Editorial

The CBCI blinks yet again

Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 09-Apr-2025

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has yet again shown a lack of wisdom in making decisions on crucial matters, despite being regarded as a father figure by an estimated 23 million Catholics in this country. While the organization may dismiss some recent mistakes as "aberrations," they have already caused significant embarrassment to the Mother Church in this rapidly evolving socio-political landscape, where every development is scrutinized closely. The recent decision to support the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill 2025 was one of them, a decision that was untimely and one that defies the organization’s goal of fostering unity among diverse communities and promoting social justice and peace across the nation.

  One understands that the CBCI’s decision to mobilize support for the bill was triggered by an ongoing local issue in Kerala, where a section of the Catholic population are victims of a land dispute with the local Waqf Board. It believes that if the law is amended, it will help about 600 Christian families in North Kerala’s Munambam village, who live on land claimed by a Muslim charitable organization. If that was the case, the CBCI's decision to relegate itself to the status of the local bishops' council is questionable. Secondly, while the sympathy it showed to some suffering Catholics is appreciated, it was absurd that a pan-India organization decided to prioritize a local issue over an issue having far-reaching implications. Therefore, we cannot help but suspect that the decision was perhaps made with the intention of appeasing the ruling dispensation.  

In the past, too, there were instances where the organization faltered, and the consequences of which are still disturbing the Church as a community. For example, in 2023, when Manipur mayhem uprooted thousands of people, Christians and Hindus alike, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, in a video message, said what happened in Manipur was not a religious confrontation but a fight between two ‘tribal’ groups, without realizing that, besides other factors leading to the unprecedented mayhem, the term ‘tribal’ was the immediate flashpoint of the confrontation; therefore, naïve use of the term to describe the two warring communities could have embroiled him in some legal complications. This apart, the former president’s inaccurate remarks attracted significant attention, with BJP spokespersons and other opinion makers of the Sang Parivar liberally quoting him in all talk shows and discussions.

Again in 2024, when the Kutumba Surakshya Parishad (KSP), a fundamentalist organization based in Assam and an affiliate of the RSS, threatened to attack Christian institutes that displayed pictures of Christ and saints and also demanded that priests and nuns cease wearing cassocks and habits on school campuses, the CBCI reacted irresponsibly without proper understanding of regional compulsions. It issued 13-page directives, outlining dos and don'ts. Most regrettable among them were “need to respect all faith traditions without any discrimination,” “we should not force our religious traditions on students of other faiths,” “have a separate inter-religious prayer room (Sarvadharma Prarthanalay) on the school premises,” “celebrate all the important religious festivals,” etc., implying that the Catholic institutes were indeed converting students from other faiths on institution campuses as alleged. All that the CBCI served through these directives were the divisive forces, who gleefully claimed that what they were alleging, after all, stands vindicated. Priests and nuns in charge of these institutes were fuming only to be subdued by their oath of discipline and obedience.

Currently, the Catholic Church and Christians in general are dealing with more pressing issues. One among them is the move to resurrect a piece of legislation—the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1978, a law that has remained dormant for 46 years, which successive governments opted to sideline, recognizing its potential to disturb peace. The law specifically aims to prevent Christians from evangelizing and practicing their faith. We heard nothing from the CBCI while Christians in that state protested the controversial law. However, the CBCI quickly embraced the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill 2025 and decided to lobby in favor of it without adequately weighing its merits and demerits or considering the potential consequences it might have on the Christian community.  

It would be recalled that in November 2024, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court proposed a regulatory body to oversee church properties akin to temple boards and waqf boards for Hindus and Muslims. The proposal raised concerns within Christian circles, particularly the Catholic community. Today, the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill 2025 came with a suggestion to include at least two non-Muslim members in the board, though such an arrangement would mean nullifying provisions under Article 26 of the constitution. Yet, the CBCI considers it prudent to campaign in favor of the bill. 

The apex body, therefore, needs reminding that instances of several property-related disputes between church bodies in the country are indications of our houses not being in order. Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility of that judicial proposal becoming a reality. In other words, the lurking government regulatory men knocking on Christian doors are not far away. Moreover, even as the bill now moves from the parliament to the court, the demand by the divisive forces to enact a similar law for Christians is becoming louder. Will the betrayal of a fellow minority now prove to be costly for Christians? Only time will tell us.

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