Interfaith dialogues and Inculturation: The real face of the Church

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by Thamizhchelvan

on 10 Dec 2011

The Church itself provides ample evidence of its true face as one of the most barbarous persecutors in the world. Everywhere that it invaded, it persecuted the natives and destroyed their culture, converted them and christianised the entire land. Christian Clergy world over has an ugly track record of child abuse, sodomy, rape, and what not. Their sex crimes date back officially to Didache [2nd century AD] which instructs, “Thou shalt not seduce young boys!” (1)

A few snapshots are in order:

- January 2002 - Roman Catholic priest JohnGeoghan was defrocked after he was found guilty of indecent assault and battery

- 29 April 2002 - Cardinal Law of Bostonadmitted he allowed a pedophile priest to continue serving within the church

- 2 May 2002 - Retired Catholic priest Paul Shanley arrested for child rape

- 25 May 2002 - Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland resigned after acknowledging that his archdiocese paid $450,000 to settle a claim of sexual assault against him

- 2005 – US Diocese spent $467 million on legal settlement with sex abuse victims

- 28 July 2006 - Simon Thomas, paedophile church minister in Britain, jailed for life

One website provides information of Clergy Abuse over the years, another maintains a database of accused priests. The shocking details they document are damning proof of the stink surrounding the Church and Christianity. Even Popes John Paul and Benedict XVI played a role in covering up the clergy’s misdeeds. (2)

Pope John Paul II protected Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer who abused an estimated 2,000 boys for decades with impunity. He failed to encourage bishops to report accusations of paedophilia by priests to the police; ignored accusations against senior members of the clergy, at times promoting them to higher office; allowed priests accused of paedophilia to be transferred to a new diocese without anyone being warned of their record. He also decreed “pontifical secrecy” must apply to cases of sexual abuse in church trials. (3) The incumbent Pope is also accused of inaction and cover-up when he was archbishop of Munich or as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer. (4)

Papal apologies

As the sordid history of child sex abuse was exposed across the world, the Pope was forced to tender apologies everywhere he went. But Papal arrogance and contempt for victims was visible when he equated their sufferings with the “sufferings” of Jesus. On 21 March 2010, apologizing at a Sunday Mass at Ireland, Pope Benedict XVI said, “It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. I appeal to you to find hope and healing in knowing that Jesus was also a victim of sin and close to you in their suffering.” (5)

Though he admonished the priests of Ireland’s Catholic Church for their sins, the government of Ireland was not convinced and broke off diplomatic relations with the Vatican. The Prime Minister of Ireland complained, “Rome is stonewalling, if not obstructing, official enquiries into the abuse which went on as late as 2009. The Church is guilty of dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism.” (6)

On 18 Sept. 2010, amidst huge protests in London, the Pope apologized at a solemn Catholic service in Westminster Cathedral. But his leadership itself was questioned by the representative of the victims. In response to this latest papal denunciation of abuse, Peter Isely of Milwaukee of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said: “Why, if the pope feels so much remorse, won’t he take action? As Pope, he’s removed two paedophile priests and demoted no corrupt bishops. He’s disclosed not one document about the cover up. He’s backed not one secular law that better safeguards kids. He’s not defrocked a single bishop who secretly moved known predators. Showing remorse isn’t leadership. Taking decisive action is leadership.” (7)

Again on 19 July 2011, faced with continuing sexual abuse scandals across Europe and the United States, Pope tendered another apology to “all those beautiful precious little children” who suffered at the hands of paedophiles in the Catholic Church. Yet even while tendering the apology, the Pope kept “smiling” and said, “We must never allow this to happen again,” he continued, “no matter how enchanting we find their playful little smiles.”

Enraged by his “smiling” arrogance, the victims said, “We felt a bit freaked out by the way the Pope kept smiling at us. Words are not enough; we need the Church to act so that child abusers are punished.” (8)

The anniversary of an apology

Three years ago, the Canadian government apologized to the survivors of “Indian Residential Schools” for the “death & abuse” caused by the Catholic, United and Anglican Church authorities since the early 19th century. Troy Media reported, “From 1831 to 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children were taken from their communities and sent to one of the 130 federally-funded boarding schools administered by Catholic, United and Anglican Church authorities. The record of death and abuse in these schools is well documented. As early as 1909 Dr. Peter Bryce reported that mortality rates at residential schools in Western Canada ranged from 30 to 60 per cent. Over time, more than 12,000 individual allegations of physical and sexual abuse were brought to Canada’s courts.”

Survivors of these residential schools lament most the loss of language, cultural traditions and the spirituality that was once the life blood of their communities. Despite the government’s attempt at reconciliation, non-aboriginals maintain a racist attitude. (9)

Catholic act of Stealing Babies

Last month, the BBC produced a damning documentary titled, “Spain’s stolen Babies” exposing the ugly (50-year) scandal of “baby-trafficking” by the Catholic Church in Spain. Investigations show that up to 300,000 Spanish babies were stolen from their parents and sold for adoption over a period of five decades, and that the children were trafficked by a secret network of doctors, nurses, priests and nuns in a widespread practice that began during General Franco’s dictatorship and continued until the early 1990s.

The mothers were told their babies were stillborn or died soon after birth, and that they could not see the body of the infants. They were not even allowed to attend the “funeral”. In reality, the babies were sold to those faithful to the Church. Documents were forged to include the adopted parents’ names. (10)

The “Xian Tradition” in India

The Church in India is no way better. Despite connivance of “secular” governments run by “secular” political parties and attempts by “secular” media to hide the ugly stories from public eye, several cases come out in the open and expose the culpability of the padires and nuns.

The Church operates through well-networked groups of NGOs and so-called “Children Homes” and “Adoption Agencies”. The individual traffickers associated with these NGOs masquerade as evangelists and missionaries. Citing a few cases may be in order.

In January 2010, 76 abused and malnourished children from Manipur (54 kids) and Assam (22 kids) were rescued from Bethedsa Blessing Home in Kanyakumari, run by Pastor Shaji. At the same time, 16 more children from Manipur were rescued from Reach Home Children Foundation in Mogappair, Chennai. They were found to be terribly abused and malnourished with severe attack of scabies. (11)

The traffickers promise the poor parents in insurgency-hit areas that they would give their children the best education with food and a good environment, in Tamil Nadu. The Times of India, 26 January 2010, reported: “While 1,096 children’s homes, housing 3.5 lakh children, are registered in the state, almost an equal number operate without registration, evading government scrutiny. The children aged six to 15 are kept in pathetic conditions and are often made to do jobs like carpentry, cooking and laundry. There have even been cases of children dying under suspicious circumstances and some being molested and abused.”

Incidentally, a majority of homes charged with trafficking are run by missionaries or evangelical societies. The present case is only the tip of a vast network, which receives crores of rupees from churches and agencies abroad by showing a large number of children under their “care”. (12)

A former nun, Florence Mary, who wanted to pursue her studies (MA Music) in 2006, was repeatedly raped by a Jesuit Priest Fr. R. Rajarathinam, the Principal of St. Joseph’s College in Thiruchy, Tamil Nadu,). He allegedly gave the lady a cool-drink laced with drugs and raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she revealed it. Taking advantage of her fear, he abused her repeatedly and forced her to undergo abortion when she became pregnant in 2008. Three other padires, Fr. Devadoss, Fr. Xavier Francis and Fr. Xavier, were also accused of conniving with Fr. Rajarathinam to silence Florence Mary. The latter got acquainted with Mary during his frequent visits to Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, where she was studying MA Music. Though he obtained bail from the High Court, the Supreme Court admitted Mary’s petition and directed him to reply within four weeks why his bail should not be cancelled. (13)

In September 2011, 33 children including 10 girls in the age group of 10 to 18 years, were rescued from an orphanage named the Grail Trust, patronized by a British national, Jonathan Robinson. Investigations revealed that Jonathan Robinson is a paedophile who made frequent visits to the home and sexually abused many children. British paedophile Duncan Grant, convicted by the Supreme Court along with another British paedophile Alan John Waters in March 2011 for 6 years for sexually abusing boys in an orphanage in Mumbai, is also believed to have visited this Grail Trust. (14)

The same month, 42 girl children including 23 from Nepal, were rescued from Michael Job Orphanage in Sulur near Coimbatore. Though the orphanage had a valid licence, it simply admitted the girls without checking the veracity of the claims made by the “social welfare organizations” which brought the “orphaned” girls. (15) The orphanage, in its website, claims that the girls were daughters of martyred and persecuted Christians. The truth is that this is actually a huge evangelical institution running a Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Arts & Science College and a B. Ed College, blatantly indulging in conversions also. The Founder Chairman P.P. Job is a self styled evangelist indulging in illegal conversion activities. (16)

In November 2006, a Hindu girl, Sukanya, studying in the 12th standard in Fathima Higher Secondary School in Omalur, near Salem, was found floating dead in the school’s well. The school claimed she committed suicide on scoring low marks. But a few more girls before Sukanya had committed suicide in the same school, which came to light after Sukanya’s death. Initially the police accepted the school’s story, but public pressure resulted in CB CID investigation. The State Minority Commission submitted a report to the then DMK government attesting to the version of the school authorities. But during the investigation, 8 suspects including a friend of a priest-teacher were identified as accused. Liquor bottles, used and unused condoms and broken pieces of bangles were found in the school. In November 2010 their DNA samples were sent for clinical analysis to find out if they matched with the spermatozoa taken from the vaginal swab of the girl in 2006. Even after one year, the result is yet to come! (17)

In September 2011, Ms. Lasi Bosco, Principal of AKT Matriculation School in Kallakurichi, near Villupuram, was arrested along with another teacher, Ms. Boshiya, for sexually abusing a four year old girl child. (18)

In July 2010, one Justine running Arumai Packiam Manuel Orphanage was arrested for indulging in homosexuality and voyeurism while orphanage girls were bathing, besides involving those kids in begging. His orphanage in Kanyakumari was raided by officers from the Child Welfare Committee and Social Welfare Department, and 18 girls and 14 boys rescued. (19)

Such ugly episodes of the Catholic way of living are aplenty in India, a la Europe and America.

Just two years ago, Dr. Sister Jesme Raphel shocked the Catholic Church by exposing all the ugly sexual abuses perpetrated on her by the clergy through her explosive book “Amen”. Close on her heels, ex-Vincentian Catholic Priest K.P. Shibu came out with his own experiences of homosexuality at seminaries, sexual misconducts of clergy, ugly approach of superiors and looting of money in his book “Here is the heart of a Priest.” It was an elaborate account of his 24 years in the Catholic Vincentian congregation.

His remarks about Jana Deepa Vidyapeeth are important and revealing in the sense that this was where the recent Hindu-Christian Dialogue took place. K.P. Shibu says he was sexually abused by senior seminarians in JDV, “Homosexual relations were rampant in seminaries. The victims had to suffer silently. If they complain…, both the accused and the victim would be shown the door. Hence, succumbing to the urges of the seniors was the only option…”

“During pastoral work, the seminarians used to travel on cycles. While moving around on a cycle, seminarians made a point to give lift to children. They (children) would be asked to tightly embrace the riding seminarian. Such acts were done with deliberate sexual intention,” he alleges
in the book. “There had been incidents of senior seminarians pretending as priests and hearing confessions.” (20)

Giving away children in adoption illegally is yet another Xian tradition followed religiously in India. Some NGOs indulge in illegal adoption rackets by giving children in adoption to foreigners quite often. Most cases deliberately escape the attention of the authorities.

A famous NGO, Guild of Service, was caught on the wrong foot by the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Department in November 2011. Between 2006 and 2010, this high profile NGO gave 202 children in adoption, including 54 to foreign countries, violating all rules, after receiving huge money as donation. The mandatory NOC was not obtained from the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), the authorized apex body. Founded by a group of British women in Chennai in 1923, it came under the control of a high profile lady, Mary Clubwallah Jadhav. It has many branches across the country and claims to serve for empowerment of marginalized women and children. (21)

Its Delhi unit has some very high profile women on its board with connections with high-placed government personalities. Though the Delhi and Chennai units have different URLs for their websites (http://www.guildofservice.org and http://www.guildofservicecentral.org), they have the same Emblem (Logo). The high profile Delhi unit cannot wash its hands off its Chennai unit, especially on the issue of the adoption racket which has come to light.

What is disgusting is the fact that while 4000 childless couples are waiting in Tamil Nadu for months in queue to get a child in adoption, this NGO had sold children abroad after collecting huge sums/donations. It is alleged that such NGOs have connections with many hospitals, which reminds us of the Spanish racket exposed by BBC. (22)

Even while writing this column, Sri Lankan media reported that a Matron (Sr. Mary Eliza), from Mother Teresa’s Missionary Sisters of Charity Home, Prem Nivasa, in Moratuwa, was arrested for alleged sale of children. (23) So much for the Catholic way of serving the children cause!

The flow of money

Trafficking and sexual abuse of children, kidnapping, rape, sexual misconduct of padires and nuns, looting of money, and the ever profitable business of conversions, have become the norm today. Despite all these shameless shenanigans, Churches in India get huge money from Western countries. Thousands of dollars flow into the coffers of thousands of NGOs and phony organizations to achieve the Church’s twin-objective of destroying the great cultural heritage of India and christianizing it.

Financial Expert and columnist, Prof. R. Vaidyanathan who has closely observed the money-spinning world of foreign-funded NGOs, says:

“I have tried unsuccessfully to get the annual reports including annual accounts from the website of the top 25 recipients (NGOs), many of whom are often mentioned or quoted in newspapers and TV channels and stress the importance of “transparency” in the functioning of the government. Many do not have any information in their websites. Some of their websites contain all razzmatazz but nothing on finances…

Given the declaration by various Evangelical groups in the USA and Europe that Asia is the next major place to “harvest souls” and “plant the churches” India should exercise caution in allowing foreign funding of these groups. They affect social harmony and foment communal disturbances by their conversion activities in small towns and tribal India. (24)

Financial expert and researcher Sanjiv Nayyar says that leading donor countries [US, Germany, UK, Italy etc] have between 2002-03 and 2008-09, pumped in Rs.34.33 Billion [US], Rs.11.30 bn [UK], Rs.11.03 bn [Germany], Rs. 5.47 bn [Italy], Rs 5.13 bn [Netherlands] and Rs 4.37 bn [Spain]. Obviously, these funds are purely for proselytizing activities in the name of educational and medical services.

For instance, in a single year, World Vision International, USA pumped in Rs. 706 crores out of which World Vision International of Tamil Nadu received Rs. 192 crores. Gospel for Asia Inc, USA donated Rs.596 crores, Fundacion Vicente Ferrer, Barcelona, Spain gave Rs. 459 crores, Christian Children Fund, USA sent Rs.197 crores, etc.

The advent of the UPA, with an Italian at the helm, saw an alarming rise in the receipt of foreign funds; Tamil Nadu tops the line with Rs.1650 crores in 2008-09 as compared to Rs.775 crores in 2002-03. Next, Andhra Pradesh got Rs.1244 crores and Karnataka Rs.1009 crores and Kerala Rs.991 crores. In all, registered NGOs, mostly Christian, received over Rs.10,000 crores in 2008-09, a 12% increase over 2007-08. These are only the official figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs; then there is unofficial money through hawala... (25)

Columnist Anuradha Dutt observes, “Foreign influence pervades the Government and the NGOs that are dependant on external funds for their projects. Because of their money-power, foreign funding organisations command an influence in finalising the agenda of sovereign nations.”Referring to Graham Hancock’s path breaking book, “Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business”, 1989, Dutt notes, “the book bared the truth about the vicious cycle of international aid/funding and consequent dependency and indebtedness of emerging nations. It ensures that poverty is never dispelled though billions of dollars are ostensibly poured into the charade of dispelling it. A sinister spin-off is insurgency, rebellion and regime changes at the behest of alien forces.” (26)

Ironically, many members of Sonia Gandhi’s NAC and Team Anna have been recipients of rich foreign funding, recognition and awards. In a masterly work, “NGOs, Activists and Foreign Funds; Anti-Nation Industry,” Krishen Kak and Radha Rajan marshaled a wealth of information to expose the political and anti-nation agenda of some well-known NGOs and activists, their foreign sponsorships, donors and funds, and their sheer lack of public accountability. They stressed the urgent need for a mechanism to counter this anti-nation industry. It is only now that the government is beginning to stir. (27)

The Reality

Too many Christians are allowed by the Secular State to serve their religion at the cost of the nation. A classic example is IAS Officer Uma Shankar from Tamil Nadu. In July 2010, he was suspended by the then DMK government for producing a fake caste certificate to join the IAS.

When reinstated in September 2010, he told the media, “All my 11 siblings have all along remained Hindus. But my mother named me Ashok and got it recorded in my SSLC book that I was a Christian Pallar. My father was agitated over that and there used to be a lot of violence at home. Finally, when I was doing my final year in college, my father got me officially converted to Hinduism, changed my name to Uma Shankar and also got it notified in the government gazette.” He added, “My community certificate was verified by state government officials twice, based on a request from the Union Public Service Commission in 1990. On the government’s instruction, the Tirunelveli collector had once again summoned me for yet another inquiry about the community certificate, but the state government has no locus standi to initiate such an inquiry when my employer was the UPSC or the central government. Let me make it clear now. For the past two years, I am a practising Christian. However, I have not changed my religion
legally.” (28)

Speaking to the media in Thirunelveli on 21 September 2010 on the issue of reservation for dalit Christians, he advised Hindu Dalits to convert to Christianity personally and remain as Hindus officially (legally), to enjoy reservation benefits. “I have been a Christian for the past two years. However, while joining the service, I was a dalit Hindu,” he boasted. He urged the dalits to go out of the Hindu fold, that “promotes untouchability”, but be careful not to mention this in their certificates. “Be baptised but don’t get the certificate. Go to churches of your choice but don’t sign in the church records.” Mr. Umashankar called for a constitutional amendment to extend benefits to dalits Christians. (29)

When AIADMK came to power, he gave an interview to a Tamil weekly, “I believe in Jesus… Jesus told me that DMK would bite the dust in the elections… Within days of my suspension Jayalalithaa issued a press statement in my support. Then itself I knew that Jesus had blessed her to be the next Chief Minister...” (30)

When Jayalalithaa appointed him Managing Director of Co-optex in June 2011, he ordered the removal of pictures of Hindu deities from the office complex. When he attempted to do the same in the showrooms, public anger forced Jayalalithaa to shift him from Co-optex. (31) Of late, he takes part in evangelical congregations. On 1 Oct. 2011, he addressed a congregation organized by evangelist S. Thangasami of Berachah Prophetic Ministries in Ambattur, in his ‘personal’ capacity, whatever that means.

In all the four pillars of democracy, such persons serving a religious imperialism can be found. They do not serve the nation. They support insurgency; collude with Maoists and separatists; and fund organisations and individual persons who act against the nation. Both Islam and Christianity are out to convert the entire world to their respective religion. They do not believe in the sacred concept of “Mother Nation”. Only followers of Sanatana Dharma worship their bhumi, their nation, their territory. Only dharmis serve the nation. Those who are out to destroy others can never be dharmic.

Conclusion

We are thus witnessing a classic conflict between those who want to invade the religion and culture of the nation, and those who want to protect it. Time is running out, and we need to put in place some urgent measures, if we are to save the nation.

- Religious conversions must be stopped with an Anti Conversion Law. Foreign tourists who indulge in conversion activities must be punished with jail sentences and deported after serving the sentence, and never given visas again.

- Inculturation activities must be stopped; Church must not be allowed to use any term or ritual which resembles, even remotely, Hinduism. Government must punish violators.

- All NGOs must be screened; Government must stop inflow of foreign money. NGOs indulging in conversion activities, child trafficking, child abuse, inculturation, etc., must be brought to book and their licences cancelled.

- Places of worship must be proportionate to the population of respective religionists, and no new places of worship must be allowed to be constructed where there is none/negligible population of the respective religionists.

- One religious place must not be constructed in the vicinity of another religious place.

- No political activity must be allowed inside a place of worship.

- Hate literatures must not be printed and circulated. Defaulters must be severely punished.

- Dubious writings in the name of “comparative theology” must be banned.

- Preaching and propagation must be restricted within the campuses of respective religious places and not allowed in public places. Freedom of religion to preach and propagate is not freedom to convert.

Can Christians dialogue with Hindus on such terms? They cannot face such conditions. That is why they didn’t revisit the Kanchi Acharya after June 2009.

What the Vatican is trying to do in India is simply invasion through the twin strategies of “Interfaith Dialogues” and “Inculturation”. The Congress led UPA government facilitates it by allowing the mushrooming of Christian NGOs and inflow of foreign funds to them. Pseudo Secular political parties turn a blind eye to the machinations of the Church for the sake of votebanks. The foreign controlled secular and slavish media connives with the Church and its devious agenda.

Hindus will now have to be proactive, alert and aggressive and expose these shameless shenanigans. Instead of wasting time on inter-faith jamborees, Hindu religious leaders must negotiate with government; with jati leaders to solve inter-caste issues; to state governments to solve inter-state issues like Cauvery and Mullaperiyar. They must be in regular touch with the common people to stress the importance of unity among Hindus across caste and linguistic lines. Once unity is achieved, everything will fall in place.

Enough of inter-faith farce; it’s time for action within!

References

1. http://www.clergyabuseaustralia.org/litrefs.htm

2. http://www.rickross.com/groups/clergy.html and

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp?op=assignments

3. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-04/uk/
28124994_1_sexual-abuse-boys-pontiff

4. http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/richard_dawkins/2010/03/
ratzinger_is_the_perfect_pope.html

5. http://www.christianpost.com/news/pope-apologises-for-catholic-church-s-failure-over
-child-abuse-44398/

6. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/article2605127.ece?css=print

7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/18/pope-apologises-clerical-child-sex-abuse

8. http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/
UnNews:Pope_makes_creepy_apology_to_child-abuse_victims

9. http://www.troymedia.com/2011/06/08/more-canadians-need-to-know-about-
our-dark-chapter-of-residential-schools/