Seminary rectors to tackle Hindu fundamentalism

Ashwin Krushna Chaturthi, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

O Hindus, be prepare to resist The Association of Rectors of Major Seminaries who wants to tackle so called problem of Hindu fundamentalism! How Hinduism can be a threat to Church in India?

Ranchi (Jharkhand): The Association of Rectors of Major Seminaries of India (ARMS) plans to tackle the problem of Hindu fundamentalism that its says is the biggest threat to the Church and India as a whole.

Father Joseph Prasad Pinto, ARMS’ newly elected president and rector of Ranchi’s St. Albert’s College, told UCA News the rectors wanted to find a solution to growing sectarianism and attacks on religious minority groups, including Catholic priests working in remote areas in the country.

"We want to prepare our future priests to face" the problem before it catches them unawares, he said. Seminaries can play a "great role" in the fight against sectarianism as they prepare future priests who work among "Christians and others alike," he added.

He noted that Christians cannot accept Hindu fundamentalist ideology if it discriminates, separates and divides people on the basis of religion. Furthermore, Catholic priests should help people understand Hinduism’s positive aspects and Hindu fundamentalism’s negative teachings that threaten the nation, the priest stressed.

Rectors from 53 of 141 major seminaries belonging to the Latin-rite Church recently discussed how to bring about changes in seminary formation to respond effectively to various issues facing the Church and society, including sectarianism.

Their Sept. 25-28 meeting in Ranchi, eastern India, had as its theme: "Formation for Mission in Today’s Context."

Father Pinto said the rectors realized the need to review major seminaries’ training programs to effectively address sectarianism.

A statement from the meeting noted the rise of Hindu radicalism as "the most potent threat to the Church and society in India." It also said Hindu fundamentalism had attracted "fringe fascist elements" that use various "manipulative" and "insidious" ways to spread their ideology.

The rectors said the Hindu fundamentalists’ sole aim is to establish a Hindu nation that allows tribal and dalit people (former "untouchables" in the Indian caste system) and religious communities to exist only as second-class citizens "subservient to the upper castes."

"We also realize the vital importance of upholding the Constitution of India and defending it from all attempts to destroy its secular character," the statement added.

The rectors want seminarians to study the way Hindu radicals spread propaganda that projects their target groups as villains. Their statement noted that these radicals influence the media, infiltrate the bureaucracy, police and judiciary, and introduce their ideology to the education system.

"Our seminarians should learn, early on in their formation, to empower the laity and assist them to take their rightful place in the Church and in civil society," the statement said.

The rectors said they would encourage their students to develop a spirituality that could deal with sectarian politics, study the phenomenon of Hindu fundamentalism, work for human rights and use the media in the fight against sectarianism.

Source: Indian Christian

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