Verghese V Joseph –
Bangalore: The baton passed onto the new team as Friday marked the culmination of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India’s (CBCI) 35th general body meeting at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru.
The day commenced with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The newly elected CBCI President and Archbishop of Trichur Most Rev. Dr. Andrews Thazhath offered the Mass along with other bishops.
In the Homily, Archbishop Andrews beautifully narrated the Emmaus story from the Gospel of Luke (24:13-35) in relation to the synodal nature of the Church. Luke, the evangelist, portrays the synodal experience of two disciples here. Jesus walked with them, talked to them, listened to their concerns, consoled them, stayed with them, and strengthened them by breaking the Bread. The disciples were highly discouraged because of the death of their Master and they were in a condition without courage and utter hopelessness.
“In such a dreadful situation, Jesus comes to their aid and leads them from darkness to the land of hope and new life. This is the duty of all the bishops and priests; i.e. to lead everyone to light and hope from dullness and despair. Jesus gives us a good paradigm of listening and encountering. Moreover, Jesus made the converted disciples fully equipped to proclaim the good news,” the prelate elaborated.
Archbishop Andrews also highlighted the significance of the Holy Qurbana in Syro Malabar rite. He mentioned that the Holy Qurbana was organised in a synodal structure and explained the theological and liturgical aspects of priests facing the people as well as the altar during the service.
Later, during business sessions of the day, the draft of the 35th CBCI General Body Meeting was edited and finalized. The same would be available and soon published on the CBCI website.
Concluding the 5-day General Body Meeting, the Bishops gathered for the valedictory program. Speaking at the program, the outgoing Vice-President of the CBCI Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios said that the bishops have kept the faith from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and thanked the Indian prelates for their commitment and cooperation.
Continuing his gratitude to the members of the CBCI, Bishop Iganthios appreciated the efforts of His Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Vice-President in absence of Archbishop Njarakalat, Secretory General Archbishop Felix Machado and others. He also welcomed the new CBCI office-bearers and wished them all success in their new stint at the helm of CBCI.
The program concluded with prayer and benediction.