How to Start Dialogue to avoid being left in the Lurch?

James Kottoor

        

 Traditional parties like Congress and BJP. were looking down on Kejriwall and his broom, like an untouchable till a month ago. Now all of them are either copying  or aping him without admitting it. This proves the truth of the adage: "Learn to take a cue even from the grave digger" or "Give the devil his due!"

         What is given below are parts of a report from Times of India, Jan.7^th about Rahul Gandhi, considered totally unfit to be a PM candidate by many in India and other Congress persons:

   

  “Less than a month after Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress should learn from AAP... Backing Rahul, AICC spokesman Sanjay Jha told reporters that Congress vice-president's candid remarks meant that no party should live in a cocoon, adding it was "young and evolving India" where "people are asking questions"...."That is what the adaptive organization is all about and it's important for parties to evolve. It is important for parties to be grounded, for parties to see if there is any change in society or in some kind of voter behavior that you need to capture early or any other development."

         The backing for AAP came after Union minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday warned, "AAP has redefined the political scenario, altered the political discourse. If Congress, BJP and regional parties do not listen to the people's voice, they will soon become history."...

      “ Barely a week after Kejriwal took over as the Delhi CM, the rivals are indulging in mid-course correction. While the populist decision to slash power tariff in Delhi forced the Congress-ruled Haryana to announce a similar relief, CMs like Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan are talking of not taking up bungalows and red-beacon cars. UP CM Akhilesh Yadav surprised everyone last week by suddenly cutting his security cavalcade by half and ordering removal of traffic restrictions during his travels. “

                           Hierarchy living in a Cocoon?

 

     Is the Church(hierarchy) in India living in a cocoon? What is said of traditional parties in Indian politics and their attitude to voice of the common man reflected by Aam Aadmi, can be literally applied to Hierarchical church in India  and its attitude to voice of the laity reflected by responsible columnists in Almayasabdam and similar websites run by the laity.

      It is to wake up both the hierarchy and the laity that I suggested that the present practice in the church of talking to each other or shouting at each other, turning their backs to each other must be stopped forthwith, and  to start a dialogue facing each other answering questions each side may have, imitating Francis Pappa dialoguing even with an atheist editor or  individual  lay people in distress  --  youth and divorced and pregnant ladies writing letters to Pope.

  

    Francis  Pappa is just imitating Jesus who never shut the mouth of any questioner. Nay he even answered questions some of his critics were entertaining in their minds but were afraid of asking. Didn’t Jesus go even  one step further and ask his disciples: “What do people say I am?” Shouldn’t that example of Jesus point to each bishop conducting an opinion poll about his pastoral ministry among believers and unbelievers in the territory of his service?

      Refusing to face the people (now most of them are facing them at least at Mass, the altar of worship, only it is a one way dialogue there), refusing to dialogue with the laity taking and answering questions, can be done at one’s own peril of being dumped in the dust bin of history as a waste of time and effort. Neither the laity nor the hierarchy should force this  happen to each other. But how can this be done? Let the Davids among the readers come up as the giant killer of this question or as the Aam Aadmi in the Church!

jkottoor@asianetindia.com