Indian Catholic bishops’ president urges faith through justice, service [Video]

HYDERABAD, Telangana (Indian Catholic News) — The head of the Catholic Church in India’s urged Christians to move beyond private expressions of faith and actively defend human dignity, saying authentic Christian witness must be reflected through compassion, justice, service and social reform.

Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, delivered the message July 3 as Christians across the country marked Indian Christian Day, celebrated annually on the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle.

The observance, launched in 2021 as a people’s movement, commemorates the arrival and witness of St. Thomas in India while celebrating the country’s long Christian heritage. Organizers have designated 2021-2030 as a decade of celebrations leading toward the 2,000th anniversary of the early ministry of Jesus.

This year’s theme, “Celebrate Christian contribution to human dignity, social justice and reform,” calls believers to examine whether their faith promotes dignity, justice and meaningful social change, Cardinal Poola said.

Learning from St. Thomas

Drawing on three Gospel accounts of St. Thomas, the cardinal said the apostle’s life offers a model for Christians confronting today’s challenges.

Cardinal Poola pointed to St. Thomas’ readiness to follow Jesus to Judea after the death of Lazarus, recalling his words, “Let us also go that we may die with him.”

The cardinal said, “Christian commitment to dignity and justice also demands courage. We cannot remain silent when people are humiliated, excluded, exploited, or denied their rights.”

He said St. Thomas’ question to Jesus during the Last Supper — “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” — also demonstrates the importance of seeking truth. Christian institutions involved in education, health care and social services, he said, should help people live “with freedom, truth, and dignity.”

Cardinal Poola also reflected on St. Thomas’ encounter with the risen Christ — “My Lord and my God” — saying Christians today discover Christ in people who suffer.

“Today too we encounter Christ in the wounds of humanity—in the poor, the oppressed, women and children who suffer violence, migrants, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and those excluded by caste or social prejudice,” he said.

The cardinal added that “Faith becomes real when it touches wounds and works for healing.”

Human dignity in a changing world

Referring to Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Cardinal Poola said every human being possesses inherent dignity and that society’s institutions must always serve the human person rather than economic or technological interests.

He warned that rapid advances in artificial intelligence, widening economic inequality and political conflict present new ethical challenges, insisting that technology should never reduce people to “data, labour, profit, social status, or usefulness.”

Calling for a renewed public witness, Cardinal Poola said Christians must allow their beliefs to shape their actions. “Faith cannot remain only in prayers, festivals, buildings, or private devotion. It must become compassion, justice, service, and reform,” he said.

He urged Christian institutions to become places “of welcome and equality” while encouraging families and communities to reject discrimination, violence, corruption and indifference.

Cardinal Poola described Indian Christian Day as both a celebration of Christians’ contributions to education, health care and social transformation and a reminder of their continuing responsibility.

“Like St. Thomas, let us walk courageously with Jesus, ask honest questions, touch the wounds of humanity, and confess our faith through action,” he said.

The cardinal concluded by saying Christians are called to proclaim through both “words and works” that every human person is precious in God’s sight, describing that mission as the responsibility of believers in India today.