By Mickey M.Marweiñ
This article is not about politics, society or the economy. It is a commentary on the history of the Catholic Church. In the beginning there was only one Christian Church under the leadership of the Pope, the successor of St. Peter the Apostle. It flourished and spread all over the world. The term ‘Catholic’ was first used in a letter by an early Christian martyr, Bishop Ignatius of Antioch. While on his way to martyrdom in Rome in 110 A.D he wrote, ‘Where Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church’. The word ‘Catholic’ means universal. From then on the Christian Church was called the Catholic Church because of it universality.
Before proceeding with this article I wish to clarify that I was born and raised a devout Catholic and I love my Church. The 2013 Peoples’ Magazine, Person of the Year, Pope Francis said “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its security.” Pope Francis’s words are not judgmental or satirical. He said it only to let people understand that the Roman Catholic Church has made many mistakes and continues to err even now; that it has it’s own weaknesses and imperfections because it is an institution comprising of human beings, and logically speaking, no man is perfect. But in spite of all the imperfections the true goal of the church is to spread the Gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ. And the contributions which the church has made for betterment of the society in the field of Education, Sports, Health, Tourism, Media, Art, Culture, Music, Farming, Philosophy and Theology etc is phenomenal.
There are many religious congregations founded by the Catholic Church which have done commendable work in setting up schools, dispensaries and lending a hand to the poor in villages where the Government does not reach. Coming from Nongstoiñ, West Khasi Hills, I have seen villages being transformed after the coming of the Diocese under the brilliant leadership of Bishop Victor Lyngdoh. Also let’s not forget Mother Teresa who gave her life for our country.
The famous movie ‘Spotlight’ which bagged the best picture and best original screen play at the 88th Oscar Academy Awards is genuinely one of the best movies ever. Spotlight – written by Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer is an American crime drama movie based on actual events in which an investigative team of journalists of The Boston Globe Newspaper investigated cases of widespread child abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston by a Roman Catholic Priest, John Geoghan. He was imprisoned and murdered therein by his fellow inmates. The movie also shows the cover up attempts by higher-ups in the church for fear of losing public trust. No doubt the movie has a message. Producer Michael Sugar in his acceptance speech at the Oscars said, “The film gave a voice to survivors and the Oscar amplifies that voice which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to Vatican.” The film has indeed resonated with the whole world and specifically with Catholics. Even the Vatican did not condemn the movie.
The Catholic Church is one of the biggest churches in the world and priests take the vow of celibacy. This vow should be strictly adhered to and priests should not fool around with boys or girls. I am not being sarcastic but every institutions comprises of human beings who suffer from imperfections. It cannot be denied that there are priests with unsavoury characters in the church, but it is important to understand that the Church does not support such things and the present Pope is himself against those priests and the Bishops who protect them. They would be asked to resign if found supporting such evil after which the law would take its course.
The Vatican itself did not condemn the movie. However, if you have watched the movie with a weak faith you might perhaps be discouraged and hesitate to go to church henceforth. But as priests and bishops preach in their sermons, ‘Christians do not worship priests for they are pastors and not God.’ So we should not be discouraged by the acts of some mischievous church leaders and scumbags who take God’s name for granted.
On the positive side the movie should be seen as a wake- up call not only for the Catholic Church but for all people or organisations who commit crimes in the name of God. One should understand that if members of the Catholic Church are deviant it is inappropriate to blame the whole Church. For instance, just because some Hindu priests were accused of molesting children in temples it does not mean the Hindu religion and its teaching is faulty. Similarly, the Al-Qaeda, Taliban and now ISIS has caused havoc in the world and killed thousands of innocent people in the name of Allah but that does not imply that the Islam and its teachings promote such cruel crimes.
Going back to history, the Catholic Church in previous centuries was criticized for its theological and ecclesiological principles. The Protestant Reformation (16th century in Europe) started by Martin Luther, a German priest and one of the wisest theologians of the Catholic Church happened due to abuses by the church clergy in addition to theological disputes. Political disputes compounded the theological divide between Protestants and Catholics and to this day the debate begun at the Reformation is evident from the number of Christian denominations that have taken birth. Some contemporary criticisms of the Catholic Church relate to philosophy and culture e:g Christianity versus Humanism.
From time to time the Church has tried to correct itself, beginning with financial accountability of the Vatican, the life style of priests, bishops and cardinals etc. At present the church is reviving itself and is trying to focus once again on reaching out to the poor, especially under the solemn and prudent leadership of Pope Francis. Things have really changed since the former cardinal and archbishop of Buenos Aires became Pope.
From the first unscripted shocker of, “Who am I to judge?” while responding to queries about homo-sexuality, to washing the feet of prisoners and Muslim women and giving up expensive facilities. Many conservative Catholics argue that the media sees what it wants from the new pontiff. Yet the media are not deceived in thinking that Pope Francis is different from his predecessors in substance as well as style. He may not be a liberal Catholic as the term is understood in American or European contexts but he has different sets of priorities than the previous two popes did. He reads the times differently and elements of his agenda are clearly in tune with what many progressive Catholics have long hoped for from the church.
On March 3-2016, the Pope said “The Catholic Church does not want people to donate ‘dirty money’ earned by abusing low-paid workers; some donors come to church offering profit from the blood of people who have been exploited, mistreated, enslaved with badly paid work. I will say to them please take your money away and burn it.” Pope Francis has made safeguarding the poor and cleaning up the Vatican finances the central focus of his papacy. The Pope further stated, “The people of God do not need dirty money, they need hearts that are open to God’s mercy.”’ He branded dirty money as “The dung of the devil’.
I write this article to make the point that we as human beings are full of errors and imperfections. Hence it is not proper to judge people and condemn their mistakes. Instead we should learn from the mistakes of others for they have gone through that agony. Let us consider religious diversity a blessing and not something that causes strife. It will be a peaceful world if, in spite of living in a multi religious society we co-exist as a human family. I strongly believe that if we do this it will bring a change even in the political and socio-economic scenario. What a joy will it be if Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhism, Jews, Sikhs and even atheists work together and contribute to the welfare of the ‘Ka imlang sahlang’ or society.
I long for the day where all religions will work together with one goal i.e service, peace, love for God and humanity. However, we cannot achieve this overnight but with the grace of God, humility, perseverance and most importantly human conscience the world would, without a doubt be a better place.
( The writer is from Pyndengrei Nongstoiñ, West Khasi Hills District and presently a college student)