the goan I network
PANAJI
Describing Christmas as a celebration of the eternal and omnipresent values of compassion, forgiveness and universal love, former president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said Christianity has been more renaissance and reformation and rarely about evangelism.
Mukherjee was addressing a gathering at the Christmas get-together of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral premises in New Delhi.
Ministers, members of parliament, bureaucrats, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic core, bishops, priests, sisters, brothers, leaders of various Christian denominations and different faiths and the laity were present on the occasion.
Among those present at the event included Union Tourism Minister K J Alphonse, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, retired Supreme Court Justice Kurien Joseph, CBCI President Cardinal Oswald Gracias, CBCI Vice-President Joshua Mar Ignathios, First Counsellor at the Apostolic Nunciature, India, Monsignor Mitja Leskovar Archbishop Emeritus of Delhi Vincent Concessao and CBCI Deputy Secretary General Fr Jervis D’Souza.
Mukherjee described Christmas as a celebration of the eternal and omnipresent values of compassion, forgiveness and universal love.
“The most enduring image of the Catholic Church in India are the crores of Indians, irrespective of religion, who get educated in schools and colleges set up by the Church and millions of patients who get treated in their hospitals,” said Mukherjee.
“The Catholic Church in India is personified by the priests or nuns in habit, whose very image brings to one’s mind, discipline and dedication. It is the heartening images of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, tending to the last person on the margin of society.”
The former president remarked that Christianity, having existed in India for over 2,000 years when St Thomas, one of twelve Disciples of Christ came and settled in the land, has been more renaissance and reformation and rarely about evangelism.
“Indigenization, adaptation and respect of local customs and traditions have made Christianity as Indian a religion as the ones that originated in its ancient geographical boundaries.”
Mukherjee said the Constitution has provided many rights and freedoms, including the freedom to practice and propagate religion, freedom to set up educational institutions and to choose any occupation.
“All these are important and must be safeguarded. This is the bedrock of our democracy and the foundation for our growth.”
“Further, let us share the message of forgiveness with all those around us as Lord Jesus had taught his disciples to pray. Becoming tolerant and compassionate people, let us keep anger and hatred away, let us not allow the poison of division to soil the very heart of India,” said the former president.
Earlier in his welcome address, CBCI Secretary General Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas quoted W J Cameron who said, ‘There has been only one Christmas “ the rest are anniversaries’ and said the theme of the Christmas celebration this year was “United in diversity for a mission of service and witness”, the theme of the Church in India for the year.
In his Christmas message, Cardinal Gracias said Jesus came to bring peace and reconciliation in an unprecedented way in the history of humankind.
“The nativity scene at Bethlehem is a perfect scene of peace and harmony with God, humanity and nature. As Christmas is an assurance that God is with us, it is also a challenge to all of us that we need to be agents of peace and harmony even as the whole world welcomes Jesus yet once again,” said Cardinal Gracias.
