Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ

Do you think this act of NIA against Stan Swamy and the hate they have shown to him is a strike against the missionaries in the adivasi and trial belts of India against their social activism?

Let me briefly share the background of Fr Stan’s life and mission. He belonged to the Society of Jesus, a religious group founded about 500 years ago and dedicated to the service of faith. n 1975, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, called for the Jesuits to be “men for others” and implored them to embrace a “faith that does justice.” “Our mission to proclaim the Gospel [demands]of us a commitment to promote justice and enter into solidarity with the voiceless and the powerless,” it is in this context that Fr Stan Swamy committed his life for the poor and marginalsied.

I do think that the action against NIA is not founded on any facts. But I do not think that is a crime against the missionaries. That is because many other activities, who are not missionaries, are also imprisoned for the same reason. So I conclude that the aim of NIA was to discourage all people trying to help tribals and the poor.

How do you as a Jesuit look at social activism as missionary exodus of the Christian?

We know that Pope Francis has taken the world by storm with his ministry to the poor and efforts to take the Church out of the sacristy and into the world. Powerful images of Francis as a servant leader – shunning ostentation, washing the feet of prisoners in a pre-Easter ritual – have provided us with a new vision of the papacy. It is a vision reminiscent of the Gospel story and its message of reconciliation, love, and service to the marginalized and forgotten.

Like Pope Francis, the Jesuits seek a “faith that does justice.” This has lead to social activism that not only gives them food, but also tries to remove the roots of povery. They are reminded of the words of Brazilian Catholic archbishop Helder Camara, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”

The powers are afraid of addressing root causes to hunger such as poverty because this requires stepping back and looking at our own society for the answers. It’s easy to blame the poor as alcoholics or unmotivated individuals who just don’t want anything better for themselves, but looking at poverty in the context of a social system that has allowed such a state to occur and not provided for people involves guilt. They have no problem if the poor are helped and given food like Mother Teresa.

It is good to help the poor by giving them food or job. But we also need to look at the larger problem and seek systemic solution. That is why Stan Swamy and Helder Camara were trying to do. They paid the price for their committed life.

Do you think the church in India has a clear picture of mission activity here? What is the mission trust in India?

The church in India is not one single entity just like India as a nation. Therefore it is difficult to have a clear picture of its missionary activity. Mostly they side with the poor and underprivileged to various degrees. They seek to uplift the poor, dalits and the tribals. But we cannot say that this is the main mission thrust of the Indian Church. It differs from state to state and from one rite to another.

The mission of Fr Stan was clear. He stood for the poor and the tribals. So he affirms: “People in power portray me as criminal, terrorist and even ‘foreign agents’, but my voice for injustice will never sleep.” Further he warns as a premonition. “They can imprison me but not the tribal rights. They can exile me, but not rights of my fellow tribals. They may even kill me, but not the rights of any tribals.”

kuru@jdv.edu.in