Mumbai (AsiaNews) – According to Mgr Agnelo Gracias, Auxiliary Bishop of Mumbai, the family in India is resisting the attacks of a culture that wants to isolate and humiliate it as the basis of society and as a gift from God. Bishop Gracias, who chairs the Family Commission of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), spoke to AsiaNews from Ranchi (Jharkhand state) where the CCBI is holding its 17th Plenary Assembly with the theme of the 'Family: Good News for India' as its main focus.

Expressing his appreciation for the commitment of Catholic families in Indian society, he said that "the family must not remain closed in on itself; rather, it has to be a leaven in society, reaching out to other families, going beyond the barriers of social status and caste".

For Bishop Gracias, "God is not a solitary being living in isolation, but a Trinity of persons, a communion of life and love, like a family according to the Christian sacrament".

He said he was "filled with joy and hope that our families have remained remarkably stable despite so many pressures and disintegrating factors."

This stability is in keeping with Indian traditions in which marriage is regarded as sacred and family ties remain strong. In India "there is an enduring spirituality, a great respect for parents and elders, a spirit of hospitality," he noted. For Christian parents this means making sure their children are baptised and brought up in the faith.

"We feel that the contribution of India (and of Asia as a whole) to humanity is its firm belief in the sacredness of the family," he added.
Speaking about some of the issues raised during the CCBI Assembly, Bishop Gracias said "there was a general consensus [. . .] among [. . .] Bishops that the low status of women in Indian society is one of main causes of the disintegration of families." However, it was not the only reason.

In his opinion, the media are to a large extent responsible for spreading a "culture of death", which manifests itself in contraception, pre-marital sex, abortion and [. . .] euthanasia".
For him, "the cynical and decadent environment erodes family values, and the gross immorality that the media disseminates, brutally conditions the families; negative values and licentious lifestyles are continuously being beamed into our households. This has a drastic effect on impressionable minds who unconsciously imbibe such destructive messages."

Bishop Gracias does acknowledge that modern media have brought some benefits, but he also insists that they have had a negative impact on family life. Advertising, for example, has created a craving to possess more, creating what is often called 'consumerism' or 'comfort culture'.

Various external factors have adverse effects on the family as well, namely poverty, globalisation, alcoholism, HIV/AIDS.

Within the family itself there are causes of stress in the life of a couple that must be fought, namely fast-paced lifestyles, and, in some cases, the long absence of one spouse.

In Ranchi the Indian Church discussed how to stop this downward spiral. "We have committed ourselves," the prelate said, "to make the family apostolate an integral part of the pastoral planning of our dioceses."

In concrete terms, this means increasing the number of marriage preparation courses and set up a Family Commission in each diocese that "would serve as a point of reference and support for married couples," he said

Bishop Gracias ended saying to the faithful: "May the Holy Family make of our homes sanctuaries of peace, love and joy like the Home of Nazareth".