The Pope’s ambassador to India and Nepal, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, has called upon the church in India to promote harmony and fight against discrimination.
Pennacchio said this after inaugurating a week-long Assembly of the Conference of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in the City on Tuesday.
The Assembly will go on till February 9. This is the 27th Plenary Assembly which is being attended by as many as 140 bishops. The event is taking place at St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences. The theme of the conference is “Liturgy and Life”.
Pennacchio called upon the participants to work towards establishing “a more effective communion and brotherhood among all the faithful in the Church and also among all members of civil society, without discrimination or partiality.”
He observed that the church in India needed to reaffirm solidarity with the Dalits. “You have to be united in the commitment to eradicate all forms of discrimination within the Church and ensure equal prospects to our Dalits and other faithful,” he urged. Speaking on the occasion, Archbishop Bernard Moras of Bengaluru said that there were systematic efforts to reconvert those who have embraced Christianity.
“The burning issues facing the church in India today are saffronisation, ‘Ghar Wapsi’ (reconversion to Hinduism), increasing attacks on Christians and denial of civil and political rights,” he pointed out.
On the occasion, three books titled “Catechetical Directory”, “Homiletics Directory” and “Eucharistic Prayers for Children’s Mass” were released.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks