Category: Church Reform
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IS CONVERSION NECESSARY?
By “conversion” I here mean the explicit act of baptising a non-Christian to make such a person Christian. We know that the right-wing Hindutva brigade has always been against religious conversion, thinly veiled as “forceful conversion”. Several anti-conversion laws have been passed in various States, not just by the BJP, but even by the Congress…
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ADVENT ADVENTURES
The Advent season is upon us. It is a preparation for Christmas, depending on our priorities. The Hindi word for Advent is Aagman. It is the same word used at airports for Arrivals. Advent means just that – the coming or arrival of somebody or thing. Can Advent be an adventure? It can. However, the…
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PETER UNCHAINED
(A SEQUEL TO “Generally Speaking”) In February 2017, I was in Rome to attend the marriage of my niece to an Italian. The nuptials were held in the church of San Giuseppe Dei Falegnami constructed above the Prigione Dei SS Apostoli Pietro e Paolo, near the Roman Forum. This is where Peter and Paul were…
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JESUS & THE TV ANCHOR
TV anchors were recently in the news (pun intended) because of the strictures passed against them by a Supreme Court bench of Justices K.M. Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy, in the matter of promoting hate speech. They termed it “multi-layered, like killing someone, you can do it in multiple ways, slowly or otherwise”. What is wrong…
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GENRALLY SPEAKING
This reflection begins with two Generals, but doesn’t end with them. It is actually about an action packed octave from Sunday 25th September to Sunday 2nd October. I met the first General in Kanpur on the 25th. She was Sr Elvira UMI, former Superior General of the Ursuline sisters. I had last met her in…
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WAS MOTHER MARY A PRIEST?
The answer apparently is “No”, because the Catholic Church doesn’t accept women to the ordained priesthood. Does this merit re-consideration? Though not a theologian or church historian I would address the question from three angles: (i) The objections to women’s ordination (ii) The nature of the priesthood (iii) The life of Mother Mary. THE OBJECTIONS:…
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IS CELIBACY A DELICACY?
(A sequel to “The Gay Priest”) A delicacy is usually related to food, my favourite indulgence. It is different from the daily fare of dal-chawal or sabji-roti. For me a delicacy is something like succulent pork chops. Obviously one cannot eat that everyday. A delicacy is something special, not the norm. Celibacy is like a…
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THE GAY PRIEST
When we were young, being gay meant that we had the joyous abandonment of a child, an attribute that St Paul gives to being children of God (cf Rom 8:21). Today, being gay is understood as a man having a sexual relationship with another man; just as lesbian means women being in a sexual relationship…
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HAT – TRICK
The just concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) would be fresh in people’s minds. Hence one cannot be faulted for presuming that this piece is about cricket! It isn’t. It’s not about red balls but about red hats, the red Berettas given to Cardinals. They are the flavour of the season thanks to the announcement of…
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FARCICAL FRATERNAL FANTASY
There is celebration in some circles that Pope Francis’ latest directive that non-ordained “Brothers” in men’s religious orders that also include priests, may now become Major Superiors, albeit with Vatican permission. What is the hullabaloo about? Will it have any impact on the ground? Though not a fan of Shakespeare, the Pope’s directive reminded me…