[A critique on Abp Pakiam's Pastoral Letter No. 001/2013/CL Dated 08.02.2013 titled “Thabasukaalam 2013” with a note to be read during Mass on 17th, I Sunday of Lent.]
At long last, you have come out with the tip of the berg! It is indeed a good sign to begin with the Lent. It is ‘better to be late than never!’ While appreciating this good gesture, I would like to comment on some of your points.
The letter states rightly that ‘a disciple is one who values Jesus more than anything.’ But the question is: Who is this Jesus? Matthew 25:40 and 45 identifies the ‘son of man’/’king’ with the ‘least of his brethren’. Is he/she not the ‘anawim’ of Yahweh, those denied of justice?
You ‘being content with what one has’ could be interpreted conveniently! The so-called ‘rich’ would mean this to be the meager ‘left over’ after their avaricious grabbing. Here, it is good to remember what Gandhiji seems to have said: ‘There is enough for everyone’s need but not to anyone’s greed!’ Birds seem to be contended as they are not denied of their due like some unfortunate humans by the avaricious ones. Jesus taught us to ‘pray for our daily bread’ and not to be anxious of tomorrow. Praying could also mean laboring and daily bread, the necessities of everyday life like clothing and shelter. Love also means caring and sharing. Bread is to be broken and shared with the hungry.
You have presented the national data on BPL, ill-fed children, illiteracy aggravated by inadequate educational infrastructure, people devoid of shelter and other basic amenities, besides potable water, poor health and hygiene paving way for contagious disease and so on. But what are the situation in our archdiocese in this year of Platinum Jubilee and Synod? As you have rightly observed Trivandrum district, mostly the coastal regions where our people are crowded, is one of the two districts pointed out as the most backward, especially in education and health and hygiene. Recent reports on ‘public defecation’ in the said area are really a shame for all of us!
These people were under the stewardship of the church since the time of Francis Xavier and especially our diocese/archdiocese! What have we really done? Could we not have made them a ‘self-esteemed’ people at least, leave alone everything else? If only we had the determination to do so would have certainly worked wonders. Have we not had our share in the exploitation of our people in the manner of the very shepherd becoming a thief, if not a butcher himself!
You seem to refer to ‘resourceful’ people keeping aloof of the church! As long as we don’t take them into confidence and entrust them with responsibilities, this sad situation may unfortunately continue.
You may present the detailed accounts to the ‘responsible’ bodies, if you prefer so, though such bodies are not without qualifications. They seemingly don’t have any loyalty to anyone or anything than to you who have appointed them. It would be preferable to have bodies like the CAG of the Central Government which is a Constitutional and autonomous body having no ‘loyalty’ to any individual or group whatever be his/her/its status or sanctity. All should ultimately be responsible to the people than to anyone else.
Contrary to your seeming perception, transparency and accountability would certainly make you really and morally stronger. Your intervention, when the integrity of your lieutenants is in question, normally sends wrong signals and facilitate the tainted ones go goat free. When a good number of our people lack miserably many of the necessities of life, the responsible ones should be scrupulously clean, especially in money matters.
As your statements show almost 20% of the `20 crores, that is nearly `4 crores, was seemingly spend miscellaneously! It is gross irresponsibility, if not outrageous, to the core! The shocking revelation that a nominal 2.81% alone was spent on education doesn’t tally with the claim of 29% of the archdiocesan receipts were spent on the same. However, most of our schools are without necessary infrastructure still when crores are squandered on churches, shrines and rectories!
No money transaction be done without proper documentary acknowledgement. Even the offering box money should be acknowledged besides the auctioning of the offertory materials. No one would believe that our priests would take this seriously. One wonders as to how priests manage cars and wear gold ornaments in the pretext of Rosary and gifts besides all sorts of cell phones and other electronic gadgets.
Every celebration, to be meaningful, should be accompanied by corresponding projects like home for the homeless and marrying the really poor girls, educating a deserving student and so on. Dowry system in any form should be abolished taking all assistance from the available laws of the land. No trading whatsoever with Mass stipends, if it can’t be abolished for good. We should be models of simple and contended living. Let us concentrate the most on our being than having…
Any default by anyone, especially a priest, should be properly and exemplarily be compensated, if not fined. Why not priests come out declaring their assets? Priests should always stand free of financial liabilities, especially the ones from the celebration of their ordination, jubilee and so on.
Last, but not the least, let us pay our workers justly and grant them necessary rest and leave besides provide them with safe working conditions?
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