India church commits to interreligious dialogue

National Catholic Reporter, Oct 6, 2000

First nationwide assembly since 1969

By UCA NEWS

With the Vatican declaration Dominus Iesus a factor in many discussions, delegates and speakers at a national assembly of the Catholic church in India called for inculturation and interreligious dialogue.

The Sept. 20-24 national assembly which the church organized to cap three years of programs for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, denounced proselytism "in all its forms" while reaffirming its commitment to proclaim Christ's message. The assembly lauded Indian theology for helping interpret the gospel in a multireligious and multicultural nation.

In their "Communication to the Church," some 800 delegates from India's 143 dioceses made a Jubilee resolution to renew society by working for a casteless society, serving the poor despite opposition and encouraging basic Christian communities.

Chief organizer Salesian Fr. Paul Puthanangady said the assembly, organized around the theme "Toward a New Society," was the "the largest and most representative" meeting of the Indian church so far. The last nationwide assembly was held in 1969 to discuss the implementation of the Second Vatican Council.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, opened the assembly by asking the Indian church to stress Christ as the only savior. Only with "such firm conviction of faith" can the church's efforts to renew itself and society become fruitful, he said.

He asked the gathering to base its reflections on various Vatican documents, especially the Synod for Asia document Ecclesia in Asia and Dominus Iesus. Dominus Iesus, issued Sept. 5 by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, reaffirms that Jesus Christ alone is the savior of all humanity, and the one church he founded "continues to exist fully only in the Catholic church."

Bishop Patrick Paul D'Souza of Varanasi called Dominus Iesus "completely orthodox," but exhorted the church not to ignore new theological insights while taking "utmost care" to protect its doctrine.

In a keynote address to the assembly, D'Souza cautioned the church against "a new temptation" to identify itself with the Kingdom of God and a reluctance to admit the spirit's presence in other religions.

The bishop called for reinterpretation of the church's "traditional" image, role and understanding of mission and proclamation to help it adapt to India's religious pluralism. He called for inculturation to become the entire church's task and be limited to replacing Western terms with local ones.

Many Indians consider Christians "deceptive people" whose "good works" are a guise to convert, D'Souza told the assembly. Indian Christians have recently faced increasing attacks by Hindu activists who accuse them of campaigning for converts.

Asking the church not to let criticism discourage it to give up service to the poor, he urged Christians to "take all the prudent care that is needed, but not give up serving others." Christians should show through their life that they demand no price for their service, he added.

To help the church create a new society in pluralistic India, D'Souza suggested efforts to evolve an "appropriate theology of religions" and to pay greater attention to the theology of the dalits (low-caste).

Dominus Iesus drew criticism from a Protestant speaker at the assembly, who asked the Catholic church to pursue ecumenism and dialogue to strengthen church unity in India.

"Any division of Christianity in India is a scandal and an impediment to the united witness of the church," Marthoma Bishop Isaac Mar Philoxenos of Delhi told the assembly Sept. 23. He reminded delegates that a person is baptized "not into any denomination, but to the body of Christ, the church." The "poison of division" among Christians is the biggest challenge for the church in India, said the Protestant bishop.

Philoxenos said he regretted the recent Vatican declaration Dominus Iesus, and asked the assembly to think "locally." Persons like Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that issued the text, are found in every denomination, "but they should not hamper the spirit of dialogue we already possess," he said.

He also reminded Christians that their universality does not necessarily mean they must follow a Western lifestyle, culture and missionary approach. "Let the church in India read the signs of the times and respond to the call with a new vision and dedication," he added.

In the final "Communication to the Church," assembly delegates reminded Catholics nationwide that their faith in Christ unites them, although they belong to various races and speak hundreds of languages. The faith also prompts them to overcome caste and class barriers and work for the poor, the delegates said.

The assembly described Indian theology's growing popularity as "an affirmation" of Indian Christians' maturity and their culture's richness. "Indian theology is an expression of a wider movement of inculturation of our faith in our country," said the assembly document. It notes India's emergence as an important center for interreligious and ecumenical dialogue.