Siliguri (AsiaNews) Dozens of priests, religious and lay volunteers from 12 dioceses of the States of India have decided to join forces to fight against social injustice, with the blessing of Card. Telesphore Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, a long-time advocate in the field. The pledge of the different communities is the fruit of a seminar that took place on 19 and 20 July in Ranchi the capital of the state of Jharkhand, which has a tribal majority entitled: "Catholic social teaching".
Fr Saji Thengumpallil, director of the socio-economic centre of Muzaffarpur diocese, told AsiaNews that participants first discussed the different problems afflicting eastern India and then decided "to effectively and pro-actively intervene to combat them and strive to guarantee justice to the marginalized."
The themes tackled included: selective abortion, sexual abuse and discrimination against women, problems linked to the economy like liberalization and privatization, which are taking root in the country, and the exploitation of workers from the poorest and most vulnerable groups."
The priest said that during the seminar, shared positions were expressed on the "negative repercussions of the rapidly changing socio-political and economic scenario of the country and on globalization, which eventually harms the poorest people the most."
The two-day meeting held by Catholic Relief Services was opened by the auxiliary bishop of Ranchi, Mgr Vincent Barwa and closed by Card. Toppo. The cardinal called on participants to respond to the needs of the people "without distinction of caste or religion." He said this was tied to three responsibilities of the church: "to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments and exercise the ministry of charity." He added: "The mystery of these three responsibilities is that they are symbiotic: one presupposes the other and it is imperative that we integrate social action into our daily services."
