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Office
bearers
President :
His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias
Archbishop
of Bombay
Vice Presidents : Ms. Muriel Schooner (Ajmer, Rajasthan)
Prof. S. Vincent (Kottar, Tamil Nadu)
Secretary
: Fr. Varghese Pullan,
SAC
Executive
Committee Members
1. Rev. Fr. Albert Xess (Orissa)
2. Rev. Fr. Paul Pulikkan (Trichur, Kerala)
3. Rev. Sr. Teresa Peter FS (Catholic Religious of India)
4. Mr. M. C. Anthoni (Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
5. Mrs. Clara Fernandez (Belgaum, Karnataka)
6. Mr. Adrian Michael ( Lucknow, U.P)
7. Adv. Anjaly Cyrus (Kottapuram, Kerala)
8. Mr. Tok Bhuttum (Itanagar, North East)
9. Mrs. Molly Sebastian (New Delhi, Northern)
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. |
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