“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6: 8)
Christmas is a time for celebration, but it is also a time for renewing our commitment to the vision of a new social order founded on justice, equality, peace, and freedom, announced by the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christ child, born in a humble stable – the son of Mary, a simple woman and Joseph, a carpenter – was a clarion call to the world to work for justice and peace in a world torn apart by greed and violence.
India has in its recent history seen an increase in violence targeted at minorities, mainly Christians and Muslims. The country is overrun by the “sinister phenomenon of violence” and “targeted hate speech” (as Archbishop Peter Machado describes it). It is against this backdrop that the Christmas celebration – 2023, at the Prime Minister’s residence, to which a select number of Christian leaders were invited as representatives of the Christian community in India, raises critical questions. We, a group of Indian Christians committed to justice, peace and to upholding democratic values in India, wish to express our disappointment that the leaders who participated in this event did not take it as an opportunity to raise these important concerns. While the Prime Minister had the forthcoming elections in mind when lauding the contributions of the Christian community in the fields of education, health and social service, the Christian leaders chose to respond in the same vein, glorifying the Prime Minister’s leadership and for all he was doing for Christians in India.
We are shocked that they failed to raise the issue of the carnage in Manipur, and the impunity enjoyed by some political leaders who are responsible for letting this violence persist, as also other violations of the Constitution of India in different parts of the country. The discontent of the Christian community about the increasing instances of hate speech against Christians and other minorities, the attacks on churches and Christian institutions (over 600 in 2023 as per some newspaper reports) and the promulgation of anti-conversion laws in more and more states that has led to the deprivation of the rights of Christians, should have been their concerns as they met the Prime Minister. They could have asserted that the vision of building an inclusive India founded on justice and equality does not relate to the ground realities where minorities live in fear; and where Dalit Christians and Muslims are denied their rights.
The 2023 Christmas event is not the first time the Indian church leaders have pandered after the political rulers. There have been several instances over the last year when the churches have toed the dictates of the rulers. The fear of losing their FCRA status and the angst to be safe from the detecting antenna of the ED seem to be the undercurrents silencing the Christian leadership in India from raising fundamental critical questions.
As we drafted this note, we received the statement of 3000+ Indian Christian leaders who dissociated themselves from the church leaders who met with the Prime Minister but failed to represent the concerns of their communities, and asserted that the meeting was “not in our name!” As Christians committed to justice, we endorse this statement and condemn the growing unholy nexus between political and religious leaders. We urge that as Christians we remain faithful and committed to the prophetic vision of Jesus Christ that all, especially the marginalised and the excluded, may have life with justice, dignity and freedom. This requires that the life-giving words enshrined in the Constitution of India become flesh in the socio religious, economic and political realities of our country and for this we will continue to strive.
Alemla Longchar, Annie Namala, Aruna Gnanadason, Deenabandhu Manchala, BishopGeevarghese Mor Coorilos, Inbaraj Jeyakumar, Joseph Prabhakar Dayam, Kochurani Abraham,Paul Divakar, Ramenglien Traite and Raynah Braganza Passanha.
On behalf of the Indian Christian Collective for Justice.
