlining its human aspect of the appreciated personalities in the Church. Pope Francis is a person of principles which Christ kept in his life and Mission and of courage which springs from the Risen Lord. He does what he says and says only what he himself does. He is humble in character and life and hates pomp and human glory. As he repeats in his teaching “authority in the Church is service and in no way power,” he fulfills his mission. It is a never ending service; he is indeed a hard worker. He believes that the Church’s mission has a global dimension. He keeps very friendly contacts with leaders of other churches and religions and they come to consult him on important issues. The destinations of his visits in Italy and abroad are almost always places or communities where people have suffered injustice in the past or where people still suffer isolation and abandonment. He stands for justice and truth and questions every type of injustice both within the Church and in the international community. Because of that he is considered today as one of the most respected and appreciated personalities in the whole world.

Between 2013 and 2018, I had the opportunity to visit him several times and each meeting with him was a real blessing for me. The conversation was very open, very personal and always enlightening. Often the meetings were long; sometimes he cracked jokes but a moment later he might raise pointing questions about the situation of the Church in the country I served and about the political situation there. I was amazed by his sharp memory. For example, he knew all the bishops and all the prominent political leaders in Uruguay and the situation of the Church there in detail. It is with a heart filled with joy and gratitude that I returned from meeting with him. They were real moments of encouragement and consolation. Once, along with five other Apostolic Nuncios I was at table with him. It was he who served wine for all of us. Once he had to go to an optical shop to change the glasses of his spectacle. The shop keeper was overwhelmed by his visit and fixed his glasses in minutes. The owner refused to receive the payment from him. No way! He will not leave the shop until he has paid. The same happened with the residence in Rome, owned by the Vatican, when he was attending the Conclave. After his election as Pope, he went personally to pay the bill. He always uses a small old car for his travel. Pope Francis is a true friend of the poor and the suffering persons. Once a year he meets with the homeless people in Rome and shares a meal with them. In the periphery of St Peters square he has provided bathroom facilities for them and often distributes food and gifts. Today, he is the strongest advocate of the rights of refugees in the world. With his lifestyle of poverty, simplicity, humility, and justice, he could well be qualified as a true follower of Francis of Assisi, who through his profound spirituality became a driving force behind the renewal of the Church of his time.

His teaching is simple but enormously rich. One could always see in it the true meaning of experienced divine mercy in front of the utter human misery. Pope Francis wants to stress on this particular theme and wants the Church to be a true source of divine mercy in the world. That, in my opinion, is the motive which prompted him to introduce a renewal of the Church and the Curia. Of course, it is a difficult task to change structures and traditions formed and followed for centuries in the Church. But the remains of the past, if they are irrelevant and harmful to the faithful, should disappear. In this regard, a passage from the “Letter to the Hebrews” could be a guiding principle. Comparing the Old Testament Covenant and the New Testament Covenant, the author in Hebrews Chapter 8:7-13 says: “For if the first Covenant had been faultless, no place would have been sought for a second one” (Heb. 8:7). He continues quoting the announcement of the New Covenant in Prophet Jeremiah (31: 31-34). In Heb. 8:13 we read, as conclusion of what is said above: “When he speaks of a “New” Covenant, he declares the first one obsolete. And what has become obsolete and antiquated should disappear.” The Catholic Church is universal. No particular Nation or churchmen there should impose their vested interests or try to monopolize the mission and vision of a universal Church. Perhaps that is what happened for centuries. Since the Second Vatican Council and due to the bold stand of Pope Paul VI, things started changing. Pope Francis continues and wants to conclude the reform of the Curia started by Pope Paul VI. May God strengthen and enlighten him to bring to conclusion that difficult task.

The whole world as well as our country is affected by religious fundamentalism, how do you look at the future of India and the Indian Church?

Religious fundamentalism, in my humble opinion, is a degradation of any religion. It can only create conflicts and destruction. Since centuries, humanity has witnessed to the destruction it can create and the hatred it can cause. Hatred ends in violence and terror. Religion, any religion for that matter, is to unite humanity and to teach its members to live in peace with people of other religions. A religion that teaches hatred and promotes terrorism is a contradiction in itself. Religions are meant to save and not to destroy. Two world wars which resulted from hatred and racial discriminations could be warning signals for all.

India has a remarkable and very long tradition of tolerance and could teach tolerance to all the other nations in the world. The Father of our Nation taught us ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence) and religious tolerance and he hated violence. Imitating some countries which foster and sponsor hatred in the name of religion, India will only destroy its sacred tradition and the values of its millennial history. Politics and religion should always remain complementary; and not contradictory. At the same time, they can work together in many fields for the common good of the population. What one of it cannot do, the other may be able to do. Politics should concentrate itself on peace and well-being of a Nation and Religion can care for the spiritual and moral growth of them. When proper limits are respected and limitations are recognized and accepted one or the other side should contribute considerably towards a peaceful co-existence.
In a great democratic nation like India, whose minority rights are well protected by a constitution, politics should not promote one or other religion in the country, but should be at the service of people of all religions in an equal way. One or the other group of politicians, supporting only people of their proper religions can divide the country and bring it to anarchy.Anarchy and poverty might easily turn a democratic country into an autocracy. We have enough examples of that in the African continent.
What about an eventual situation in which the Church will have to confront an exaggerated fundamentalism of another religion in any country? Two summaries in Acts of the Apostles would help us to face such a situation (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37). The first is to learn to live and practice the authentic faith in Jesus Christ like the primitive Church which had to go through persecutions. Second, the Christian faith should lead the faithful to a genuine fraternal love. If love is genuine it will bring the entire community of faithful to the service of the poor and needy in the whole society and that will become a true witness to the living Christ who is with us and will never abandon us. In every religion there will be lots of people of good will with whom we could cooperate with and work with. The Christian Church has gone through continued persecutions but always remaining in the path of love and never showing hatred. In fact, Christianity is a religion of love and never ever of vengeance and hatred. It should unceasingly show to the world that it stands for forgiveness and reconciliation.

When you look back how was your career as Bishop in the service of Vatican?

An assessment of 40 years of my diplomatic service in the universal Church! The answer is short: I do not think it is appropriate that I myself present evaluation of my service. If I have committed mistakes in my service I ask for forgiveness. If instead I could do any good, I can only thank God for it.