Tamil Nadu
Saturday, Sep 11, 2010
Archbishop Chinnappa puts onus of Dalit liberation on Christian leaders
Special Correspondent
Condition of Dalit Christians five times worse than other Dalits, says
Ashish Amos
LUCID ANALYSIS:(From left) Felix Wilfred, Professor, ICCR Chair,
University of Dublin, Ireland; A.M. Chinnappa, Archbishop of
Madras-Mylapore and chairman, Tamilnadu Bishops' Council; Ashish Amos,
general secretary, ISPCK; and S. Lourdusamy, CBCI Commission for
SC/ST, New Delhi, at a seminar in Chennai on Friday.
TAMBARAM: Speakers at a two-day seminar on Christianity and Dalit
Liberation here pointed out that Dalit Christians faced a lot of
opposition from non-Dalit Christians.
The two-day seminar on 'Reimaging the Relationship between
Christianity and Dalit Liberation,' was held at the Asian Centre for
Cross Cultural Studies (ACCS) at Panayurkuppam near Sholinganallur off
East Coast Road on Friday. It was organised along with New Delhi-based
Indian Society for Promotion of Christian Knowledge.
A.M. Chinnappa, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore and chairman, Tamil Nadu
Bishops Council, said the effect of casteism in India was
marginalisation, poverty and oppression among Dalits. "We must set a
vision for their liberation and must be able to work together."
Poor state of Dalits
Pointing out that the poor state of the Dalits was a result of
casteism, he said, "Unless Christian leaders work among the people,
Dalit liberation is not possible."
Delivering the inaugural address, Ashish Amos, general secretary,
ISPCK, said that there had been "enough of rhetoric, academia, writing
and thinking process," which had resulted in the "Great Indian Dalit
Dream."
"I can say with conviction that the condition of Dalit Christians is
five times worse than other Dalits," Mr. Amos said, adding that the
Church and the community had completely let down the Dalits and the
oppressed.
In his keynote address, S. Lourdusamy, former executive secretary,
Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) Commission for SC/ST, said
a majority of Christians in India belonged to SC and ST communities,
but their representation in the clergy and hierarchy was minimal. He
pointed out that among the 24 million Indian christians, Dalits
constituted the chunk with a population of 18 million.
However, in earlier years of struggle seeking justice for the Dalits,
there was very little support from non-Dalit Christians.
Mr. Lourdusamy said among the 170 Catholic Bishops in India, the
representation of Dalits was meagre and added that their role in
clergy, hierarchy and policy-making levels was negligible. He
concluded that unless non-dalit Christians came forward in support,
there was no ray of hope for the Dalit Christians.
Dr. Chinnappa also launched a book, 'Asian Public Theology' written by
Felix Wilfred, founder-director, ACCS.
------------------------------------
----
INFORMATION OVERLOAD?
Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to ZESTMedia-digest@yahoogroups.com, OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/
PARTICIPATE:-
On this list you can share caste news, discuss caste issues and network with like-minded anti-caste people from across India and the world. Just write to zestcaste@yahoogroups.com
TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP:-
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to ZESTCaste-subscribe@yahoogroups.com OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join/
Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ZESTCaste-digest@yahoogroups.com
ZESTCaste-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ZESTCaste-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
No comments:
Post a Comment