26 February 2011
To:
Archbishop Brnard Moras,
Archbishop of Bangalore.
Dear Archbishop,
On the 20th Sunday Feb I attended the services in St Antony’s Church Madiwala-Blore.The announcement for the Christian’s massive rally on the 21st was not only announced but pamphlets were distributed.
It is on this I would like to share my perception and thoughts.
The candle light vigil on the 21st was meant to reject the Justice Somasekharan Report and to demand withdrawal of ‘falsely’ framed cases against 150 Christian youth in Mangalore.The ‘Christians’ rally comprised apart from the catholics and their bishops, the following bishops and their churches:-CSI, Methodist, Believers Church, Baptist, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Jacobite, Mar Thoma, Orthodox, Assembly of God and Federation of Christian churches and organisations. Quite a mouth full and an impressive arraign of the ‘Flock’
Let me put across to you the following points for your consideration
1. You have politicized the church and the echo. ‘Do not make the House of my Father a den of thieves’, resounds down the corridors of time. You may wonder how this fits into this impressive and massive vigil business. When you politicize the church and make demands by using numerical minority vote bank for the politician to see that we have power then it means muscle power which goes along with money power. To use religion and to ghetto people is divisive and anti-national. You have misused your position and authority to barter and bargain. The politicians yield not because of justice and fair play but because of the vote bank politics-this towards attaining their own power. You hence played their game and turned into a semi politician and used the ‘flock’ as tools. This needs to be rejected because it is unchristian. Absolutely against the way Jesus showed when he was betrayed and led.
2. Why do you hold the brief for the Evangelical Churches? Are you responsible for the great damage they wrought at the grassroot levels-the injuries and the insults they heap on not only the Hindus but even on the Catholic Church? The poaching they indulge in to garner greater numbers to their churches? They do the mischief and come to you for leadership for the simple fact that they are self appointed bishops and religious politicians which gather assemblies under the title of churches. The Catholic Church has greater credibility, is monolithic and has political power. Hence anything that happens to them they prefer to piggyback ride on you and you easily fall for this sort of ‘leadership’ because it gives you a sense of false pride and power.
3. How are you sure that the 150 cases against the ‘Christian’ youth are false. Can you vouch for it? I know from experience that the Evangelical churches hate the Catholic Church and their ‘bishops’ and pastors do their best to wean Catholics to their churches. It is thus possible that the damages done to the catholic churches must be the handiwork of the Christian youth. This is easily acceptable if you really know the ground realities. If the Justice Somasekharan Report is what Yeddurappa wants then the CBI probe report will be what Veerappa Moily wants. Will the former be untruth and the latter truth? The latter may please you and please Veerappa Moily because of minority appeasement policy which the Congress blatantly follows to the detriment of truth and justice.
4. If the cases are false then why did you not engage good ‘Christian’ lawyers to fight it out in the courts and uphold truth? What if every community organizes massive rallies and with huge numbers threatens and bullies the police and the politicians to withdraw cases? So next time it could be the Hindus and the Muslims who will engage in such rallies. Then why the courts and the whole judiciary system and the police? All criminals can run amuck.
5. You would have had greater credibility if you had chosen ‘massive’ rallies to decry corruption at the Centre-The scams are raining on all sides but you were silent. It is only Yeddurappa whom you target. Justice and Truth knows no creed and caste and you need to fight to uphold these. But typical like a politician you took sides-for one the silence and for the other vociferous condemnation. This is a skewed and biased perception and hence cannot uphold truth and justice
6. Why do you pick at the mole in the eyes of Yeddurappa while carrying a beam in your own? There is so much of injustice within the church, be it against the dalits, discrimination against women, unfaithfulness to priestly vows et al. Had you thought of special rallies to highlight these and to condemn these?
Finally I need to give a short introduction of myself. I have been on all committees starting from the parish, diocesan, to the national levels of the Catholic Church. I had been a member of the CBCI’s NAC and am aware of what I am talking.
I had seen the TV telecast a year ago when the CM of Karnataka came to visit you to listen to your grievance. I was shocked at the way you behaved. A dignitary of the church-must exhibit the Jesus-like values of compassion, humility and courage. But you were so brash with him. He too is a dignitary and represent the people. You lost an opportunity to show the difference between a church dignitary and a politician. In fact the CM came off in a better light. But you showed your power, your pride not only in words but in your body language-
I am fully aware that what I am just put down will not be well received this because of the belief that the church has Truth bundled up at the top and it percolates down to us through the hierarchy. This is completely wrong. ‘Authority is no criterion for truth’. ‘From the babes’ mouths will come the truth’. I believe in Jesus and what He stood for-a just society. He did not establish a religion. Do not use Him to justify your aggrandizement and divisive strategies. “My kingdom is not of this world”. Finally let me remind you that TRUTH was crucified by the conspiracy of priests and the civil authorities-the same is being done down the ages. I fervently pray that Truth dawns on you.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Vadodara.
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