Attack on Kanpur Church: More Sad Than Angry

#chhotebhai

I have received several anxious queries about the attack on a church in Kanpur, located in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. A video of the same is going viral. In view of the above I am constrained to place whatever information I have before you.

LOCATION: This incident took place on 23^rd June. It is in Akbarpur district, earlier known as Kanpur Rural which was bifurcated from Kanpur city several years ago. While it comes under the civil and police jurisdiction of Akbarpur, the concerned site reportedly comes under the jurisdiction of the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA).

CHURCH JURISDICTION: It comes under Allahabad diocese which was without a bishop for the last 2½ years. A bishop has been appointed earlier this month. Some years ago when I came to know about this “project” I had expressed my reservations to the then bishop, as I did not see the need of another church where there are zero Catholics. The diocese is also experiencing an acute shortage of clergy. Parishes that earlier had 4 priests now have 2, where there were 2 there is just 1. I also believe that there is inadequate faith formation, adult catechesis, community building (Koinonia) etc. So what need to stretch ourselves further?

MISSIOLOGICAL APPROACH: Despite over 50 years of Vatican II we have not yet learnt to be a pilgrim church. We still see ourselves as the Church Triumphant. This results in a top to down approach to pastoral planning, in which the laity has no role to play. Those who have seen the video images will notice that the “church” building was rather large and grand. For whom was this being built if there were no Catholics there? Jesus sent his disciples as sheep among wolves (Mat 10:16) but we go as lions, with power and pelf. We are bound to attract the wolves. Jesus had also warned that we make strenuous efforts to make one proselyte and his second condition is worse that his earlier one (Mat 23:15). So who are we following and what are we trying to achieve? What image of the church are we projecting, that of a neo-colonial power?

BUILDING SANCTION: Unfortunately, this church and school were being constructed without permission from the KDA, the concerned authority. I know from very reliable sources that the builder/ contractor (also a Catholic) had assured the diocesan authorities that he could “manage” the KDA in the absence of the sanctioned plan! I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

SEALING: It is reported that the KDA sealed the premises on or about 16^th June. I cannot verify if any building or other activity continued after the sealing.

ATTACK: The attack occurred on 23^rd June. From the video it is apparent that it was a well-planned and orchestrated by saffron-clothed religious fanatics. It can also be seen that after some initial resistance, the police remained mute spectators and gave the attackers a free run. They can be seen using heavy metal rods to destroy and desecrate the newly built church. The press reported the names of several office bearers of the organizations that attacked the church.

CONSEQUENCES: The police have filed a report against the attackers, though no arrests have been made so far as they are either afraid or prejudiced. The attackers also alleged that the administration was turning a blind eye to the ongoing construction. Perhaps to make a show of equanimity the police have also lodged a complaint against the church personnel for breach of peace, albeit a minor offence. Church personnel are now following up with the concerned authorities to rectify the “illegal” construction by paying compounding fees.

BREAKING NEWS: Possibly under pressure from the district administration, and under instructions from the bishop-elect, the Secretary of the Society that owns the premises (name intentionally withheld) issued a press release on 28^th June that inter alia states that no place of religious worship was being constructed, nor will be in the future. Besides being factually incorrect this is capitulation (total surrender) before the religious fundamentalists and will embolden them for the future.

QUESTIONS: This entire unsavoury episode has brought discredit to the diocese, the Christian community as a whole, and also emboldened the religious bigots that have tasted blood. It raises several questions:

1. Why was the diocese without a bishop for 2½ years? Was the Vatican sleeping?
2. Do experienced and knowledgeable lay leaders have no say in the pastoral planning and missiological vision of the diocese?
3. Why do we cry foul only after things go wrong? Have we no visionary leadership or crisis managers?
4. Does the diocese/ church have so much money to go on splurging on grandiose structures in the name of him who had no place to lay his head (Mat 8:20)?
5. Why do we enter remote areas without any local base or connect?
6. Why are we building more and more English medium schools that have long since outlived their utility or witness value?
7. Do we not understand that we are living in a hostile socio-political atmosphere where fundamentalist forces are just waiting for an opportunity to attack us?
8. When will we understand that consolidation and community building of the existing “flock” is more important than trying to cast one’s net wide?
9. Do we understand the meaning of the adage “Cut your coat according to the cloth”?
10. When will we learn from past mistakes?
11. I also have a question for the attackers. How could they take the law into their own hands and forcibly enter someone else’s premises? If they had a grievance they could have made a complaint to the concerned authorities. They had no right to make a forcible entry followed by violence and desecration of a place of worship.
12. If it is a matter of illegal religious structures, the State is dotted with them, almost entirely belonging to the majority community; occupying roadsides, parks, police stations, govt offices etc. Recently the Allahabad High Court had issued an order for the removal and demolition of such illegal religious encroachments. Why is no action taken by the Govt of U.P., despite the High Court order?

CONCLUSION: All those short-sighted people who support the BJP, please read the writing on the wall (Dan 5:5), and remember that if you sow the wind you will reap a whirlwind (Hos 8:7). I am more sad than angry at our own foolishness, more so since my family has been in Kanpur for 167 years, even before any Catholic church or diocese was erected.