信德年的印度：贫困正在摧毁整个国家
孟买（亚洲新闻）-印度全国天主教研讨会从梵二大公会议文件起步，认真反思在当今印度社会中落实教会社会训导。十月二十五日至二十七日，印度主教团神学和教义委员会主办了这一研讨会。来自全国四十四个教区的五百五十位主教、司铎、男女修会会士、大修生、传教员和平信徒代表等到会。委员会主席阿尼罗·格拉齐亚斯蒙席表示，"我们对今天的印度现状进行了积极反思。我们是一个经济和技术正在取得巨大进步的国家、一个深受传媒和全球化影响的国家。但同时，印度也存在消极的一面"。研讨会中突出了五点主要内容：
1．国家拥有丰富资源，但却充斥着非人的贫困现象；
2．我们的国家拥有尊敬女性的传统，但至今她们仍备受歧视，甚至沦为性强暴的受害者；
3．我们的国家是许多传统宗教的发源地，但也充斥着民族主义和宗教冲突的污点；
4．在我们的国家中生命是神圣的，但死亡文化却盛行；
5．自然在我们的国家中受到尊重，但却环境威胁。
A country marked by dehumanizing poverty:
We come across two types of India: on the one side there is a fast developing economy and on the other, the fast growing number of poor totally disregarded. Every third person is below poverty line, with around 300 million migrants for jobs and survival. According to the 2011-13 Global Hunger Index report, a quarter of the world's hungry live in India (210 million out of 842 million) and 43.5% of the world's underweight children under 5 years are Indians (Hindustan Times, 21.10.2013).
In this India, how can we play a prophetic and witnessing role to the person and message of Jesus Christ? How can we fight against poverty and build a civilization of love, in some practical and meaningful ways? These were the questions we grappled with. Various initiatives came to our mind:
- We appeal to our leaders to follow the lead given by Pope Francis who wants the Church to be 'the Church of the Poor'. On the occasion of his visit to Assisi, the Pope said: "The Catholic Church must strip itself of all vanity, arrogance and pride and humbly serve the poorest in society"
- We appeal to our bishops to implement the CBCI Education Policy making our educational and other institutions pro-poor
- We the participants of this Symposium want to fight against the culture of well-being, that makes us think of ourselves and makes us so insensitive to the cries of others that it leads to a 'globalization of indifference'. Like the rich man in the parable of Jesus, we are accustomed to the suffering of Lazarus. It doesn't concern us.
- We will struggle against corruption in whatever way we can, neither paying nor giving bribes, getting a receipt for every purchase, paying just wages to those who work for us. We will use the mechanisms and facilities available to us like the RTI or Food Security Bill to fight corruption and to alleviate the lot of the poor. We will be bold in denouncing all that is evil, unjust and wrong in order to truly announce the "Good News". The culture of silence has resulted in 'the culture of death'.
- We will have a special concern for the weak and the marginalized, particularly the Dalits, joining in protests against the violation of human rights. We urge our parishes to be more caring towards them, welcoming them into our parish. We want to be persons who hold out HOPE to them. Following the example of the first Christians who shared generously with the poor, we will make personal sacrifices, whatever they may cost for us, for the poor, the dalits and the tribals of today. Only then will we become truly the Church of the poor
