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We observe Minority Rights on December 18. It is time we critically examined how India empowers and protects the rights of minorities. There is no internationally agreed definition as to which groups constitute minorities. Francesco Capotorti, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, in 1977 defined a minority community as a group numerically inferior to the rest of the population of a country. They could possess ethnic, religious or linguistic characteristics differing from the rest of the population. They could also show a sense of solidarity to preserve their culture, traditions, religion or language. In 1992, the United Nations adopted this definition based on national or ethnic, cultural, religious identity. The international body expects the States to protect the minority communities.Minority Rights in India According to India’s latest census taken in 2011, minorities in the country are about 19.3 percent of the total population — Muslims 14.23 percent, Christians 2.3, Sikhs 1.72, Buddhists 0.7, Jains 0.37, and others such as Parsi and Jews 0.6. Except Hindus, the rest communities have been identified as minority communities. The government of India established National Minorities Commission in 1978 because, “despite the safeguards provided in the Constitution and the laws
Recently, a friend of mine, a pious Catholic-turned-Hindutvavadi, sent me an article titled ‘233 reasons why you should join BJP.’ I did not read it, just because my mind could not absorb that amount of fake news. Then came the news — 500 Christian candidates supporting BJP are in the fray for the Panchayat elections in Kerala. To my mind, there are only two reasons why a Christian would become a BJP member/supporter: either she or he is politically naïve or she or he is following the Church in Nazi times. Both are bad news for the Church. Political naivete Remember, for a Christian his or her final judgment is based on how you treat the poor and homeless (Mt.25). If anybody thinks after the last five years of experience, especially so post Covid-19, that the BJP is for the poor and downtrodden it is absolute ignorance. How were the migrant labour treated post lockdown of the country? With lathis and chemical sprays. How are the farmers being treated now on the streets of India? With tear gas and water cannons. If anyone thinks that the BJP is for the poor and marginalized, look at the data of economic performance. “Things have gone pretty badly wrong… It has taken a quantum jump in the wrong direction since 2014. We are getting backwards in the fastest-growing economy,” Amartya Sen said. How are Christians, other mi
Very rarely have I heard of bishops expressing regret. Often bishops and priests who are in powerful positions behave as if they share the infallibility of Pope. So, I was surprised to know that a bishop has expressed his regret for attending a marriage between a Catholic woman and a Muslim man inside a church. With all good intention Emeritus Bishop Mathew Vaniakizhakkel of Satna accepted the invitation by the bride’s family he was closely associated. Later the 74 –year-old prelate expressed regret because of the negative publicity about the mixed marriage propagated by a section of people with vested interests. After learning the background of this mixed marriage I am of the view that the bishop’s regret is regrettable. By succumbing to the negative propaganda of the militant elements he lost an opportunity to educate people about the importance of creating good will and harmony among people of other faiths. Mixed marriages are permitted by the Church. Father Benny John Maramparambil, the parish priest of Kadvanthra parish, had received the official non-objection certificate and the required permission from the parish priest of the bride’s parish to administer the marriage in the church. The official letter from the parish priest declaring that there were no impediments assured Bishop Mathew to attend the mixed marriage. A parish priest usually obtains dispensation under disparity of cult before issuing the n
The Biblical Year of the Pauline Family with the theme “That the Word of the Lord may speed on,” will be launched by the Daughters of Paul, Goa along with the Diocesan Centre for Biblical Apostolate on November 26. The inaugural Mass by Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao will be televised on CCRTV on 26 November at 7.00 a.m. Announcing the Pauline Biblical Year in January this year, the Major Superiors of the Pauline Family in Rome said that the common objective of the year-long celebration of the Biblical year is “Walking with the Church, we renew ourselves through familiarity, study and prayerful reading of the Sacred Scriptures, in order to live the Word of God so that it reaches everyone, especially those on the existential and thought peripheries.” The Pauline Family consists of five religious Congregations, four secular Institutes and one association of Pauline Cooperators. The Religious Institutes are Society of St Paul, Daughters of St Paul, Pius Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles. The aggregated Institutes are Institute of Jesus the High priest for the Diocesan Priests, Institute of the Holy Family, Institute of St Gabriel the Archangel, Institute of Our Lady’s Annunciation and one Association of Pauline Cooperators. Among these two religious congregations—Daughters of St Paul and Pius Disciples of the Divine Master are rendering services in
