CSF Salutes an Asian Cardinal for the World
Why Archbishop's Appointment is Significant for India & the Asia Pacific
The Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) - India 's Mumbai-based activist community
NGO welcomes the elevation of Archbishop Oswald Gracias as Cardinal by the
Pope, Benedict XVI and congratulates the prelate on his being conferred this
high ecclesiastical office. As the only Asian to be thus elevated, the
elevation signifies the importance of the Archdiocese of Bombay in the Holy
See. It is particularly true since, Archbishop Oswald will be one of the
electors to decide on the successor to the present Holy Father or the next
pope.
In a communication to the pope, The CSF thanked Benedict XVI for giving due
recognition to India by this honour, which indicates that the Church in
India has come of age and the region plays a vital role in Vatican's
worldwide strategy. The CSF, which has had most cordial relations with the
Cardinal elect, during his Archbishoprics of Agra and Bombay, has had an
occasion to study him from close quarters over the last almost a decade. The
CSF is committed as a premier laity organization to collaborate with
Cardinal Gracias, in his efforts to spread the spirit of love in a country,
that needs it desperately.
In Cardinal Gracias, the universal Church in general and Asia in particular,
has a clergyman, sensitive to needs of the every human, irrespective of any
distinction. Reacting to appeals, the Archbishop did not hesitate to issue
an Official cautioning against SEZs in the country, leading to mass
protests, particularly against the Esselworld-promoted SEZ in the
Gorai-Uttan belt, off Mumbai. He wanted the government to consult local
people before implementing projects that affect them. Archbishop Gracias
urged priests and laypeople to join public rallies and lobby with others to
save the common man from the ill effects of such policies.
Mr Joseph Dias, the CSF general secretary noted, as leader of the
Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), Archbishop Gracias, last
April launched "Save the Farmers, Save India," a nation-wide campaign in
favour of farmers burdened by debts and ignored by local administrations. At
the time he said that "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's package has not
brought a solution to the plight of distressed farmers across the country.
Their rising suicide rate has become a national disgrace."
According to the CSF, he becomes the fourth cardinal from Mumbai and only
the 10th from India since Independence and has held several important
positions in the Church, including being consultor to the Pontifical Council
for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts. Cardinal Gracias' book,
Conciliation Code offers useful advice to solve many of the problems the
Church faces. His Doctorate in Canon Law and Diploma in Jurisprudence from
the prestigious Gregorian University in Rome, will stand him in good stead,
even as he assists the Holy Father and serves the Church.
In India , the Church appreciates Cardinal Gracias' diplomatic skills in
bringing unity in a Goa-based religious congregation that had split into two
groups in 1977. He has been a campaigner of inter-faith dialogue, who is
known to have said - "Only this type of dialogue can eliminate potential
causes of tensions and disagreements between the religious and ethnic groups
that make up India. Dialogue is vital and fundamental.
Ln Joseph Dias, MA (Eco); General Secretary, The CSF
Ex-Special Executive Magistrate, Govt of Maharastra
09324803279 / 09869481357
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