Be Prophetic and Salt of the Earth, Fr Cedric Prakash Urges Christians

By Verghese V Joseph –

Bengaluru: In the backdrop of the recent attacks on Christians in Manipur and the upcoming Karnataka elections, well-known human rights, peace, and reconciliation writer-activist, Fr Cedric Prakash SJ, exhorted the Christian community to rise above partisan views and stand up for poor, marginalised and neglected.

Fr Cedric was speaking on ‘Constitutionality,’ an event hosted by The Karnataka Catholic Think Tank at Paalana Bhavan, Archbishop’s residence in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Presiding over the program, Archbishop Peter Machado said, “Fr Cedric Prakash is an outspoken prophet of modern times. Considering the times we are in, his sane voice highlights the issues not Christian community is facing but also the marginalized and the poor.”

Alluding to the Biblical phrase from the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to the value of salt, and not to its tang, Fr Cedric urged Christians to be worthy and virtuous and be conscious of the rights of not only the community but also of each and every citizen. He was speaking on the Constitutionality, the reality of India today, fascism, voting rights, and requisites for citizens today,

Speaking of the Constitutionality, Fr Cedric spoke about the Constituent Assembly’s immense contribution to the vision of the Constitution that has guided the nation. “Christians have been at the forefront of education, providing medicare to those who were sick and, above all, reaching out to the poorest of the poor, the excluded, and the exploited. All these works continue today but fade into insignificance with the new narrative against the community, which is throttling the nation.

Few Christians in the country stand up and speak up for the values of the Gospel, which are so beautifully enshrined in the Constitution of India. The nation today is suffering as never before! Communalism, Casteism, Criminalisation of politics, Corruption, and Consumerism are rampant. At the receiving end of a brutal, unjust, and inhuman system are the excluded and exploited, the migrants and laborers; the minorities: Muslims, Christians, and others; human rights defenders and those who cherish freedom of speech and expression and a free press; those who defend the right to preach, practice and propagate one’s faith; those who are victims of venomous hate speeches and attacks, of demonization and discrimination.

“Then we have the draconian and unconstitutional anti-conversion laws that deny one the Fundamental right to legitimately preach, practice and propagate one’s religion,” he said.

“Bishops who call themselves ‘disciples’ of Jesus have no qualms of conscience to hobnob with fascist fundamentalists and fanatics who brazenly destroy the sanctity of the Constitution and the secular, pluralistic fabric of the country. These ‘disciples’ find it easier to indulge in a politics of convenience and compromise,” he added.

He rued the recent posturing of Kerala Bishops with the far-right ideological groups, despite knowing all too well the atrocities committed against the Christian communities. On the other hand, some Christians, including the hierarchy, clergy, and laity, are far from being authentic witnesses to the person and message of Jesus; there are instances of financial scams, sexual misconduct, and other improprieties, which make both individuals and institutions extremely vulnerable and pliable. There are examples of how the ruling regime has hammered influential Christians to submission; the underlying posturing is that ‘nothing will happen to you if you join (or are with) us; if you do not do so, then we will destroy you.’

Similarly, according to him, it was a case of missed opportunities during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to churches, lighting a candle before the statue of the Risen Lord in Delhi, or listening to English hymns during the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDPP-BJP coalition government in Kohima, Nagaland. These events presented an opportunity to highlight the plight of Christians. However, that was not to be.

He also recalled that Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi, who was the main prelate to welcome the Prime Minister to the Cathedral on Easter Sunday, had written a letter to his diocese on 8 May 2018. At that time, the country was burning with several issues as it is today. Instead of taking on the Government on its lack of governance, the modified media took on the Archbishop and made his innocuous letter prime-time news.

He urged the community to be politically aware of the Constitutional rights granted to the citizens by the founding fathers. Talking about the Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens, many were not ready to accept second-class citizenship in a country that belonged to them and were fighting for their Constitutional rights. There was a massive protest in Delhi against the persecution of Christians in mid-February and one in Bombay as recently as 12 April!

The ruling regime has plenty of black money to buy up politicians from opposition parties. The recent political imbroglio in Maharashtra is a case in point! Many Christian politicians are also easy prey: we have the classic example of ‘Catholic’ politicians, in the Goa Assembly elections, having absolutely no qualms of conscience to leave the party they were elected from, to join the ruling party.

Contextualizing the present situation through the command of Jesus to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan,” in Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33, Fr Cedric hard a strong word for the Church’s hierarchy to stand up for what is right and not cozy up for power, position, and money. He said Jesus warned us about our inability to “read the signs of the times.” Christians of India must wake up now, stop selling one’s soul, betraying Jesus and the Constitution of India!

“Jesus and his Gospel without compromise are about exactly the opposite. Jesus says, “Fear no one; I am with you!” he added.

He also mentioned the unexpected privilege of staying in the late saintly Jesuit priest Fr Stan Swamy’s room at Bagaicha (a training and social action center) in Ranchi, Jharkhand. He had a surreal experience talking to Fr Stan and being reminded of his legacy.

Following his talk, there was an interactive session where he fielded questions from the audience with forthright answers and great insights.