Almayasabdam Records 13000
daily Visitors
Dr.James
Kottoor
The idea of India is unity in diversity.
The idea of Christianity is also Unity in Diversity. It is unity in the humane
Humanity inspired by the Man from Nazareth, Jesus, who presented himself as the
Son of Man, in 85 recorded statements. He is the ideal Human Being of peace
personified, with whom and around him the whole of humanity can stick together,
work together and serve one another with love and care, as brothers and sisters
of one extended Global Family.
That
is the full meaning of the loaded question: Is Christ divided? He unites north
and south, east and west, heaven and earth. Humanity has to move together in the
direction of global fraternity, saying with Narayana Guru: One God, one
religion one humanity without distinction or division.
Central to the whole debate is the Family of Man
seen globally but built on individual families at the rock bottom which
are facing untold challenges, threats and hammerings – financial, social,
moral, and cultural – making them crumble and go to pieces. Pope Francis has
been calling world attention for the last one year through the Extraordinary Family Synod
closed a month ago, to focus on remedies to heal and care effectively to strengthen
individual families by the time the concluding ordinary Rome Synod
is to take place from Oct.4 to 25/2015.
This
goal is to be reached trough free, fair and forthright public discussion
conducted transparently, as it happened at the Rome Synod. That discussion has
to be continued on local diocesan and parish levels in each diocese in
every country around the world. To do that Bishops in each country should have
an existing open Forum of discussion or create one. With this already in view,
the Church Citizens in India, based in Kerala have been working for the last
one year to make its website a national and global forum for sharing views,
discussing issues and suggesting humane and rational solutions to all family
problems.
Started for
Church Renewal
Almaya
Sabdam (Church Citizens’ Voice) was started originally for the reform and
renewal of the Syromalabar Church four years ago. It completed its 4th
anniversary of its founding on last Nov.6th. It started out its work
of reaching out to Church Citizens through out the length and breadth of India
and to the four corners of the world already with the announcement of the
Extraordinary Synod. Today it is a global network for Church Citizens around
the world. Believe
it or not, daily visitors of the site on Nov.19th were 13,363. Ever
since the graph of daily visitors hit over a thousand two weeks ago, the rise
in the daily
rise of visitors has been beyond the expectations of the dedicated
team which has been working behind the scene.
According
to the Administrators of this Church Citizens’ Website it is now ready to host
any public discussion on Challenges Facing Families in India, initiated by the
CBCI or individual Bishops at their beck and call in the true Christian family
spirit. To make sure our respected bishops take note of this offer, this write up is being sent to
all Indian Bishops through emails available in the CBCI website, some of which
of course are faulty.
After
all Bishops in India, like their counterparts around the world, are fully aware
of the parting instructions they were given at the close of last Synod. While
exhorting the bishops to shift the Synod discussions to dioceses they were
told:
"Bishops from all over the world will have to
listen to the laity in their respective dioceses…. I expect lay persons to be
protagonists who search for real solutions with their heads held high!" According to Bishop Bruno Forte the Synod
Secretary.
Time and tide waits for no
man. One month has already passed. So only 11 more months are left, not only to
give polishing touches to the 62 family topics discussed (on three there was
no consensus) but also to search and discover burning family issue proper to
Church in India, starting with promoters of pure blood in the Knanaya Community in
Kottayam diocese and around the world. All know it to be a human
right violation pure and simple, a trampling underfoot of the Christian
teaching “let no man separate what God had united” and a shameful blot on the
fair name of the Church in India.
Besides there are
unnecessary impediments created by the so called Rite-based Churches (like fence
eating the crop) posing hurdles against the smooth functioning of inter-Rite
marriages like making parties run from pillar to post to get clearances
for marriage courses to be undergone where and how, as well as “Safe Status
certificate” for groom and bride from deputed persons only, all
reminding one of the License Raj in politics. All these caused a joint petition
to Pope and the inter-Rite explosion in Delhi, discussed in secular press and
silenced or censored in Catholic press.
Doctor heal yoursef first, it is said. Similarly before discussing
challenges facing families, Rite based churches have to come clean first and
cease to become the biggest destroyer of human families, especially in cases
where church men support pure blood promoters. So let the ordinary people --
all Church Citizens -- speak out their grievances and suggested solutions
Almayasabdam is ready and waiting to publish their views without fear or
favour, say the Administrators.
The bishops in India can not ignore this loving and respectful plea from Dr. Kottoor, a well known journalist and church activist to come down from their lonely thrones and start taking seriously the admonition of the Pope. Contrary to their pretensions, the Christian families in India face a lot of crucial problems in their social and religious situations. They are quite different from those faced by families in western countries. The clergy and the bishops living in glass houses might be unaware of the problems of the common man, but that doesn't excuse their ignoring them or reporting to Rome that everything is well here and under control. This is an invitation to the bishops to be frank and earnest. They may not get another chance of the like. They have been fooling the faithful as well as Rome so far. The church citizens have become very conscious of their rights and are watching them closely from every corner and from house tops. Now there's no place for them to hide away from the people. Their only choice now is the come to terms with the various lay organizations and start a country wide discussion on the basic issues affecting the Christians as believers and citizens of a secular country. Reality is not what the bishops have been assuming it to be so far. It is complex and very urgent. So please get started and act.
ReplyDeleteWe no longer live in the dark ages. An authority that is unwilling to serve will be regarded as obsolete and void.