President asks not to ignore Christians’ role in education

The Christian Community established a large chain of elementary schools throughout Kerala, under the supervision of the Seminary and its leaders, he said.

Kottayam (UCAN): 

President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said the role of the Church in spreading education cannot be ignored as he released a postal stamp commemorating the 200 years of the Orthodox Theological Seminary based in Kottayam.

"The Christian Community established a large chain of elementary schools throughout Kerala, under the supervision of the Seminary and its leaders," he said at the function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Seminary was the first indigenous initiative towards universal literacy and education, which has today made Kerala the most literate state in the country.’’ The president said the charity and healthcare activities of the Syrian Church also originated in the Old Seminary under its leadership.

‘’The role of the Church in healthcare, women’s empowerment and upliftment of the less privileged section of society are unparalleled,’’ the President said.

The President said for nearly 14 Centuries, the three major religions of Kerala, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam have existed in peace and harmony, respecting each other’s belief and cooperating to promote social welfare.

‘’In fact, Kerala was the first state in the country in which both Christianity and Islam took roots with people voluntarily choosing different religious beliefs. 

The Old Seminary was set up by the Malankara Orthodox Church situated in Kerala, a state known for the peaceful co-existence of different religions and communal harmony.

"The lighting of oil lamps in and around Churches, the raising of the flagstaff and flags during festivals and the custom of entering the Churches barefoot are all Hindu traditions that have become a part of the Church practice. These bear testimony to the sharing of traditions by both the religions,’’ the president said.

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