Card. Toppo: Church must be 'ad gentes'

An interview with the Indian Cardinal after a meeting in the Holy Land about evangelization in Asia and Australia. The Cardinal said anti-conversion laws must not be allowed to suffocate the missionary spirit, an essential part of the Church.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) –The spirit of 'mission ad gentes' in the Church in India must not diminish despite a host of anti-conversion laws that are being adopted across the country, said Cardinal Telesphore Toppo. The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) was speaking on his return from the Holy Land. He went there to participate in a meeting of the Neocatechumenal Way about evangelization in Asia and Australia, together with many Asian bishops.

Cardinal Toppo told AsiaNews about the meeting that took place at the "Domus Galilaeae" International Centre of Korazim: "We all renewed our respective missionary commitments, as a gift and service to render to the Church in our countries and dioceses." The meeting was convoked by initiators of the "Way",  Kiko Arguello, Carmen Hernandez and Fr Mario Pezzi, and brought together, among others, 150 bishops from India Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, the Philippines and Australia. The meeting focused on themes like Christian initiation, 'mission ad gentes' and the challenge of secularization in Asia and Australia.

Toppo, who is also archbishop of Ranchi, said: "This mission ad gentes is not new, on the contrary, evangelization through witness of lives was part of the spirit of the early church, and it is very essential that mission be part of our lives. All the Bishops of the Indian episcopate will put this at the service of their pastoral ministry."

The cardinal continued: "'Mission ad gentes' is also a response to the challenges of secularism, which is rampant even in small towns today… In today's sensitive context of communal tensions between religious groups, this 'mission ad gentes' is essential and fundamental to breathe new Spirit into the Church."

As for anti-conversion laws approved by some States of the Union, Cardinal Toppo stressed that the "Church is fundamentally missionary" and added: "Although many local government apply anti-conversion laws against evangelization under the guise of 'freedom of religion bills', we have the guarantees of the Constitution on our side, which ensure freedom of choice and conscience."

Finally, the cardinal said: "At the CBCI Plenary Session, I will share my experience about this 'missio ad gentes' and invite my brother bishops to follow this way of evangelization."

• INDIA
• catholic
• church
• religious
• freedom
• MISSIONE
• AD
• GENTES
• evangelization
• anti-conversion
• laws
• christians