VATICAN - THE POPE TELLS INDIAN BISHOPS: “ANY SEMBLANCE OF A CASTE-BASED PREJUDICE IN RELATIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANS IS A COUNTERSIGN TO AUTHENTIC HUMAN SOLIDARITY, A THREAT TO GENUINE SPIRITUALITY AND A SERIOUS HINDRANCE TO THE CHURCH’S MISSION OF EVANGELISATION”

Tuesday, 18 November 2003

Vatican City (Fides Service) - “It is not enough that the Christian community hold the principle of solidarity as a lofty ideal; rather it must be seen as the norm for human interaction” Pope John Paul II told a group of Indian Bishops from the ecclesiastical Provinces of Madras-Mylapore, Madurai and Pondicherry-Cuddalore, whom he received in audience on 17 November at the end of a series of "ad Limina” visits by Catholic Bishops from the sub continent.
The Holy Father addressed a theme already discussed with other Indian Bishops: “the need to promote a ‘spirituality of communion’ for the good of the Church and humanity.” “ We cannot hope to spread this spirit of unity among our brothers and sisters without genuine solidarity among peoples. Like so many places in the world, India is beset by numerous social problems. In some ways, these challenges are exacerbated because of the unjust system of caste division which denies the human dignity of entire groups of people. In this regard, I repeat what I said during my first pastoral visit to your country: "Ignorance and prejudice must be replaced by tolerance and understanding. Indifference and class struggle must be turned into brotherhood and committed service. Discrimination based on race, colour, creed, sex or ethnic origin must be rejected as totally incompatible with human dignity'".
John Paul II praised efforts by the Bishops’ Conference and by the individual local Churches "to fight this injustice" and he encouraged the Bishops to continue to ensure “ that special attention is given to those belonging to the lowest castes, especially the Dalits. They should never be segregated from other members of society. Any semblance of a caste-based prejudice in relations between Christians is a countersign to authentic human solidarity, a threat to genuine spirituality and a serious hindrance to the Church’s mission of evangelisation.”
With regard to new evangelisation the Pope said it is of “special importance in modern societies, in which large portions of the population find themselves in desperate situations often leading them to seek quick and easy solutions to complicated problems. This sense of hopelessness may explain, in part, why so many people, young and old alike, are attracted to fundamentalist sects offering short-lived emotional fervour and an assurance of wealth and worldly achievement.” “Our response to this – he said - must be one of "re-evangelisation", and the success of this depends on our ability to show people the emptiness of such promises, while convincing them that Christ and his Body share their sufferings, and reminding them to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (Mt 6:33).

The Holy Father asked to bishops to continue to promote “ solidarity among the clergy and greater unity between bishops and their presbyterates ”. As men of faith, “priests must not let the temptation of power or material gain distract them from their vocations, nor can they permit ethnic or caste difference to detract from their fundamental charge to spread the Gospel.” Lastly Pope John Paul II reminded the Bishops that "firm commitment to mutual support ensures our unity in mission, which is founded on Christ himself and "enables us to approach all cultures, all ideological concepts, all people of good will”. The Church “urges the faithful to enter with prudence and charity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions” in view of establishing “lasting solidarity among religions”. The Pope ended his address recalling that “ The Catholic Church in India has consistently promoted the dignity of every person and fostered the corresponding right of all peoples to religious freedom. Her encouragement of tolerance and respect of other religions is demonstrated by the many programmes of interreligious exchange which you have developed on both national and local levels. I encourage you to continue these frank and helpful discussions with those of other religions. Such discussions will help us to cultivate this mutual search for truth, harmony and peace.
(S.L.) (Fides Service 18/11/2003 – lines 46; words 658)


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