Towards the synod: India's multiculturalism, a challenge and a resource for Christian families
New Delhi (AsiaNews) - In order for Christian families to maintain their identity, even in a predominantly Hindu society, the Church today must provide religious education to "children born in the 21st century", and thus tackle its "greatest challenge", this according to John Dayal, former national president of the All India Catholic Union and a member of the National Integration Council. Speaking to AsiaNews about the life and challenges Catholic and other Christian families face, he also addressed those faced by the Church, as it prepares for the Synod of the family.
Can you describe for us the daily life of a family, the social and religious challenges of its members?
Catholic, in fact all Christian communities, range from those with a 2,000-year old tradition to large Dalit and Tribal communities that were converted in the last 150 years or so, or even in recent decades. They are, therefore, all but inseparable from the domestic and ethnic culture of their neighbouring Hindu majority. Apart from the religious rituals, they are indistinguishable. Necessarily, this impacts on moral issues, sexuality, an understanding of the dignity of women, and their rights. This poses a challenge to the Church leadership as much as to the married couples that are raising a family. This is the larger issue of identity: maintaining our distinctiveness while being part of the larger society, with its challenges in lifestyles, economic survival, modern sexual mores, drugs and alcohol. In big cities especially, parents also have to deal with their adult children marrying out of the faith, and sometimes out of the community. How one ensures the religious training and education in values in the generation of the grandchildren born in the 21st century is the major challenge.
What is the struggle for the Christian education of children?
Although the Church, especially the Catholic Church, has an important presence in the field of education - some of the oldest schools and colleges are Catholic or Church of England - it is also true that not every Catholic child can find a place in a Catholic school. There are many reasons. Distance is one. In many places, there is no facility. In some places, there may be a school, but it does not have a place for a child from a poor family. Necessarily, a very large number of Catholic children study in secular government schools or in schools run by Hindu organisations. In both, the school environment and ethos are Hindu. This is not a problem in itself. But in view of such terrible moral and social issues as discrimination on the basis of caste, aggressive evangelisation by militant Hinduism, called Hindutva, and the pedagogy and textual material, there is cause for concern.
How about the beauty of the relationship and love between a man and a woman?
God made them both, and God made their relationship. It has to be beautiful. It is mutually completing, and mutually satisfying. But it requires understanding, and mutual respect. Thankfully, most relationships become stronger with the passing of time as couples come to understand each other better.
Does the comparison between a Christian and other mind-sets come from other religions or cultural imprints, or from the vacuum produced by the secularisation?
Islam treats marriage as a contract. Hinduism has it as a sacrament, but the woman still remains a vassal, loved, but an object, much like property. India is a male dominated society, and women suffer from it, from when they are in the womb, risking foeticide, to deprived childhood, dowry for marriage, domestic violence, desertion, the crises faced by widows. Many of these are cultural traits, and penetrate Christian families too.
Stories full of difficulties but also of the positive growth of love show how the Church cares for everyone.
The Church in India has to learn to listen. It must use scientific tools and surveys to investigate reality and devise curative and preventive pastoral methodologies. This would involve changes in laity training and empowerment, and changes in the training programmes for priests, and men and women religious who are the main instruments of pastoral care and counselling.
What is your idea of a family and its relationship to the Church? How much of what the priest says on a Sunday affects your behaviour the rest of the week?"
I wish more priests said something relevant in their brief homilies, which at present remain very stereotypical, and bookish. The parish must become central to the process of healing of families under stress.
How do families in India talk about some contentious issues like birth control, divorce and remarriage, which Pope Francis right now seems to be looking at in terms of modernisation?
Younger couples almost totally ignore social teachings on sex and sexuality. Contraception is the norm. I support the remarriage of couples who have obtained a civil divorce, and I think canonical provisions on the dissolution of marriages on grounds of irreconcilable differences must become part of Church Law. Plus, Church legislation on dissolution of marriage has to be gender neutral and not loaded against the woman.
What are your thoughts concerning issues like homosexuality, cohabitation, fidelity, premarital sex, in vitro fertilisation, abortion, interfaith marriage in Indian context.
I support pastoral care, including Holy Communion, for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. I oppose same sex marriage and adoption of children by gay couples because the rights of the child to have a father and a mother are violated in such cases. Interfaith and inter-denomination marriages are a reality in India. We cannot oppose them. We will lose our children, who will rather leave the Church than leave the person they love. They will continue to believe in Christ, but will do so in private, in their heart. Accept them, embrace them, and they may bring their partner too into the church.
How important is for families and the faithful to go to church? How do you see the issues the church is discussing at present?
If the Parish is not too far, most Catholics go to mass on Sundays and Feast days. Small Christian Communities are still a work in progress. There are very few forums, opportunities and resource persons to have a learned discussion on the teachings of the Church on a regular basis. An occasional seminar at the level of the diocese is no help at all.
It would be good to speak about the way people in India respect their religion and how they want to develop it in the future.
The laity is for a participative church, in which they have a voice. That is the bottom line. They remain faithful, and their trust in God is unshakable.
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