CBCI’s Contribution to Nation-Building is the Need of the Hour

By M L Satyan.

The ongoing General Body Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) being held in Bengaluru from January 31 to February 7, 2024, is expected to review the outcome of the Rome Synod on Synodality, the Manipur crisis, and the situation of Christians across the country. There is also mention in the agenda that the bishops will study the church’s response to the current socio-political situation in the country and the challenges of Artificial Intelligence.

Today’s socio-economic, religious, and political scenario in the country frightens me. The marginalisation of socially and economically backward communities and continuous attacks on minority groups, etc., make me wonder where we are headed as a country.

I wonder whether the CBCI will discuss the above burning issues in depth. More specifically, every sensible Catholic laity wants bishops to discuss the widespread casteism, corruption, and clerical sexual abuse present in the Catholic church, as well as the continuous exodus of Catholics from the Catholic church. If they fail to do this, then the age-old saying “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” will be applicable to CBCI.

Whenever I read the parable of the Good Samaritan, I visualise Mother India in the place of the wounded traveller who was attacked by the robbers. Till Independence, Mother India was attacked and looted by foreign rulers. Even after the country obtained Independence, the attacking, robbing, looting, and raping of Mother India are being continued mainly by our own rulers, who have a strong network with very rich people, bureaucrats, and criminals.

Today, we live in a situation where there is no or less peace. This has been caused by a value-less situation or the degradation of basic human values. The valueless situation was very meaningfully described by Mahatma Gandhi in seven words called Seven Crimes. It is worth reflecting on them.

Pleasure without conscience: In the past, a tribe called Charvaka lived and their only motto was – Eat, Drink and Make Merry. After many generations, the same mindset has come back. Everyone wants selfish enjoyment without having the slightest concern for others. To enjoy life, one needs money, and how does it come? People today are willing to do any type of crime—smuggling, looting, robbery, corruption, drug or substance abuse, rape, killing, violence, etc. just for the sake of money, with which they want to have selfish enjoyment. Do such people have any conscience? Yes, they do, but they bury their consciences and involve themselves in various crimes, keeping pleasure as their only goal.

Politics without principle: Today we have countless political parties. They just want two things: power and money. By hook or crook, they come to power, and as long as they rule, they loot our money and disappear from the scene. In the climax scene of a Hindi film, Madari, the politician makes a public confession like this: “Politics is for corruption. We, politicians, intimidate people by using laws and the constitution. We use government machineries to make money for ourselves. We stoop to any level for this sake.” This is what we witness in our country today.

Wealth without work: In the past, people tried to work hard, and with the fruits of their hard labour they lived happily. But today, a vast majority of people want to become rich overnight. People want instant success, instant power, and instant money. As a consequence of this mindset, people are willing to do any unlawful thing for the sake of money. Hence, we see that cheating, bribery, robbery, a variety of scams, and corruption thrive. The dignity of labour is a forgotten value.

Worship without fellowship: In India, various religions co-exist. The purpose of every religion is to strengthen love and fellowship among people. Sadly, today we are divided in the name of God and religion. People fight or made to fight and kill one another in the name of God and religion. Religion is reduced to mere dead rituals and meaningless ceremonies. God is converted into a commercial commodity. Religious leaders have become businessmen/women selling God by exploiting the ignorance of the people or intimidating simple people by wielding their authority and power.

Commerce without sincerity: In the past, manufacturers produced only the essential commodities. Today, business people produce only those commodities for which they will make a good profit. As a result, many unwanted and non-essential items are manufactured. In Tamil there is a proverb that says, “Tell thousand lies to conduct a marriage.” Today, business people’s only motto is: “Tell countless lies to sell a product.” People are being brainwashed continuously in various ways. Consumeristic culture is spreading like wildfire.

Science without humanity: Today we are ruled or dictated by electronic gadgets that have become inseparable. The question that needs to be asked is: Do these high-tech and sophisticated gadgets promote humanity? The sad answer is: No, they do not promote humanity. Rather, all these high-tech gadgets have become threats to human fellowship. Television, mobile phones, and the Internet have taken human society to a strange and lonely world where there is no humane spirit. Nuclear weapons are designed, and the weaponisation of space has been already initiated by many developed countries. The arrival of any new invention in science and technology poses a threat to humanity.

Education without character: Here are some shocking headlines in the print and electronic media: “A high school girl killed her grandmother for the sake of money”; “A college student kidnapped one LKG child and demanded one lakh rupees from the child’s parents”; “A college boy was killed by his friends due to triangle love affair with a girl”; “A high school boy ran away with his class teacher and tried to marry her”. The objective of education is character-building. Education must shape the personalities of students and enable them to become good and responsible citizens, men and women of character. Instead of functioning as temples of wisdom, educational institutions today have become commercial centres.

Many educational institutions boast of achieving 100 per cent academic results. Can any educational institution claim that it has produced men and women of characters? What good will these character-less students do to their society and nation? This is a million-dollar question.

Article 51 of the Indian Constitution says, “Promote harmony and the spirit of common fellowship among all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities.” We need to understand our cultural heritage and rich spirituality; appreciate unity in diversity and other positive strengths of the country; have a true patriotic spirit and be proud to be an Indian; create awareness among the people with whom we live and work; build the youth and help them to become good leaders; become an enlightened leader like the Good Samaritan and imbibe his good qualities. It is the duty and responsibility of every citizen to contribute constructively towards nation-building.