Indian Catholic Forum examines faith, society and service

KOCHI, Kerala (Indian Catholic News) — Speakers at the Indian Catholic Forum gathering urged Catholics to integrate faith into business, public service and social engagement while addressing challenges facing youth, Church leadership and secularism in India.

The Indian Catholic Forum organized a discernment meeting on “A Synodal Church and Secular Society” on Oct. 11-12 at the Cardinal Parecattil Renewal Centre in Kochi, Kerala.

The meeting brought together 38 participants from across India and featured discussions on business ethics, public service, youth ministry, women’s roles in the Church and the future of secularism.

Faith and business

Blaise Costabir, an industrialist from Goa, addressed the question of whether Catholics can succeed in business while remaining faithful to Christian values.

He said commercial life often brings people “too close to money, power and compromises.”

Reflecting on his professional journey, Costabir said he adopted clear ethical principles: “no bribes; pay suppliers on time; pay employees on time; and do not engage in off-the-books transactions.”

Following what he described as a personal turning point in 2013, Costabir said he came to see that while profit is necessary, “business itself can become a meaningful expression of Christian faith.”

He argued that entrepreneurship is a vocation, saying “business can be more than a means of earning a living. Lived with integrity, responsibility, and faith, it can become a vocation.”

Witness through public service

Kuruvilla Thomas, a senior bureaucrat, told participants that Christian public officials are called to bring their faith into their professional lives.

He said their “faith should not remain confined to personal prayer or Sunday worship.”

Thomas urged officials to regard positions of authority “not as a privilege but as an opportunity to serve people.”

Integrity and humility remain essential in public life, he said, citing the need to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

He also stressed concern for marginalized communities and fairness in difficult decisions. The most powerful witness, he said, is personal character, reminding participants: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Concerns over youth ministry and Church life

Chhotebhai, convenor of the Indian Catholic Forum, criticized what he described as the Church’s inadequate engagement with young adults.

He said Church leaders continue to “treat youth as overgrown children,” relying on activities that fail to address deeper questions of faith and formation.

As a result, he argued, faith development often remains immature.

Addressing younger generations requires fresh approaches because “new wine requires new wineskins,” he said.

Rather than offering distractions, Church leaders should provide adult catechesis and accompany young people through a “crucible of suffering,” he added.

Debate on women and secularism

S. John Bosco, a disciple of the late Swami Amalorpavadas, discussed ongoing debates about women’s roles in the Church, including the question, “Can women also be ordained as priests?”

Bosco noted that Scripture describes Phoebe as a “deacon” and Junia as “prominent among the apostles.”

He said Catholic tradition is “the living heritage of Divine Revelation” and distinguished permanent doctrines from “changeable disciplinary practices.”

As Church leaders respond to pastoral challenges, including shortages of clergy in some regions, Bosco said they must consider whether “Should the Church preserve laws, or should it preserve the spiritual life of the people?”

A.C. Michael, former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission, addressed the condition of secularism in India.

Despite political pressures, he said secularism is “NOT dead in our country despite some people wanting it to be dead.”

Michael criticized developments he said challenge constitutional protections and religious freedom. He also highlighted the exclusion of Dalit Christians from Scheduled Caste welfare benefits under the 1950 Presidential Order.

While legal challenges remain pending before India’s Supreme Court, he said “Nearly 70 to 75% of the Indian population still believes in secularism.”

The Indian Catholic Forum describes itself as a “loose knit forum of likeminded persons committed to a Synodal Church and Secular Society.” It said it operates without membership fees, a bank account or fixed assets, and has previously gathered in Kolkata in 2019 and Varanasi in 2023.

Read the full text of the talks:

Can Catholics Do Business? From Ethical Conduct to Business as a Vocation (By Blaise Costabir)

Christian Officers as Witnesses of God Through Good Deeds (By Kuruvilla Thomas)

Youth Ministry – Today’s Challenges (By chhotebhai)

Can Women Also Be Ordained as Priests? (By S. John Bosco)

Is Secularism Dead? (By A.C. Michael)