DISOBEDIENT LAITY OR OUTDATED HIERARCHY?

Three reports in the Secular Citizen of 10^th September caught my attention.  They are “Catholic Church Outdated”, “Pope Compares Disobedient Catholics to Judas”, and “Why are Catholics Good at Football But Bad at Business?”  There is much to be learnt from them.

The first report on the Catholic Church being outdated is based on the interviews given by Cardinal Carlo Martini SJ, the Archbishop of Milan, who passed away recently.  He had observed that the Catholic Church was 200 years behind the times, with big but empty churches, pompous rituals and cassocks!  This Cardinal was reportedly empathetic to condom users, and Divorced and Remarried Catholics (DARCs).  He had advocated a major shakeup in the Church, lest we lose future generations
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In sharp contrast, we have another report comparing disobedient Catholics to Judas.  Here again the “disobedience” referred to is in the area of sexual ethics.  This is an appalling statement from the universal pastor (shepherd).  Who is he modeling himself on? The Pharisees who were sticklers for the unbending Mosaic Law; or on Jesus the Good Shepherd, who was willing to leave the 99 to look for the one lost sheep?  He was the shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for his sheep; rather than abdicate his responsibility, or condemn them to their fate.  If indeed Pope Benedict XVI has made such a statement comparing “disobedient” Catholics to Judas and asking them to leave the Church, then it is high time for us to ask this insensitive Pope to quit the papacy before our churches become even more empty.

We should distinguish between the Dogmatic and Pastoral approach.  An example will suffice.  A man falls into the water and is drowning.  The Dogmatist pontificates to the drowning man, “I told you not to go into the water”.  But the Pastor rushes to the aid of the drowning man, heedless of the risk to his own life or reputation.  I leave it to the readers to conclude in which category the Pope’s statement falls.

The Pope makes another unwarranted statement that “Judas remained with Jesus with the secret intention of taking vengeance on the master”.  He compares “disobedient” Catholics to such secretive, vengeful Trojan horses! The Pope has pre-judged a vast multitude of Catholics, because of his own dogmatic Euro-centric prejudices.  We don’t need the Pope to tell us to leave the Church.  We love Jesus; we love his Catholic Church, warts and all.  Just because the vast majority of lay Catholics don’t follow the Catholic Church’s assertion (not infallible teaching) that all forms of artificial contraception are intrinsically wrong, they cannot be labeled as schemers or betrayers.  Such an attitude smacks of sanctimonious morality and supercilious snobbery.  We cannot let it pass.

 The same report carries a statement by one Msgr Ignacio Barreiro, Human Life International Director, Rome.  He too endorses the Pope’s view that “it is better to leave the church than betray her”.  He goes on to aver, “in some circumstances it was better to just obey the important teachings and sacrifice your will”.  Is he advocating the blind obedience of the past, where novices were told to plant seedlings upside down, as an act of “obedience” to their religious superiors?  Does he think that the laity are fools, with no capacity to think and reason why?  Indeed one must agree with Cardinal Martini that the Catholic Church, or rather its hierarchy, is not just outdated, but obsolete, out of sync with modern reality.  We don’t need cheap advice from some European Monsignor about who should leave the Church.  On the contrary, the Catholic Church would be more robust if such myopic Monsignori kept their mouths shut.

 I am now reminded of the Gospel reading of the liturgy of 2^nd September. Jesus says, “How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites in the passage of scripture: This people honors me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me.  Their reverence for me is worthless; the lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments.  You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions” And he said to them, “How ingeniously you get around the commandment of God in order to preserve your own traditions“ (Mk 7:6-9).

This brings me to the third news report, on Catholics being good footballers, but bad businessmen.  The report of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, Kalina, observes that predominantly Catholic countries like Spain, Italy, France, Brazil and Argentina have been football champions. However, most of these countries’ economies are in the doldrums.  The report quotes eminent sociologists like Karl Marx and Max Webber, to aver that it was erstwhile Protestant countries that ushered in the industrial revolution and economic prosperity.  This is a view that I too have held for long, and am happy that somebody else has now aired it.  About 25 years ago the Kanpur Catholic Association did a socio-economic survey of the community, and compared it with data compiled by a Protestant professor of Sociology, who used Max Webber’s tools.  We found that only 7% of Catholics had their own houses, as against about 28% of Protestants.  Very few Catholics were in business.  Let us look at the “football crazy” states in India – Kerala, Bengal and Goa.  None of them are business friendly! Even in Kerala, most Christian businessmen, entrepreneurs or industrialists are Orthodox, Jacobite or Marthoma.  Catholics belong to the “service class”, or become priests and nuns!

The obsession with football is only a symptom of a deeper malaise.  It is another “opium” for the asses, just as cricket mania is in India.  It is no coincidence that the football nations of southern Europe, along the Mediterranean coast from Portugal to Greece, are all Catholic or Orthodox.  They are among the poorest, most corrupt and crime prone.  In contrast north European countries, that are Protestant, are economically better off, have more social security, honesty and lower crime rates.  The Scandinavian countries are considered the best, despite their sexual liberalism.

The same goes for America.  Compare the “White Anglo Saxon Protestants“ (WASPs) of north America with the poverty, over population, slums, drug cartels, etc of the south American Catholic countries. The conclusions stare us in the face, the “decadent culture or the sexually liberated west”, notwithstanding.  The Philippines, the only Catholic country in Asia, shares the same fate of other Catholic countries.

For too long a celibate controlled Catholic Church has seen sex as the biggest sin and scourge; and extolled the virtues of being poor, “to inherit the kingdom”.  This is a lopsided spirituality.  We should not judge a nation or a society on its sexual ethics alone.  What about poverty alleviation, social security, population control, social justice, etc?  Can we turn a blind eye to them?

The Pope wants “disobedient” Catholics to leave.  There is not light for the DARCs.  There is no place for dissenters’ contrarian opinions.  There is no forum for open dialogue.  This has already resulted in the French Revolution (France is now a fiercely secular State), and empty churches across Europe.  Our young people will stop coming to Church, because they find it out of sync with their lives and legitimate concerns. But the universal Church is not perturbed; because it is still able to rake in enough “vocations” from large families in Africa, the Philippines and now Vietnam.

The story is repeated in India too. “Vocations” earlier came from the west coast, from Kerala moving up to Mangalore, Goa, Mumbai and Vasai.  With economic prosperity, and small families, “vocations” have dried up. So the focus has shifted to the comparatively impoverished east coast, moving up from Tamilnadu to Andhra and Orissa, and remote tribal areas.  I do not wish to cast aspersions on any community.  But we must accept that demographic changes affect the church, and we need to respond accordingly.

If we impartially study demographic change, we find that in erstwhile Christendom, there is an inverse proportion between economic prosperity and dependency on the Church for both spiritual and material relief.  Now that most modern societies are becoming welfare states, the role of the Church in its core area of charity and welfare is steadily diminishing.

Ironically, though Catholicism and Hinduism are theologically poles apart, their spirituality is very similar. The Catholic pious devotions come very close to the Bhakti Marg of Hinduism.  Both are strongly cultic, and have fed on fears of divine displeasure, guilt feelings, atonement for sin and placating the Almighty.

With economic independence the fear element diminishes, as does cultic spiritual dependence.  From atonement for sin the emphasis is now on pseudo-psychic spirituality that offers freedom from stress.  Several new age gurus and tele-evangelists have made this their mantra.  The old formula of sin, death and damnation has been rendered redundant by social change.  If the Pope and his Monsignor continue to judge dissidence the way they are, it is a sure shot recipe for disaster, with even more empty churches.  Would that they heeded Cardinal Martini’s warning for a large scale shake up in the Catholic Church

We need to discern the signs of the times (cf Mat 16:3) and what the Sprit is saying to the Churches (Rev 3:22). If not, we will indeed be reduced to a church of “sign of the cross making“ footballers.  That would be an entirely different ball game, not envisaged by Jesus the Good Shepherd, “disobedience” notwithstanding.

September 2012

EMPOWERING INDIA’S LAITY

1. INTRODUCTION: One needs a detailed analysis of the Catholic Church in India, to understand the status of its laity. It is only then that one can understand the driving force behind the proposed Synod of Indian Lay Catholics, sponsored by the All India Catholic Union (AICU), scheduled for early 2012. 2. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH: Christianity came to India centuries before it entered Europe, from where missionaries later came to convert us. This history is divided into five distinct eras: Apostolic, Early Colonial, British, Post-Independence, and Post-Vatican II. a. Apostolic: St Thomas the Apostle came to India circa 62 AD. He was well received by the people of the Malabar Coast in the southwest, which is the modern State of Kerala. There was large-scale conversion, particularly from the privileged classes. Perhaps for this reason Christianity did not spread out from there for 19 centuries. This ancient church had its leadership from Syria, not Rome, and the majority of Catholics in Kerala today belong to the ancient Syro-Malabar or Syro-Malankara Rites. b. Early Colonial: This was mainly Portuguese influence, from the 15th Century, because of St Francis Xavier. This too was on the southwest coast at Goa. Unfortunately the Portuguese missionaries came into conflict with the Syrian Christians in Kerala, whom they accused of being Nestorian heretics. The Portuguese converted the poor coastal Keralites, who now belong to the Latin Rite. c. British Era: Missionaries from European countries came in the wake of the British Colonialists (17th century). Despite their great fervour and sacrifices, they were identified with the white man, the ruling class. The Salesians in the northeast and the Jesuits in the central plains, through education and emancipation, converted large numbers of Tribals. In some pockets of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab a number of Dalits (untouchables) were also converted. However, Christianity failed to make any major inroads into India. d. Post-Independence: After India gained independence from the British in 1947, the church continued with its old colonial mindset of handing out education, employment and social benefits. Obviously these services did attract some to Christianity. e. Post-Vatican II: Post-Independence the church was already facing an identity crisis. With the changed ecclesiology of Vatican II, the church floundered. Initially it embraced de-structuring, inculturation, liturgical reforms and a preferential option for the poor. It did not have the spiritual stamina or the visionary leadership required for such drastic changes. It therefore fell back on its “tried and tested” style of functioning – pious devotions and powerful institutions, to keep it going. 3. THE CHURCH TODAY: Before Vatican II, evangelisation or conversions were a driving force for the missionaries. We had to save souls! Post Vatican II, what do we do, if all can be saved? Some cold statistics will help a true analysis. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) published its last statistical yearbook, “The Catholic Directory of India” in 1998; hence we will have to rely on some rather old data. POPULATION WORLD INDIA All Catholics 989,366,000 14,908,000 Bishops, Priests & Religious (Personnel) -1,360,112 - 101,096 Lay Catholics 988,065,888 14,806,904 Personnel to Laity Ratio 1:726 1:146 This table shows that India’s Church Personnel to Laity Ratio is five times higher than the world’s. Let us now examine some other statistics from the directory, which unfortunately has not updated these parameters after 1990. CATEGORY 1969 1990 Growth % age Parishes 3,513 6,277 79 Catholic Population 7,607,286 13,424,000 76 Institutions 8,877 22,865 158 This again shows that even in the post-Vatican II era, institutions have grown at double the rate of the parishes and the population! One must conclude that the church is heavily institutionalised and clericalised. In such a lopsided growth where does the laity find a place? 4. THE INDIAN ETHOS: India, though a distinct geographical region, became a modern nation state about 200 years ago, largely due to British rule. However, this nation has an ancient ethos. It is a country with 35 States and Union Territories. It has 1652 mother tongues, of which 22 are recognised by its Constitution. Other than territorial and linguistic divisions, it also has social, religious and ethnic divides, making it a disparate but heterogeneous country. According to the Census of India 2001 80.44 % of the population is Hindu, 13.42 % is Muslim and 2.33 % is Christian. India has been the cradle of ancient religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, besides having a strong Islamic presence. We also have a large tribal population, who are animists. In Hinduism we also have the caste system, which is a social hierarchy by birthright. Those outside the caste structure are referred to as outcastes, earlier untouchables, and today referred to as dalits (oppressed classes). 5. INDIA TODAY: India is no longer the land of snake charmers, elephants and maharajas. It has kept abreast with the times, to be termed an emergent nation with a robust economy that withstood the economic depression in the West. Its economic gains have resulted in a reverse brain drain, back to India. There has also been a spiritual train – people from the west seeking spiritual solace. Individual laypersons have benefited from economic gains and intellectual prowess. However, the role of the church in this change is debatable. Today the state and private players (even industrialists) have assumed a major role in education and social services, that at one time were the near exclusive domain of the church. Many would argue that the church’s contribution in the educational, health and welfare sectors is unparalleled. Agreed. But that is passé in a modern welfare state. This gradual redundancy is also reflected in its dwindling resource mobilisation. 6. THE STATUS OF THE LAITY: In the light of the above we need to assess the status of the laity as a collective unit, as against individual success stories or brilliance. I will divide the status of the laity under 9 heads: a. Financial: Most of the laity is financially worse off than the clergy who have purportedly renounced the world! They are heavily dependent on the institutionalised church for jobs, education, welfare schemes etc. However, financial control of community assets vests almost entirely in the hands of the hierarchy. All projects are controlled by the hierarchy, which is not competent or equipped to handle finance. Finance Committees, as provided for in Canon Law, are non-existent. There is little or no accountability or transparency. b. Institutions: The same goes for institutions, which are in the total control of the clergy and religious. Laypersons cannot even aspire to be Principals or heads of church run institutions. In Kerala, lay aspirants have to pay a large donation to the church for an ordinary teacher’s job. c. Sociological: Since a vast majority of the laity is from tribal, dalit or economically disadvantaged sections of society, the social divide adds to the financial one. d. Psychological: Add to this the former image of missionaries being white skins/ ruling class/ high caste, and the chasm deepens. The paternalistic attitude of the clergy (contrary to the fraternalism of the Gospels and Vatican II) has driven a psychological wedge between the hierarchy and the laity, with the latter becoming totally subservient. e. Spiritual: There is hardly any faith formation after Confirmation classes. Adult catechesis is non-existent. Hence the laity continues to fall back on popular pious devotions to fulfil its spiritual aspirations. f. Intellectual: There have been individual giants in the fields of politics, bureaucracy, judiciary, diplomacy, armed forces etc. This vast pool of talent is kept out of the purview of the institutional church. On the other hand the number of laypersons with knowledge of Canon Law, Vatican II ecclesiology etc is abysmally low. g. Ritual: For historical reasons the church in Kerala was divided into the Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara and Latin Rites. Since the vast majority of bishops, priests and religious are from Kerala, this ritual divide has spilled over from Kerala. Even the CBCI, the national episcopal body, has been divided on the lines of Rite. Hence the laity stands further divided, further weakening it. h. Participation: Vatican II and Canon Law provided for participatory structures like Pastoral and Parish Councils, and decision-making powers for the laity. Such bodies, where they do exist, are usually filled with sycophants, thereby defeating their very purpose. i. Organisational: The AICU and its affiliated Catholic Associations are probably the only autonomous lay organisations in the country. But even they are under constant pressure from the hierarchy. Even in secular affairs like politics, the hierarchy does not respect the legitimate role and space of lay organisations and leadership. 7. LAY SYNOD: One may conclude that the laity is powerless and directionless. It is in this context that a handful of laypersons felt the need of a Lay Synod, which would not be dominated by the clergy/ hierarchy; to freely express their hopes and aspirations. The Synod does not seek to chart an agenda for the future. It is primarily a sounding board, seeking to know God’s will and how to fulfil it. Hence it does not have a pre-determined goal. If there is a consensus on major issues, then the AICU may spearhead the implementation of the same. However, at this stage it would be improper to pre-empt the working of the Holy Spirit, who should be our guide in empowering the Indian Catholic laity. * The writer is a former National President of the AICU, and presently its Spokesperson. However, the views expressed herein are personal.

“IF I WERE POPE!”

Does this title shock you? It is meant to. Is it audacious? The word is described as being recklessly daring. I am being daring; but reckless? Wait till you finish reading this. Our former President APJ Abdul Kalam advised young people to dream with their eyes open, so as to convert their dreams into reality. That is true daring. It is a calculated risk. And nothing risked is nothing gained.

What Kalam said in a national context is exactly what the first Pope, St. Peter, said in his very first public address. Explaining the Pentecostal experience Peter first dispelled the false notion that they might be drunk, saying it was still the “third hour of the day” (Acts 2:16). He then went on to quote the Prophet Joel by saying, “I shall pour out my spirit on all humanity. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young people shall see visions, your old people dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). So it is sagacious, not audacious, to have dreams, even of becoming Pope!

I have a one-in-600-million chance of becoming Pope, because that is the approximate number of male Catholics in the world today. Since I am married and nearing 60, the odds against my becoming Pope can be multiplied by another million. So I have a 1-in-600-trillion chance of becoming Pope. It does not deter me from having my vision of the Papacy.

MY NAME: If I were to be the Pope I would take the name of Peter the Second, not because I envisage the end of the world, a la Malachy, but because Peter is my favourite biblical persona. I closely identify myself with the fumbling and bumbling fisherman. At his very first encounter with Jesus, he actually asked him to leave him alone (cf Lk 5:8). At the Transfiguration when Jesus was giving him the keys and renaming him Peter, he again misunderstood Jesus’ intentions (cf Lk 9:33). He floundered in faith while walking on the water (cf Mat 14:30). He couldn’t face a young girl’s questioning, and denied knowledge of Jesus (cf Mat 26:70). At the Ascension he couldn’t commit himself to unequivocally stating that he loved Jesus (cf Jn 21:15-17). There was obviously something more than human frailty that Jesus saw in him, to appoint him the first Pope (in today’s parlance.)

THE DREAM: There was a hue and cry when Peter II became the Pope. The first indication of what was to come is that the stock markets in America, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and even India, crashed. It is believed that these shadowy figures, that control share prices, have a better world view than Heads of State, Finance Ministers or leaders of religion. As Peter II unfolded his vision for the Catholic Church, the markets crashed further, and OPEC countries faced bankruptcy, because the price of crude oil had crashed to $10 per barrel.

THE ACTS OF PETER II: The first act of the new Pope was to auction all the treasures in the Vatican museum, amounting to several billion dollars. With such a flood of artwork on the markets auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christies couldn’t handle the rush. The price of MF Hussain’s paintings also crashed. A scrap dealer in Bhayandar bought one for Rs. 10,000/-.

Peter II’s second act was to close all the Vatican embassies throughout the world. He did not believe that the papacy needed to be an earthly power, having diplomatic immunity and status. However, because of the past history of conflict with Roman emperors, he retained Vatican City as a neutral city-state, similar to the UN headquarters in New York. When a red sashed and red-faced Cardinal had the audacity to challenge the Pope’s decisions Peter II told him about one of his predecessors who was escorting an atheist friend around the Vatican museum. In a lighter vein the then Pope had remarked that like St. Peter he could not say “Silver and gold I have none”. Smack came the atheist’s retort, “That is why you cannot also say – In the name of Jesus, get up and walk”. The Pope was alluding to the incident referred to in the Acts of Apostles, of a lame person seeking alms from Peter at the temple (cf Acts 3: 1-6). The Cardinal beat a hasty retreat. After the initial crash, the markets began to pick up gradually. Peter II strongly felt that power and pelf had clouded the vision of the Church, and made a clarion call for simplicity of life. He set an example by walking down the streets of Rome, and visiting the poor in the ghettoes. Rather than going to Castel Gandolfo as a summer resort, he decided to spend 6 months every year in a Benedictine monastery, including working in the fields and with the cattle. It brought him close to nature and to mother earth. He asked all his bishops and priests to live simple and prayerful lives, reminding them that “No man can serve two masters” (cf Lk 16:13). He exhorted the hierarchy to get out of their entrenched and fortified positions to prepare for a new Pentecost, a fresh out pouring of the Spirit, as prayed for by his humble predecessor Pope John XXIII. He convened the Third Vatican Council (Vat III). The markets again became volatile.

VAT III: In a fast changing world, where “Breaking News” was every minute, there was an urgent need for aggiornamento (updating). Vat II had concluded in 1965 (46 years ago), the New Code of Canon Law had been promulgated in 1983, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992. It was time to take stock again. He felt pained that the vision of Vat II had been watered down, especially in terms of the Church’s own self-understanding, and its consequent attitudinal change vis-à-vis the world, science and other religions. He did not believe in a Clash of Civilisations. He believed that to be civilized one must be conciliatory in nature. As a prelude to VAT III he directed that every Episcopal Conference organise a national synod to prepare for the third millennium of Christianity. The exercise would involve all levels of the Church from the parish onwards; and all sections like youth, women, clergy, religious and laity. He did not prepare a Lineanmenta (guideline) but he did express some of his concerns that needed redress:

PETER II’S CONCERNS:
· Why the vision of Vat II was not implemented, especially in de-structuring the Church, and making it more participatory; including the collegiality of bishops and the fraternity of the laity?
· The need for ecumenical unity with other churches, and a bigger interface with leaders of other religions.
· An open dialogue with science, especially in the areas of genetics, human reproduction and the sanctity of life; as also a more pastoral and understanding approach to those in moral conflict situations.
· The question of married priests and the ordination of women
· The first Council of the Church was held in Jerusalem when St Peter had to justify his act of doing away with circumcision as a pre-requisite to being God’s chosen people, saying “God was giving them the identical gift he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ: and who was I to stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17). Perhaps the time had come to reconsider whether an external act like Baptism alone was the gateway to the Kingdom?
· He even touched on seemingly innocuous phrases from the Our Father and Hail Mary, like “forgive us our trespasses” or “the fruit of your womb”, suggesting that the language of our prayer should be commensurate with modern idiomatic usage.
· He asked for study circles in all parishes to reflect on three important documents of Vat II: (1) Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium) (2) Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) and (3) Declaration of the Relationship of the Church to non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate).

POSTSCRIPT: I know that I will never be the Pope and I have no desire to be so either. Neither do I wish any disrespect to the Papacy. Both my parents were papal awardees – my father with the Knighthood of St Gregory, and my mother with the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” medal. When Pope John Paul II came to New Delhi in 1986, after receiving communion from his hands I knelt down and kissed his feet. This does not mean that as a loyal member of the Catholic Church I should turn a blind eye to what I see happening, or not happening around me.

I pray for a new Pentecost in the Church. I pray for the convening of Vat III. I pray that the Church in India, having the advantage of a pluralistic, ancient, religious and also secular society, takes the lead in building up a groundswell of opinion for VAT III or better still JERUSALEM II. I dare to dream.

# The writer is a former National President of the All India Catholic Union and former Director of the International Council of Catholic Men.
JANUARY 2011