A Catholic religious forum has vowed to fight clericalism in the Church by promoting lay leadership. “Clericalism is a serious issue and we have to fight it,” said Father Anand Mathew, the newly elected national convener of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, a body of progressive religious priests, brothers, and nuns in India. Mathew, a mem-ber of the Indian Missionary Society based in the temple town of Varanasi in northern Uttar Pradesh, was elected unopposed to the post at its bi-annual convention in Indore in central India on Oct. 20. The Church in India is cleric – and bishop – centred and the involvement of the laity is “very negligible,” Mathew told on Oct. 25. The lay people should get “their fair share,” the priest said. The participants vowed “to work towards empowering the laity, including women, to transform the Church into a vibrant institution that stands for “the poor and those on the periphery,” Mathew added. The forum, established in 1987, has 21 state units. The forum has decided to run regional awareness campaigns among laypeople, including women and the youth, to promote gender equality in the Church’s decision-making bodies. “Once they [laypeople] are brought to the leadership level, it will infuse new dynamism,” Mathew added. The forum asked the Indian Church to take inspiration from the ongoing Synod on Synodality, convened by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The Synod on Synodality is notable for its diverse parti-cipation, welcoming laypeople and priests alongside bishops. As part of its mission, the members vowed to adopt “simpler lifestyles” and live “closer to the poor,” as Indian Church members face violence from right-wing Hindu groups. The participants stressed the need to “internalize individually and colle-ctively the values” of the papal encyclical Laudato Si’ (Praise be to you) and the apo-stolic exhortation Laudate Deum (Praise be to God). “Development must be people-centred, inclusive, holistic, just, equitable, sustainable, and life-promoting,” the forum said. It expressed concern over the exploita-tion of the earth, leading to “climate change.” The forum wanted to fight the government’s discriminatory and pro-rich policies.