Office bearers

President          : His Eminence Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil,C.Ss.R
                          Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly
Vice Presidents : Prof. Abraham Arackal, Alleppy
                          Ms. Muriel Schooner, Ajmer
Secretary          : Fr. Varghese Pullan, SAC

Introduction
 
The Catholic Council of India, popularly known as the CCI, meets once in two years. This year it met for its 8th General Body Meeting from January 6-8, 2006 at the holy shrine of Vailankanni in Tamil Nadu. About 200 people, representatives of Bishops, Priests, Men and Women Religious but above all the laity met for 3 days to share, reflect and discuss in order to deepen the life of the Church in India.
 
The Catholic Council of India is a sign of unity and mission of the Church in our country. It was established by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on 12th January 1993.
 
St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians that all the faithful are called to share in the life of the Church, and to live their membership, each one according to his/her particular vocation. (1 Cor 12, 7). The Vatican Council II spoke of the importance and role of the People of God: “The people of God believe that it is led by the spirit of the Lord who fills the whole world. Moved by that faith, it tries to discern in the events, the need and the longings which it shares with other men of our time, what may be genuine signs of the presence or of the purpose of God” (GS 11).
 
For this reason, the Catholic Council of India has been established so that all sections of the people of God may come together to discern the Father’s will for the Church in India.

History
 
The Catholic Council of India (CCI) has evolved from the ‘Follow Up Committee’ of the All India Seminar on the Church in India Today (1969), and from the National Advisory Council (NAC). It has as its goal the renewal and mission of the Church in the Holy Spirit, discerning the signs of the times, in the light of the Vatican II. The Council desires to nurture the movement towards a truly participatory Church where all sections of the people of God, revitalizing their baptismal grace, fulfill their vocation and mission.
 
Since the formation of the CCI in 1993, it had been functioning under the “Working Norms”. Then in 2001 a Committee, headed by the Deputy Secretary General of the CBCI, was formed to rework these ‘Norms’ in order to change them into permanent Statutes. Now with the promulgation of the Statutes of the CCI, the Catholic Council of India has got a renewed identity and together with it also a renewed responsibility. The members of the CCI are urged to continually study the Statutes and make the spirit behind the CCI Statutes a reality in our country in the common responsibility of all Catholics to establish the Kingdom of God in India. The finished product is rich in content, clear in its aims, and conducive to the better functioning of the CCI. As result of the promulgation of our Statutes, the entire General Body of the Catholic Council of India has been re-constituted for this Meeting.

Aims and Objectives
 
The Statutes of the Catholic Council of India (CCI) understand themselves as follows: “The CCI is a body, religious and charitable in nature and established by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), comprising representatives of laity, religious, priests and bishops, who come together in the spirit of the Lord, to pool their experiences, reflections and suggestions on the vital issues concerning the Church and the country, so that all in the Church may engage themselves in common action to carry out Christ’s mission ever more relevantly in our country.” (Statutes no. 2)
 
“To achieve this objective, it will do whatever is desirable, keeping in mind the teachings of the Gospel and of the Church, and the demands of common law. It will respect the legitimate autonomy of other ecclesial organization, nurture their endeavours and be at their service so that the Church may give powerful witness to Jesus in our country.” (Statutes no. 3)

Tthe Church as Communion
 
The ‘Church as communion’ demands an active participation of the bishops, priests, religious and laity as a team at all levels of its functioning. This fellowship must be exercised and developed through existing structures of participation such as Parish and Diocesan Pastoral Councils, and where necessary through new structures. There must be a readiness to share responsibilities and, where necessary and desirable, to delegate responsibility. This demands an attitude of trust in one another. This spirit of co-responsibility and sharing belongs to the very nature of the Church as communion. The participation and collaboration of all the faithful, the Laity, Religious and Priests is indispensable, if we are to be the one people of God. This attitude must permeate all persons and institutions in the Church.

Functions
 
Though the Catholic Council of India does not have any legislative authority, its conclusions and recommendations are directed to the entire Church. The implementation of its recommendations is primarily the responsibility of the concerned ecclesiastical authorities and, at their level, of the members of the CCI. Though the implementation of its recommendations is expected, of course the Council cannot legally enforce such implementation.

Conclusion
 
Every two years, the Catholic Council of India meets as a General Body, where the theme chosen by the CBCI is also discussed by the CCI. The theme for the 8th General Body Meeting of the CCI is ‘Catholic Education and the Church’s Concern for the Marginalized’. The CCI is growing even though in its new form it is still in its infancy. All the segments of the Church are called to come together so that the CCI may truly be a ‘Church in Council’ in our country.