OUR GOOD BISHOPS

The year 2014 began on 1^st January as a happy augury, with the visit to my home of my new bishop, Raphy Manjaly. We have known each other for almost 40 years, so we joyously recalled some of the missionary journeys that we had embarked upon together in Lucknow and Bijnor dioceses.

Exactly 5 days later I received two open letters addressed to bishops. The first was by the redoubtable Dr James Kottoor, former editor of The New Leader. It was addressed to the four bishops of Ernakalum, Kerala. He was drawing a parallel between the Indian political establishment and the hierarchy; implying that the hierarchy should also be shaken out of its stupor by an AAP-like storm in the church. He was appealing to the bishops to come out of their cocoons, to engage in an open dialogue with the laity; lest the church be left in the lurch, become redundant and its teachings infructuous.

Was it coincidence, or divine intervention, that I simultaneously received an open letter from the indomitable Rev Subash Anand, a former professor of the Papal Seminary, Pune, now serving in a remote mission station in Udaipur diocese, Rajasthan? I will briefly touch on some of the issues raised by Subashbhai. Though the letter is addressed to the bishops of the U.P. Rajasthan region, copies were sent to all the bishops of India; so this is now an open forum.

Subashbhai avers that Rupees Twenty Lakhs were spent on the consecration of a bishop in the region; eventhough the diocese has hardly 10,000 Catholics. Similarly Rupees Fourteen Lakhs were spent on the installation, not consecration, of another bishop in the region. The questions that he raises are – What is the need of such ostentatious spending? Was the laity involved in the decision making process? What was the need of a political figure (diplomat) like the Papal Nuncio, to attend such functions? What was the need for dozens of bishops and hundreds of priests, to attend such elaborate celebrations?

It gave the impression that bishops, priests and religious have a lot of spare time and extra money to blow up in this way. If the church has so much money there is no need to seek foreign funding. The church can verily take care of the needs of the Dalit Christians in our ranks. He asks why we continue to establish more and more prestigious English medium schools that are sources of power and pelf. Yet such institutions resist social legislation like the RTI and RTE. Why? He too, like Kottoor, draws a parallel with AAP. He wants the Aam Admi Pastors who have “the smell of the sheep” a la Pope Francis. Both letter writers see him as a true Christian leader, whose qualities of head and heart merit emulation. I cannot but agree with both of them.

Along came another “divine intervention”, again thanks to AAP! On 15^th January mattersindia.com carried a report on Bp Thomas Dabre of Pune, praising Arvind Kejriwal on his Facebook wall. Here’s what he said. “They wish to teach us Indians that the nation belongs to us citizens and not to the politicians, Ministers and Govt officials”. He further said. “The VIP culture and five star lifestyle of politicians must be restrained. It is the people who elect the politicians, and they must be involved in all decisions. Politicians must not make decisions FOR the people but WITH THE PEOPLE”. What noble sentiments. They enraged me because of their apparent double standards! I am now juxtaposing the good bishop’s words on the church scenario. This is how it would read:

“Kottoor and Subash wish to teach us Christians that the church belongs to us, all the faithful, and not to the bishops, priests and religious … The VIP culture and five-star lifestyle of bishops must be restrained. It is the people who should elect the bishops and they must be involved in all decisions. The hierarchy should not make decisions for the people, but with the people”. Such a statement would be music to the ears of the AAM Christians – the laity. I don’t have a Facebook Wall, but I do hope that our KHAAS hierarchy will read the writing on the wall, like Nebuchanezer did, and face the truth.

The “divine interventions” have not ceased. The next one was an article by Rev Michael Kelly, Executive Editor of ucanews.com. He was reporting on Pope Francis’ “warning” to the 19 new cardinals appointed by him. I would rather call it an advisory. Here are some extracts:

“The cardinalship does not imply promotion … It is neither an honour nor a decoration. It is simply a service that requires you to broaden your gaze and open your hearts  … Receive this designation with a simple and humble heart … ensure that this sentiment is far from any expression of worldliness or from any form of celebration contrary to the evangelical spirit of austerity, sobriety and poverty”. Kelly says that the Pope’s advisory uses the simple salutation “Dear Brother”, devoid of any honorifics like “Your Eminence”. Isn’t it time that we also addressed our good bishops as brothers? Shouldn’t our good bishops stop having a “Coat of Arms”, a flashback to medieval European nobility? What about those rings that even our womenfolk stoop to kiss? Isn’t this servile practice anathema to Indian culture?

I have had many wonderful interactions and relationships with a host of bishops, beginning with Abp Angelo Poli Ofm Cap way back in 1960. My grandfather, as President of the Cawnpore (now Kanpur) Catholic Association, had presented him his episcopal ring on his election as the bishop of Allahabad in 1917. We have had close family bonds with many bishops. In 1949 Bp Leonard Raymond of Allahabad blessed my parents’ marriage. In 1974 Bp Cecil D’sa of Lucknow blessed my sister’s marriage, and in 1983 Cardinal Lawrence Picachy of Kolkata blessed my brother’s marriage. Bp Fredrick D’souza of Jhansi was present at my marriage in 1984; and Abp Albert D’souza (Agra), Bp Raphy Manjaly (then of Varanasi) and Bp Francis Kallist (Meerut) concelebrated at the 25^th jubilee mass of our marriage in 2009. Bp Patrick D’souza of Varanasi wrote an inspiring Foreword to my book “Beyond 2000 – The Other Side” in 2000, and released it at Kanpur. Bp Bosco Penha did likewise in Mumbai, as did Abp Vincent Concessao in Agra. At an AICU meet in Mumbai in 2004, one of the auxiliary bishops actually kissed my hand, when we were introduced. A rare reversal of roles! It was Bp Raymond D’mello of Allahabad who ensured that my parents received papal awards – my father with the Knighthood of St Gregory, and my mother with the “Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice”. Bp Baptist Mudartha, the retired bishop of Allahabad, had graced my father’s Birth Centenary Celebrations in 1997. So I should have every reason to say that we have good bishops, with whom my family and I have had very pleasant relationships.

Other than the “ceremonial” aspect, there are a few more episodes, of a different nature that warrant attention. The first dates back to 1976, a few days after I had joined Jyotiniketan Ashram, Bareilly. Fr Augustine Deenabandhu Ofm Cap was away, and I was alone, when the parish priest drove up with an older person, who was dressed in an ordinary kurta pyjama. It was Bp George Saupin SJ, of Daltonganj. I was threshing grain at the time. Without ado the bishop joined me in that “menial task”, and later helped me in making rotis on the wood fire. He was an inspiration to me. Today’s readers may not know that it was the time of the Emergency., and Bp Saupin had stood up for the rights of the poor tribals in his diocese. Because of his blue eyes and French name, Indira Gandhi thought that he was a foreigner, and tried to expel him the way she had treated Fr Zeitler SVD of Pune, and some others. Since he was an Indian national, she nevertheless prevailed upon the CBCI to get him transferred out to Bhagalpur diocese. During the Emergency Indira wanted to control even the appointment of Catholic bishops.

Another interesting episcopal encounter was with Abp Antony Padiyara of Changanacherry, while he was staying at St Fidelis’ Ashram, Lucknow. He had sent one of his “theologically errant” priests to Jyotiniketan for correctional guidance. I just walked into the archbishop’s room, and pleaded the cause of his priest, as Fr Deenabandhu had not found any “wrong” in the man. The archbishop graciously accepted to take his priest back. Sometimes bishops do listen!

Shortly after I was elected National President of the All India Catholic Union in 1990 I had visited New Delhi. Abp Angelo Fernandes invited me to a farewell party for the Nuncio, Abp Cacciavillan. The Nuncio called me aside to say that he had read my manifesto, and had only one word of advice for me, “Stay out of the rites issue”. He was infact the architect of the division of Bombay archdiocese, and the erection of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Kalyan.

Two weeks later he invited me to his own farewell party at the Ashoka Hotel. I had just returned from a fact-finding mission to Gajraula, where two nuns had been raped. The CBCI Centre, where I was staying, was locked. Everybody was partying at the Ashoka. So dirty and sweaty as I was, I took a smelly auto to the hotel. There they were – bishops, priests and nuns – wining and dining. Never mind the victims in Gajraula. The Nuncio was then the Dean of the Diplomats in Delhi, by virtue of being the senior most serving diplomat. So the entire diplomatic corps was there. What did they think of the wining-dining Catholic Church?

This takes me back to  a similar incident in 1967. My mother was a go-getter. She could get people like President Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Mother Teresa to accept her invitations to Kanpur. Cardinal Valerian Gracias of Bombay was now on her guest list. Among other functions, she had organised a dinner at our home. The top brass of the administration, Army and Airforce were present. In my album there is a photograph of the Cardinal sitting with my parents at the dinner. He is holding a glass of whisky and a cigarette. I thought nothing of it at that time, as I was just a teenager. But when I look at that photograph today I am horrified. As with the Nuncio in the previous episode, I ask myself “What kind of witness were we giving?” Wasn’t that just what Mahatma Gandhi had in mind when he said that he liked Christ but he disliked Christians? Perhaps that is also what Dr Ambedkar saw when he toyed with the idea of leading his “untouchables” to Christianity, but opted for egalitarian Buddhism instead.

It is time that we “listened to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (cf Rev 3:22). He speaks through the scriptures, Vat II documents, the events of everyday life, and the writings of inspired writers like Dr Kottoor and Subashbhai aforesaid. Permit me some brief quotes from the “Dogmatic Constitution of the Church”. It says, “Those who are endowed with sacred power are the servants of their brethren” (LG 18). “Among the principal duties of bishops, the preaching of the gospel occupies an eminent place” (LG 25). It doesn’t ask bishops to erect English medium schools, or cut ribbons and be chief guests at jubilees. “A bishop must keep before his eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (cf Mat 20:28) and to lay down his life for his sheep (cf Jn 10:11)” (LG 27). The “Decree on the Bishops Pastoral Office in the Church” also reiterates “A bishop should stand in the midst of his people as one who serves” (CD 16). Many may also not know that the abbreviation DD that some bishops use, is not for “Doctor of Divinity”, but for “Doulous Douli”, which is Greek for “servant of the servants”.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have many good friends among my brother bishops. I have no personal grouse or expectation from any of them. My expectation is regarding the mission and credibility of the church in the modern world. It is here that I now dare to say that the good is the enemy of the perfect. A bishop may be a “good man” – he loves the orphans, visits the convents, builds institutions, cuts ribbons, attends jubilees and funerals, and does not have tangible vices. But that is not good enough. Jesus had to contend with many “good” people. Those who attentively listened to his path-breaking Sermon on the Mount must have been good people. But he told them that it was just not enough. They would now have to walk that extra mile (cf Mat 5:41). It is only then that they could “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mat 5:48). To the good woman Martha Jesus said that she needed to take one more step to listen attentively to God’s word, which was the better part (cf Lk 10:42). To the good man Nicodemus Jesus said that he too needed to take one more step, to be born again of the liberating Spirit (cf Jn 3:7). To the rich young man who had kept all the commandments, so he must have been a good guy, he again asked for one more step, “If you wish to be perfect go and sell all your possessions … then follow me” (Mat 19:21).  

Christian discipleship is the path of perfection, not mediocrity. I hope and pray that, inspired by Pope Francis, the good bishops of India will rise beyond mediocrity, to take that extra step on the path of perfection. Infact every one of us is invited to discern God’s will from time to time, to determine what extra step now needs to be taken. 2013 augured well for the universal church with the election of Pope Francis. May 2014 augur equally well for the church in India too.

January 2014