While there is rejoicing in the Christian Dalit community over the appointment of Archbishop Anthony Poola of Hyderabad as the first Dalit to be elevated as Cardinal, by Pope Francis, it is pertinent to note that Archbishop Anthony Poola has rightly and humbly stated that his appointment as Cardinal, is a prestige for the Catholic church in the Telugu region of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, without however making any mention of the Dalit community to which he earlier belonged. And very rightly so, as caste ceases to exist, once a Dalit has converted to Christianity. Labelling Dalits as Christian Dalits after conversion therefore constitutes a grave insult and denial of human dignity to which they were earlier subjected to. It is a pity that the converted Dalits who form 60% of the faithful of the Christian church in India have not shed their caste tag after conversion and merged as one body with the rest of the Christian community, to form part of the mystical body of Christ which is the church.
