Latin Bishops Chart a New Way of Being Church in India

The Latin-rite bishops of India have outlined a National Pastoral Plan aimed at renewing Church life through small Christian communities, deeper catechesis, meaningful liturgy, and greater lay participation in faith and service

MUMBAI, Maharashtra (Indian Catholic News — At the 23rd Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the Latin-rite bishops announced their decision to prepare a National Pastoral Plan to strengthen collaboration and pastoral renewal across dioceses. The assembly’s final statement, signed by Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay and CCBI President, said the bishops were “responding to the call of Vatican II for a renewed Church.”

The bishops affirmed that the Church in India “has recognised the need of expressing her identity and beliefs in a new way of being Church.” This new vision emphasises a community model of faith and participation. The document noted that “the Church has been successful in forming many Small Christian Communities which have helped build up parish communities.” These communities, it said, are “a sign of vitality within the Church, an instrument of formation and evangelisation and a solid starting point for a new society based on a civilisation of love.”

Strengthening the Profession of Faith

The bishops highlighted the urgent need for catechesis and renewal of faith in Indian families. “Though family ties remain fairly strong, contemporary divergent thinking on sexuality, marriage, divorce, contraception and abortion and the drastic decline in family prayer affect the faith life of our people,” the document said.

They warned against the “onslaught of the new religious movements which constantly seek to allure Catholics away from the Church to mushrooming sects or churches.” To counter this trend, the bishops urged “a comprehensive catechesis based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” adding that “the pressing need of the hour is to strengthen and nurture the faith through a well-formed family life, catechesis for all, training of catechists, better participation in the liturgy, study of the Word of God, and the formation of conscience.”

Meaningful Celebration of Liturgy

On worship and prayer life, the bishops expressed concern that “the liturgy is at times celebrated ritualistically and mechanically.” They reminded the faithful that “a meaningful celebration of liturgy can bring about a transformation in the life of the faithful, making them authentic disciples and credible witnesses of Jesus.”

Quoting Sacrosanctum Concilium, they affirmed that “the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows.” The bishops called for “celebrating what we believe and living what we celebrate,” stressing the need for the laity to be “catechised and trained to participate actively in the liturgy, especially by taking up ministries allotted to them.”

They further recommended that liturgical celebrations “reflect the life situations, important events and experiences of the faithful,” including special Eucharistic celebrations for “workers, youth, children and migrants.”

Service as Witness

The bishops acknowledged that the Church’s social and charitable services are highly valued in India. “We are appreciated for our immediate steps to respond to natural calamities, for our unbiased outreach to the poor, needy and vulnerable sections of society, and for the quality of our service,” the statement said.

However, they also recognised a growing perception that Church institutions risk being seen as “mere service providers rather than agents of transformation.” The bishops urged greater engagement with society, calling on the faithful to “reach out to business enterprises, governmental organisations, political and social institutions to demonstrate that spiritual and human values are essential for their functioning and growth.”

Citing Apostolicam Actuositatem, the bishops reminded the laity of their mission of “penetrating and perfecting the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel.”

Proclaiming the Faith

In the ministry of evangelisation, the bishops noted that the Church faces “a double challenge.” One, from within, is “a measure of apathy towards the proclamation of the Gospel due to lack of zeal and the influence of materialism, secularism, individualism and relativism.” The other stems from “the multi-religious, socio-political situation in India, where evangelisation is not always properly understood.”

They cautioned against discrimination within the Church itself, saying that “discrimination based on caste, gender and other divisions is a counter-witness to the Gospel.”

The bishops’ pastoral plan closes with a reaffirmation of the Church’s mission to renew faith and service in contemporary India. Cardinal Gracias, who signed on behalf of the bishops, affirmed that the CCBI remains “conscious of its identity as the Episcopal Conference of Bishops of the Church in India (Latin Rite)” and committed to “collaboration, co-operation and co-ordination in carrying out the mission entrusted to us.”

Source: National Pastoral Plan, Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), signed by Oswald Cardinal Gracias, President, CCBI, Dec. 8, 2013.