In the name of the Lord

Can the Vatican ask its princes to cease meddling in a domain where even angels fear to tread?

Let's be honest. The circular logic, hegemonic ambitions and supremacist notions that are at the core of the great Abrahamic faiths of the world, despite the huge changes objective realities, forces of modernity and the march of history have wrought on many of their believers, find the concept of the modern nation-state, the agency of nationalism and the notion of a civilizational exceptionalism very, very hard to digest. That's perfectly understandable from their point of view. But will someone please tell the Vatican that while the harvesting of souls — without inducement, allurement and/or coercion — is a perfectly legitimate right for its clergy in India under our Constitution, yet another archbishop, this time Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa following in the footsteps of his ecclesiastical compadre from Delhi Anil Couto, going for the ideological provenance of the ruling dispensation on the basis of a very problematic and self-serving thesis of minoritism is highly susceptible to the law of diminishing returns.

The point to note here is that while the language of those for whom proselytizing is an article of faith may have changed from the offensive discourse of civilizing the savages/bringing the heathen into the fold et.al. in the days of the days of empire and colonialism, their theological motivation does not seem to have changed much; indeed, it would be unfair of us to expect that it would, given their core beliefs in saving the souls of non-believers would come a spiritual cropper if they did. The discourse of the well-networked Christian priestly class in India and those simpatico is now couched in the language of religious freedom,human rights, constitutionalism and that hoary old chestnut termed ‘secularism' which is premised on the separation of State and Church. But when push comes to shove they seem to have no hesitation in collapsing their argument rather conveniently into one of protection of religious identity.

His Holiness the Pope, the first Jesuit to have succeeded to the papacy, is known for his outreach to other cultures. He may or may not be aware that the designs of a section of his cardinals in Rome and other representatives in India and their blatantly partisan anti-BJP propaganda is causing untold damage to the interests of millions of Indian citizens who happen to profess the faith of Christ while simultaneously accept the principles of democracy and the notion of an Indian exceptionalism in cultural and civilizational terms. India's Christian population has, on balance, produced outstanding nationalists, leaders and creators and is mainstream in every way. Indeed, the exploits of Christian officers and men of the Armed Forces, the outstanding work done by Christian educationists and the sensitive mainstreaming of the Christian community by it leaders post-1947 while ensuring no ghettos develop is an example for all Indians to follow, whatever their personal faith. The lived experiences of lay Christians and their co-citizens belonging to other faiths belie the claims of the archbishops.

Indeed, it would not be going too far to say that the current dabbling in anti-BJP politics by the clergypoints clearly to the fact that the problem is not with the lay Christian community, who are Indians first and adhere to multiple identities including their religious identity as many of us do, but with the Christian clergy and rent-seekers of an ecosystem of patronage which has controlled the dominant national narrative but is now being challenged. Archbishops getting involved in politics under the guise of guiding their flock will boomerang.