Dalit Christians submit concerns to Jesuit superior general
Details provided on caste-based discrimination within church in India.
Posted on March 4, 2016, 5:06 PMDalit Catholics in India have complained to the visiting Jesuit superior general about discrimination within the church during his visit to the country.
Jesuit Father Adolfo Nicolas, head of the Society of Jesus, received their memorandum when he met a delegation from the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu Feb. 27.
M. Mary John, president of the movement, said that they gave Father Nicolas the memorandum because the Jesuits are the church's largest congregation and that the pope himself is from the Society of Jesus.
"They play a major role in the Catholic Church and in the world and if they take the initiative in our case, the church will listen. They are the right channel," John said.
Dalits, or those former known as untouchables, are the lowest caste within Hindu society. Huge numbers of Dalits have converted to Christianity and Islam over the decades, though in reality religions offer limited protection from societal prejudice.
Dalit Christians have repeatedly accused the Catholic Church in India of caste-based discrimination in terms of separate cemeteries and seating arrangements in churches.
John said that it is easy for the Jesuits to understand their plight because in Tamil Nadu they implemented policies that include providing equal opportunities to dalits in both education and employment.
In the memorandum, the delegation appealed for a strengthening of policies for dalits across the entire country.
The Dalit Christian Liberation Movement submitted a complaint to the United Nations against the Vatican last year. The movement accused the Vatican of not doing enough to curb caste-based discrimination within the Catholic Church in India.
Father Nicolas visited India Feb. 18 visiting the southern Indian Jesuit province of Andhra Pradesh and moved on to Madurai province in neighboring Tamil Nadu state Feb. 26. While In Andhra Pradesh province he met superiors of 18 Jesuit provinces and two regions in South Asia — India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. The meetings are part of the general’s biennial visitation.
Source: UCAN
