BJP Magazine Publishes Article Depicting Nuns in Poor Light , Isai Maha Sangh Demands Legal Action

Members of Isai Maha Sangh Bhopal petitioning Police.

Bhopal: 9/04/2013/ The latest issue of the Baratiya Janata Party run fort-nightly magazine “CHARAIVETI” carried an article titled “The life of nuns in the hell of the Church” written by a Delhi based writer R L Francis. The issue has become centre of controversy in Madhya Pradesh.

A delegation lead by Isai Maha Sangh District President, Richard James presented a memorandum in this regard in the Public Hearing organized by Director General of Police Shri. Nandan Dubey  IPS. The public hearing was lead by Smt. Aruna Mohan  Rao, Additional Director General of Police.

The ADGP has asked the Inspector General of police, BhopalRange, Shri. Upendr Jain to take immediate action in the complaint. Following which a few members of the delegation met IG too later and handed over a complete file for immediate action.

The magazine is run by the committee headed by Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Member of Parliament from Indore  and former Union Minister, the editor of the magazine is Anil Somitra and the writer of the article R L Francis.

Richard James said, “the article is very distasteful and offensive, police should take action against the editor, writer of the article and president of the committee that runs the magazine.”

“If the police fails to take action we will move ahead with further legal action,” he warned.

George Anthony, General Secretary of Isai Maha Sangh Bhopal District, said “it is done purposely to defame the community on communal lines. It is very unfortunate that ruling party is targeting the Christian community. We want police to take action.”

Isai Maha Sangh demanded legal action against the offenders and also asked the  people responsible to ask pardon form the community and withdraw the article.

The delegation included Monu Saxena, the Youth Congress, Vice President of the Bhopal Lok Sabha Constituency, Mrs. Edlina David, president of the Women’s wing of Isai Maha Sangh were also present in the delegation.

Richard James
District President
Isai Maha Sangh(MP)
Bhopal,  Cell: 09755157725

Youth and Media group mark year of faith with Gospel Music

The ICYM Kalyani members dance for KGB song.

KALYANI, (C.M. Paul) –  A parish group in Krishnagar diocese marked the year of faith with a unique musical venture. In collaboration with local ICYM (Indian Catholic Youth Movement) and Signis (Catholic Association for Communication) they held the first ever Gospel Night on Divine Mercy Sunday, 7th April.

The Gospel night at Don Bosco Parish Kalyani in Nadia district began with a solemn procession of the Bible accompanied by liturgical dance and an escort of some 60 children dressed in white dress as well as senior girls in their colourful sarees.

After the solemn installation of the Holy Bible on the stage, and reading of the Word of God (Is.55:6-11) Salesian Bishop Joseph Gomes of Krishnagar broke the Word of God.

“Your Word is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path,” the bishop said reminding some 1,000 people gathered for the event, on the power of the Word of God in their lives.

Well known musicians of the Zee Bangla popular show joined OHD (Our Holy Desire) Gospel Band leader Mr Avijit (Oli) Mondal from Kolkata for the Gospel Night. Lead singers Mandira Kar and Vivek Chakraborty enthralled the audience with their renderings in Hindi and Bengali.

The evening also featured the debut of two teenager artists both class VII students. While Miss Salomi Mondal, a student of Auxilium School Dum Dum sang “Love Lifted Me” with OHD Band, Master Happy Mondal of Julien Day School Kalyani played the guitar for KGB Band.

The anchors for the night were Miss Mou Das and Fr Robin Gomes SDB.

Earlier in the evening the ICYM’s own Kalyani Gospel Band (KGB) consisting of parish youth trained by Avijit Mondol took the stage and rocked the audience with their popular numbers in Bengali, Hindi and Sadri.

Master Builder Br. Isaac dies at 86

Br. Issac Puthumana SDB

NEW DELHI, (C.M. Paul) – Salesian Brother Isaac Puthumana of Don Bosco Alaknanda died, Wednesday 13^th March at 5.15 am in Holy Family Hospital New Delhi. He was 86 years old. His funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon, 15 March.

Br Isaac was commonly remembered as a master builder because of some 30 buildings he put up in the Salesian provinces of Kolkata and New Delhi. Many of them he personally supervised, others he planned and directed by frequent visits and guidance as province Administrator.

“No one can gauge the enormous finance he has thus saved for the Congregation,” says former Salesian provincial of both Kolkata and New Delhi Fr Joseph Kizhekkekara.

Fr Kizhkekkara recalls, “huge sums of money have passed through his hands, but he always maintained a simple and austere way of life.”

Apart from being a builder, Br. Isaac has also been a great administrator. He served 15 years as Province Administrator, 9 years in Kolkata and 6 in Delhi and has also been administrator of several communities in the Provinces of Guwahati, Calcutta and Delhi.

But, those who know Br. Isaac closely marvel more at the “Wonderful Salesian” he has built up within.

He would demand quality work from his workers, but he always remained close to them as a caring person, even going to the point of building homes for the poorest among them.

Busy as he was throughout the day with the worries of administration and building works, he would take time off to be before the Eucharistic Lord in the quiet of the evening.

Br. Isaac was born in a family of 8 siblings, 4 of them became religious offering their lives and services to God. He left home at the age of 22 to join the Salesian novitiate in Shillong and professed on May 8th, 1952.

Past, present & future – all tense

KANPUR, (chhotebhai)* — This is not about grammar, which is not my forte.  Nor is it about glamour. (Hard to believe that he who recently demitted office reverted to wearing red shoes – yuk).  This is a hard-boiled reflection on the papacy – its past, present and future.  As the 115 remaining cardinals in the consistory prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel, we need to push hard for pristine values that should be at the core of the papacy, Catholicism, Christianity and the entire world.

It is therefore imperative for every world citizen, not just the Catholics, to reflect deeply, and pray earnestly, for a new pope who should be the Vicar (representative) of Christ, rather than a Shepherd (we are not dumb sheep) or a Roman Pontiff (Rome is just an accident of history, and we have had enough of stiff and starched pontiffs). The only thing I like about Dan Brown’s writing is his statement that “history is written by the victors”.  This appears equally true for the history of the papacy.  Fortunately, I have with me a book “A Compact History of the Popes”, written by Rev P.C. Thomas, and published by St. Paul’s.  I have no reason to doubt its authenticity or bias in favour of the victors, the triumphalistic Catholic Church of the recent past.  This article is heavily dependent on the information contained in that book, and is duly acknowledged.

Indeed, we need to learn the lessons of the past, lest we commit the same blunders.  The history of the papacy, more particularly from the 4^th to 16^th Centuries, is far from flattering.  Papal elections have been fraught with violence, murder, cloak and dagger style intrigue, nepotism, simony, debauchery and all out wars.  Blatant evils of the past have, in more recent times, made way for subtler moves that may not attract media attention, or are difficult to prove.

In the past, the church and the papacy struggled for survival, against brutal Roman persecution (so why call ourselves Roman at all?)  Then there was the evolution of dogma, the Arian and Nestorian heresies.  The Canonicity of the Holy Bible (which books or texts were to be decreed as divine inspiration) was next.  Then came the great Schism of the East in the 11^th century, resulting in the Protestant Reformation.  As I said in my earlier article “Quo Vadis Mater Ecclesia?”, Marxism, Darwinism, the French and industrial revolutions, the printing press, woman’s liberation, etc all challenged the Church, and its entrenched teachings. Space constraints prevent me from giving more details, but students of Church History will bear me out, that I am not making wild allegations.

The 20^th century saw popes like Pius X, Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI seeking answers and trying to make the Church relevant to the times – resulting in the epochal pronouncements of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).  Unfortunately, in the second half of his papacy, John Paul II started retracting into a shell (like a threatened tortoise).  Benedict XVI turned the clock back further with his golden crockery (poor butler), red shoes ((poor chambermaid) and jaundiced yellow views (poor us)!

I would love to believe that the past is behind us. It isn’t.  It is still staring us in the face.  Hence the need to focus attention on it.

This brings us to the present.  What do we see around us in both Church and the World?  The Catholic Church has already regressed on the wished for renewal of Vatican II. What happened to ecumenism, dialogue with other religions, liberation theology, inculturation, biblical spirituality? All gone down the drain, because of its “threat perception.”  What of the world?  From the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, we now face the sceptre of terrorism, most often linked to Islamist groups.  America’s armed response in Iraq and Afghanistan has only aggravated the situation.  With social networking and information technology, there are no more secrets.  We don’t need butlers to spring leaks. There are enough eyes in the sky and spies on the ground.

In world society we see other subtle changes. There is the entire gamut of sexual ethics and norms. There is a growing religious apathy or redundancy, especially among “developed” or affluent nations.  Earlier one prayed to God for rain; now one has to just switch on the tube well. There is a growing assertion of women’s rights.  Oligarchies are now being asked for transparency and accountability.

Can the oligarchical, cocooned, defensive Catholic Church remain untouched by what is happening in the world and society?  To remain indifferent or distant would be to its own detriment.

To the future then. We need a pope who can, not only guide and lead the Catholic Church, but also be a person who can interact with the world (specifically the Islamic world).  No “clash of civilizations” please.  We also need a figure who can empathize with what is happening in society, and make religion relevant to the modern human being, including women and youth. This is not a tall order. I often tell people that I follow Jesus not so much because he is the son of God, but because I see him as the perfect human being. I can model my life on his words and actions. I see in him the answer and solution to all my problems. Jesus always referred to himself as “Son of Man”, Bar-e-nasa in his native Aramaic, or Aam Aadmi in today’s parlance.  In fact, the great mystic St Theresa of Avila in her classic “InteriorCastle”, clearly states that the first room in the castle is the humanity of Jesus. That is the stepping stone to divine intimacy and ecstasy.

6 H Pope

So what kind of a pope am I looking at? I am for a 6 H Pope – one who is Human, Humble, Honest, Holy, Harmonious and Hardworking.   This may sound like stating the obvious. History is eloquent testimony that this has not been so. Sadly, one does not even see these qualities in many of our cardinal electors, bishops or clergy. So where will the pope come from?

Who should be Pope?  As per Canon Law he is the “head of the College of Bishops” (Can 331). “If he does not have the episcopal character, he is immediately to be ordained bishop” (Can 332:1). This clearly indicates that the choice of pope is not restricted to the cardinal electors, or even the bishops. So the net may be cast much wider, beyond the 115 men in the Sistine Chapel. Again, history is replete with instances of men who were not cardinals, or not present in the consistory, being elected popes. In some cases humble monks declined or deferred the election. We have instances where 3 or 4 persons were simultaneously claiming to be the pope. There have been vacancies in the papacy for over 4 years. On the other hand some papal electees actually died before they could be consecrated. Some popes have had tenures as brief as 10 days.

Despite such vagaries the church is alive and affirms its “apostolic succession”. So what is papal history saying to us? It reminds me of the adage, “Haste makes waste”.  What is the hurry in electing a pope?  What is the imperative to have a new pope before Palm Sunday or Easter?  Why this inordinate haste? Do we doubt God’s providence? Can we not learn from the past?

I believe that the office of the pope has far reaching consequences, beyond the pale of the visible Catholic Church. This requires time, reflection, prayer and informed debate.  In a federal democracy like India we find that after a period of political turmoil or uncertainty President’ Rule is imposed for a 6 month cooling off period. In like manner I would feel that the collegial Catholic Church needs a 3 to 6 month gestation period.  Public opinion must be built up. Sounding boards should be heard. Issues should be raised and analyzed. Wide ranging consultations should be held. A sustained prayer campaign should be launched. Why is the CBCI silent? Only then should a pope be elected.

All this may sound like wishful thinking. Today’s dreams become tomorrow’s reality. So I dare to dream; as the first pope, St. Peter, said we would, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Whether the next pope is white, brown, yellow, black or red (I mean his skin not his shoes) is immaterial, provided he has the 6H formula, and an extended period of discernment is facilitated.

Having studied the past, and analyzed the present, I am tense and apprehensive about the future. Many of past papal elections could in no way be attributed to the working of the Holy Spirit. To the contrary. So this time around I sincerely hope and humbly pray that 230 ears (each cardinal presumably has 2) will be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Till then, like an expectant mother, I am tense.

* The writer is a lay Catholic (period) 

Adopt a cardinal and be in the conclave

Adopt a cardinal… register and sign up to pray for a cardinal and you will immediately get the Cardinal, with his picture and the number so far registered to pray for will is also indicated.

Just click this link or cut and paste the same http://adoptacardinal.org/adoption …

You will get one Cardinal to pray for.

Prediction for Salesian Pope

Cardinal Óscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, SDB

KALYANI, (C.M. Paul) – Among 121 Salesian prelates listed in the SDB Elenco 2012 there are six cardinals, five of whom could be at the upcoming conclave for the election of a pope to succeed Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

If one heeds to speculations churned out in the rumour mills of Rome the chances for a Salesian cardinal to be elected pope are plenty…

According to Trophy D’Souza, a London based author who intends to do a book on the Conclave, in the early rounds the ballots could be prolonged… leading papabilies like Sandri (Argentinian) who satisfies the European-SouthAmerican emphasis… He’s also known as a reasonably good administrator, and a fairly good Pastor, and also one the present-retired Pope promoted…. He could get support from Italians / Europeans as well as of South Americans. He would seem to have a sort of edge even over the two Italian favourites: Scola of Milan [esp since Milan has recently provided Popes] or Ravasi one of the most kind of balanced ones in Italy, and quite a good administrator: perhaps the best candidate for Deputy Pope, ie. the job Bertone holds just now……If the voting is ‘aggressive’…. Sandri, or maybe, or just maybe Ravasi could stand out… [this is how human pressure goes....and the Cardinals are human!!!]

Clockwise: Cardinals Amato, Farina, Zen, Bertone and Obando

In middle rounds:  if nothing definite happens earlier, i.e. no clear favourites, D’Souza feels an unknown guy could come up, and one of the strongest candidates is a relatively unknown guy: a monk.  An American guy: Card of Boston: the reason? He stamped out, sort of, the child abuse stigma in more than one place [in the Americas N & S]… He even sold his bishop’s house to pay off victim’s claims….O’Malley is his name… Even now, in Rome for these grand consultations he goes round in his Carmelite slippers and brown habit… No fuss… no show. He might impress with his simplicity. The Cardinals might see him settling one of the biggest problems the church has to clean up: as the Telegraph London reporter flagged up as the biggest problem of the Church, even more than the lethargic functioning of the Curia… As a cardinal he has shown depth of spirituality and wit, not to mention leadership skills which many cardinal electors consider an essential quality for the future Pope, who will be called to sort out the Curia.

O’Malley’s name could come up strongly, together with what D’Souza sees as ‘lesser knowns’… including Tagle (Phillippines), Quette (Canada), Maradiaga (Honduras… who’s at the forefront of pro-life battle, against same-sex marriage, and anti-abortion)…These later rounds would /should actually get the college thinking more laterally… still without a clear favourite….O’Malley incidentally is quite well known to Scola and Maradiaga.

Final rounds: anybody’s guess! But, if the signs of the past [though not the Paul VI or Benedict elections] then they may have to go for the ‘absolute majority’… and D’Souza’s guess is that probably O’Malley / Maradiaga may be pitted against one of the big hitters, e.g. Ravasi or Sandri… whose votes may have picked up towards the end… or maybe, just maybe… Scola may have survived so far for a run-off… but again, D’Souza thinks it will be with one of the lesser knowns: O’Malley / Maradiaga / Ouette

Good luck to whoever wins….but it can’t be Turkson this time [he actually spoiled his own chances, if he had any], or Tagle [though very capable, has 2 problems with the generally pro-conservative cardinals: too young and too ‘out of mainstream ‘catholic (once upon a time) European thought’… however racist it sounds perhaps. Both these deserve higher postings in the Vatican… to do better next time!

Notes on Card. Maradiaga

Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, is 70 plus years old. He is passionate about classical music, having studied the saxophone, the piano, harmony and composition. He even directed an orchestra as a seminarian.

On the academic side, he has studied theology, philosophy, clinical psychology and psychotherapy. For more than ten years he also taught chemistry, physics, sacred music, moral theology and ecclesiology.

He has used his role to speak out in defense of the poor. So much so, that he must always be escorted in his native country for taking on drugs and corruption.

CARD. ÓSCAR RODRIGUEZ MARADIAGA
Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras)
Archive January 19, 2007
“The first value our continent has is faith, and with faith, the virtue of truth, which is not just optimism, but instead the confidence by which we must meet our goals and keep fighting. It’s what sustains the poor. We have to keep fighting to get rid of poverty.”

What many don’t know about him is that he loves to fly, and is certified as an aeronautical pilot. He is fluent in English, French, Italian, German and Portuguese, in addition to his native Spanish.

Cardinal Óscar Rodriguez Maradiaga is the current president of Caritas Internationalis, the Catholic Church’s leading aid agency.

Govt urged to enact Law against Communal and Targeted Violence

[The following is the text of the Press Statement issued by Dr. John Dayal, Secretary General, All India Christian Council, on the Address to the Joint Sessions of Parliament on 21 February 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee.]

NEW DELHI, (Dr. John Dayal) — The All India Christian Council has expressed its disappointment that President Pranab Mukherjee, in his first Address to the Joint Session of Parliament on 21 February 2013 did not adequately address the concerns of the religious minorities, the Dalits and the Tribals who face targeted violence and threat to security, lack of representation in middle and senior government positions including the judiciary, and still require adequate resources for education, employment and livelihood.

Council President Rev. Dr. Joseph D’ Souza said the President should have taken this opportunity to assure the minority communities of the government’s seriousness in enacting the Communal and targetted violence [prevention, reparations and rehabilitation] Bill which had been drafted by the National Advisory Council. Such a law, combined with a comprehensive development promise in the implementation of the 12^th Five Year plan by way of more scholarships, specially for professional classes, and a development focus at the level of not just districts but administrative blocks which had religious minorities in large numbers were urgently required. Ideally, he said, there should a Special Component for Religious minorities in government’s plans and programmes.

Dr. John Dayal, Secretary General, there was also urgent need to work out oversight and coordination mechanism to see that State governments implemented such plans. At present, several states had defaulted in matters of scholarships and minorities’ welfare, Dr. Dayal said.

The Christian community has for the last many years demanding a study on the pattern of the Justice Rajender Sachar to identify to get a correct picture of the socio economic and development status of the community, specially among Tribals and Dalits who suffer sever debility and underdevelopment in many pockets. The government continues to remain silent on this. It also does not categorically announce when it will bring forward the Equal Opportunity Bill which ahs been in cold storage for several years.

The council has welcomed that under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, more than 32 lakh claims have been filed and nearly 13 lakh titles have been distributed.

While welcoming government’s schemes under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, the effort is to ensure that 15 per cent of the targets and outlays of the identified schemes benefit the minority communities, the Council said the Christian community must get its due share of these funds and resources.

The Council also welcomed the Integrated Child Development Scheme during the 12th Plan with a total outlay of Rs 1,23,580 crore, and the path-breaking ‘Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act’, which provides for stringent punishment for persons who commit or abet such offences. The council hopes that the recommendations of the Justice JS Verma committee on reforms in laws to prevent and punish rape would be implemented in letter and spirit without dilution. The National Mission for Empowerment of Women’s pilot project in public hospitals in 100 districts, called “One Stop Crisis Centre”, for providing all necessary services for women subjected to violence, was a welcome measure, the council said.