By our religious Correspondent
Indore: A Catholic religious forum has vowed to fight against clericalism in the Church by promoting lay leadership. “Clericalism is a serious issue and we have to fight it”, said Fr Anand Mathew , convener of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, a body of progressive religious peiests, brothers and nuns in India, here .
Mathew, a member of the Indian Missionary Society based in the temple town Varanasi in northern Uttar Pradesh, was elected unopposed to the post its bi-annual convention held here recently.
The Church in India is cleric- and bishop- centered and the involvement of the laity is “very negligible” , Mathew added , the lay people should get “their fair share”. The participants vowed “to work towards empowering the laity, including women, transform the Church into vibrant institution that stands for “the poor and those on the periphery”. Mathew added.
The forum established in 1987 has 21 state units. The forum has decided to run regional awareness campaigns among lay people, including women and the youth, to promote gender equality in the Church’s decision-making bodies. “Once they (lay people) are brought to the leadership level, it will infuse new dynamism” Mathew said adding, the forum asked the Indian Church to take inspiration from the ongoing Synod on Synodality, convened by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The Synod on Synodality is notable for its diverse participation, welcoming lay people and priests alongside bishops. As part of its mission, the members vowed to adopt “ simpler lifestyles” and live “closer to the poor” as Indian Church members face violence from right-wing Hindu groups. The participants stressed the need to “internalize individually and collectively the values” of the papal cyclical Laudate Si (Praise be to you) and the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum (Praise be to god) . “Development must be people-centered , inclusive, holistic, just, equitable, sustainable, and life-promoting”, the forum said.
It expressed concern over the exploitation of the earth, leading to “climate change”. The forum wanted to fight the government’s discriminatory and pro-rich policies, Mathew added.
