With
his boyish looks, dimpled cheeks and darting eyes, he looks a cool customer
that belies his 55 years. Bishop Raphy Manjaly of Varanasi diocese was
transferred to the hot seat of Allahabad, and installed as its bishop on 3rd
December, the feast of St Francis Xavier, as also World Disabled Day! The
significance should not be lost on us. The hot seat of Allahabad needed a cool
and able bishop to get it back on track, as the diocese’s track record speaks
for itself (see table).
In
the last 50 years Allahabad has almost always received a bishop transferred
from another diocese. Bp Raymond D’mello came from Mangalore, Bp Alfred
Fernandes from Shimla-Chandigarh, and Bp Baptist Mudartha from Jhansi. The sole
exception was the previous incumbent, Bp Isidore Fernandes, who had to
ignominiously resign earlier this year, for committing the cardinal error of
consecrating a Protestant bishop. As per Canon 1382 this attracts a latae
sententiae (no discussion) ex-communication. He got off rather lightly. In
the 1970’s Bp Alfred Fernandes had also resigned from the see of Allahabad,
perhaps because it was too hot to handle!
Why
is Allahabad such a hot seat? Established in 1876, it is one of the oldest
dioceses in the North. It covers 12 civil districts, which have a population of
31 million. Geographically, the diocese is 500 kms from one end to the other.
The table below gives an idea of what the new bishop is up against. Will he be
able to turn the tide?
Bp
Raphy is the third of seven children of the late M.V. and Catherine Chacko of
Trichur diocese in Kerala. He joined the Agra diocese and then became the
rector of the regional seminary at Allahabad before becoming the bishop of
Varanasi in 2007. Earlier he had done his doctoral studies from Rome.
I
first met Raphy 37 years ago when he was still a teenaged seminarian. While
studying philosophy he found Bultman’s rationalization of faith difficult to
swallow. Questions went a begging. Another oddity was that the then archbishop
of Agra, Dominic Athaide OFM Cap, expected all his seminarians to play the
piano. That was not Raphy’s forte! So Abp Athaide sent him to Fr Augustine
Deenabandhu OFM Cap at Jyotiniketan Ashram, Bareilly. That is where we met, and
Raphy shared with me some of his doubts and hopes.
At
that time we received a request to minister to some Catholics scattered in
remote villages of neighbouring Shajahanpur and Pilibhit districts. These
people were dalit migrants from Punjab, who had come as serfs of the rich Sikh
farmers. We spent the next ten wintry days in their midst, accompanied by the
catechist Garibdas. We had one cycle and the harmonium between us. It was a
mutually enriching experience, as we traversed fields and streams, sharing
God’s word and singing his praises. I recall a chilly night in Garibdas’ mud
and straw hut adjacent to a stream. Since there was not enough bedding we had
to cover ourselves with straw to keep warm. Shades of the Babe in Bethlehem. In
the course of conversation Garibdas said that he would do anything I asked of
him. Jokingly I asked him to go bathe in the freezing stream. He did so. Out of
shame I too joined him. We then had to light a straw fire to get our
circulation back. I would love to believe that this unique experience had a positive
impact on the young Raphy.
Years
later when he was on the staff of the Allahabad seminary I visited him, and
asked him over breakfast, who the rector was. With a demure smile he pointed to
himself. He was still a boyish 41. A couple of years later when I had a serious
complaint against my errant parish priest, he took up the matter with the
bishop, at my request. So I hold Bp Raphy in high esteem and believe that the
Holy Spirit has chosen the right man for the hot seat of Allahabad. As Acharya
Anildev IMS of Matridham Ashram, Varanasi says, “Bp Raphy is a noble and gentle
soul”.
Why
is Allahabad such a hot seat? The indices in the Table are indicative of the
same. Despite an influx of migrants from Kerala and Chhotanagpur, and normal
population growth, there has actually been negative growth of the Catholic
population. In 2013 it is down to 11,180 from 12,540 in 2003 and 12,650 in
2005. This, despite a high priest to population ratio of 1:169, and an increase
in the number of active clergy. According to Ignatian discernment one’s
strength can become one’s weakness. Despite Vatican II’s call for destructuring
and de-institutionalization, the diocese has doubled its institutional strength
between 1969 and 2013. Conversely, the ratio of Catholic students has dropped
by 75%. With a Catholic population of 11,180 the student population at 40%
would be about 4,472, of which just 1,385 are in Catholic schools. This means
that 7 out of 10 of the student population is not in our own schools. Isn’t
this a wake up call?
Look
at the figures for what were once flourishing mission stations like Dostpur and
Mudila. There has been large-scale apostasy. The oldest extant church at
Chunar, built in 1845, has just 77 Catholics after 168 years. Most of them
would be migrants. The Catholic Directory of 1969 has the names of prominent
lay leaders as directors of diocesan commissions. Not so today. Is the laity
not to be trusted? Kanpur city alone accounts for 37% of the Catholics. There
are hardly any in the numerous mission stations in rural areas. The Catholic
Church’s presence is negligible.
Small
wonder then that Bp Gerald Mathias from neighbouring Lucknow diocese observed
that there are very few missionaries today, and those who are there, are poorly
motivated. Earlier, Abp Salvatore Pinnacchio, the Papal Nuncio, had said, “the
church grows by attraction”. What if there is no attraction? There won’t be any
growth. And if growth is negative it means that there is revulsion to the
church in its present form.
Thousands
of people, bishops, priests and religious thronged the grounds of St Joseph’s
College for the installation ceremony presided over by Abp Albert D’souza of
Agra. The caretaker administrator, retired Bp Ignatius Menezes and his team had
made elaborate arrangements for a meaningful celebration.
But
we scribes (not pharisees) will always find something wrong somewhere! This was
during the offertory procession, with symbols from different parts of the
diocese. There was coal from the collieries adjoining Jharkhand, grain from a
rural mission station, and workers’ tools from industrial Kanpur. Allahabad
city offered Gangajal, the sacred waters of the Ganga. Allahabad is
situated at the confluence (sangam) of the Ganga and Jamuna rivers, the
venue of the biggest religious congregation in the world, the Mahakumbh.
Many of the laity and clergy were askance at the offering of Gangajal in
Catholic liturgy. I felt that it was an insult to Hinduism on the one hand, and
contrary to the Christian understanding of salvation on the other.
Another
incongruity. Pope Francis has asked priests and nuns to switch from big cars to
cycles. There were several big cars parked, but I didn’t see any cycles. But I
did see a Vijayanta tank and a MIG 21 fighter on the ground; gifts from college
alumni, including Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne. Should a “shepherd” be
installed in the shadow of symbols of war? Would not the “sheep” run away?
The
cool, able, gentle, noble Bp Raphy Manjaly has his task cut out for him, as he
now settles in to the hot seat of Allahabad diocese. On behalf of the laity of
the diocese this writer assures him of his full support and co-operation.
Hopefully 3rd December 2013 will be remembered in Allahabad diocese
as the day of St Francis Xavier, the zealous missionary, and not as a
disability.
Comparative Data on Allahabad Diocese
From the Catholic Directories of 1969 &
2013
Head
|
1969
|
2013
|
Growth
|
Observations
|
Total
Population
|
11,000,000
|
30,945,000
|
181%
|
|
Catholic
Population
|
7,920
|
11,180
|
41%
|
1/4th
of population growth above
|
Kanpur
City
|
2495
|
4126
|
65%
|
1/3rd
of population growth despite parishes increasing from 3 to 6
|
Allahabad
City
|
1860
|
2042
|
10%
|
Nothing
grows in the shadow of the oak tree
|
Dostpur
Mission
|
2013
|
180
|
- 91%
|
Large
scale apostasy
|
Mudila
Mission
|
752
|
61
|
- 92%
|
Large
scale apostasy
|
Theresapur
Mission
|
38
|
1 family
|
- 90%
|
Help!
|
Lapta
Mission
|
10
|
-
|
-
|
Apparently
abandoned
|
Chunar
Church
|
24
|
77
|
221%
|
Built
in 1845
|
Active
clergy
|
53
|
88
|
66%
|
|
Clergy/
Catholics Ratio
|
1:240
|
1:169
|
- 30%
|
Increasing
clericalization
|
Schools
|
33
|
66
|
100%
|
Exceeds
all other parameters
|
Students
|
13950
|
52804
|
278%
|
Disproportionately
high
|
Catholic
students
|
1033
|
1385
|
34%
|
Even
less than growth of Catholic population
|
Percentage
of Catholic students
|
7.5
|
2.6
|
- 65%
|
Increasingly
being pushed to a corner
|
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