Guwahati Decks Up for CBCI General Assembly

GUWAHATI, Assam, Feb. 23, 2010, 11.30 Hrs (CBCI News):

Gateway to the Northeast India and the capital of Assam, is all decked up to host the General Body meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), Feb 24-March 3. It is the first time that Guwahati hosts such a major meeting which will bring together heads of more than 160 dioceses in India. They will study and discuss on the theme Youth in the Context of Emerging India. The CBCI General Body is usually held once in two years. Don Bosco Insitute, Kharguli, on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, will be the venue of the meeting. Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil sdb, the host of the meeting spoke on the event and other issues concerning the Church in India. Excerpts from an interview he gave to Sr.Lizy M.

What made the Bishops of India to choose Guwahati as the venue for the General Body Meeting?

I would not say there was a specific reason for the choice except for the CBCI tradition of holding its meetings in different parts of the country. But it may be interesting to note that it is the first time that a General Body Meeting of the CBCI is being held in Assam and the second time in Northeast India. The Shillong meeting was 20 years ago.

What is your experience with the preparations?

It was quite unexpectedly that I was asked to take up the responsibility of hosting this great event. Guwahati is a young diocese, and it took me some time to understand the full implication of accepting to hold such a weighty gathering of bishops in our city. But, thank God, the entire region has come forward to help. I found a sense of purpose and direction in the organizing team under the guidance of Fr.Varghese Kizhakevely, the Vicar General. The various religious congregations, dioceses and lay groups have offered generous assistance. All are determined to expose the bishops of India to the cultural wealth of the region and youthful dynamism of this young Church. Until now 162 bishops have already registered their names. A few more are still expected. With the secretaries, youth delegates and special invitees, it is going to be a mighty number who will be making their way to Guwahati. This is going to be the biggest gathering of Catholic prelates in India at any time. Providentially a new building has come up near the venue, which we have called ‘Inspiration’. I hope and pray that everything will go well with the actual events as well.

What is the theme that the Bishops’ conference has chosen for discussion?

The theme chosen this time is ‘Youth in the Context of Emerging India’. We would like to go beyond the immediate activities that we are busy with in connection with our services to young people. This is an occasion for us to look to the future of our society in the context of the rapid changes that are taking place around us, and carefully study the challenges that the young people are beginning to face, along with the opportunities that lie ahead for them. It would be a mistake concentrate on the difficulties alone and grow pessimistic. It is more important to learn to profit from the ‘new doors’ opening out as well. We have every reason to be optimistic as we look to the future. But we need to develop a sense of responsibility to be handle the ‘future’ intelligently. I would say that Northeast is the right place for discussing the problems of the youth, since most political and social trends in the region are being set in motion by young people.

What other things are you planning for the Guwahati meeting that would be typical of the Northeast?

On February 28th evening we hope to hold for the Bishops of India what may be called a “Stunning Cultural Evening”, with as many as 70 cultural troupes from the various tribes of the region at their best. The Chief Minister of Assam Mr. Tarun Gogoi will be the Chief Guest at the event. He has been very enthusiastic about the Bishops of the country gathering at Assam’s capital. Another event we are contemplating is to bring together some of the Catholic leaders from the region for an interaction with the bishops on a Saturday afternoon. We are hopeful that a large number of Catholic MLAs and MPs from our region will attend.

What is your perception of the future for the young Church in the Northeast?

Will I sound partisan if I were to claim a great future for the dynamic young Church that has come up in the Valley of the Brahmaputra and the hills around? Vocations are rising, seminaries and formation centres are coming up fast, young missionaries are going forth to work in other parts of the world, educational and health institutions keep multiplying, and a University has been opened recently. Aside from the growth of communities, various creative forms of Christian self-expressions are manifesting themselves. We do not doubt that God has a plan for this young Church as it emerges at the national scene.

Addressing over 800 priests at the National Congress of Priests at Vailankani recently, you said that the mission of the priest is to ‘make God present in the World’. Could you sell out what you meant by those words?

I was referring to a recent speech of Holy Father Benedict XVI. Affluence can lead emerging societies to forget about God and the spiritual destiny of the human being as it has happened in more developed parts of the world. No society that forgot this transcendent destiny of the human person succeeded to retain leadership in upholding such a person’s dignity. In a fast secularizing world, the most important task of the priest is to make people have an experience of the presence of God in their lives and notice his action in history. This priest will not be able to do unless he has experienced it himself.

Would you have a message on this occasion, as you are the main host for the coming General Body Meeting of the CBCI?

I do not know whether what I say would be relevant or acceptable. Independently of the immediate theme of the conference, I would try to interpret a particular message of Jesus for our times. He said, “Love you enemies”. I know it doesn’t sound very realistic. But if he said these words, he must have meant it. We are living through times when we feel as a community persecuted, harassed, and hunted down. It is not that easy to ‘love’ the opponent. But is it possible to make an effort to ‘befriend’ him….at least in self-interest: to survive, to continue to exist, and may be, even prosper? Can we try to ‘disarm’ the enemy and reduce the strength of his (their) anger, with kind and dignified words, a human approach, and respect for his person despite the unfair treatment we suffer at his hands? That is what Mahatma Gandhi did. Can we attempt to build bridges, to throw open doors for dialogue, seek a third or fourth party to come to our assistance to initiate an intelligent and purposeful conversation? When we have done some of these things, we may find the way to go further. Our images of each other may change. And we may find that the words of Jesus are not as unrealistic as we thought after all. Surely we want to shake off a ‘persecution complex’ and walk confidently forward to the future.