Church Promotes Lay Leadership in India

His Excellency Giambattista Di Quattro, Apostolic Nuncio to India spoke at the inauguration of the Pastoral Conference of North Eastern Region. donboscoindia.com

The church in India, during a pastoral conference in Guwahati, Assam, has stressed the importance of lay leadership and decided to advance it across the country.

On Sept. 9, under the banner ''Lay Ministries In North East India'', the North Eastern Regional Pastoral Conference (NERPC) held at Don Bosco Institute insisted on the proactive role of lay ministries which brings about greater involvement and collaboration of Christians.

Led by Giambattista Di Quattro, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, the conference was attended by over 200 leaders from across the northeastern region of India.

Quattro noted the penetrating power of the laity, and called for an increased role of the lay people to propagate Christ's message.

''Baptized Christian is a vital part in the mission of the church'', he said.

Rev. Stephen Rotluanga, chairman of Laity Commission, spoke about promoting lay leadership in the church.

The ''common vision is Kingdom of God, our mission is common good and our action is commitment and service of humanity irrespective of cast and creed'," said Rotluanga.

Fr Philip Kattakayam, the executive secretary of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India highlighted the need for involving the laity in the management of temporal goods of the church.

There should be no discrimination between hierarchy and laity in the church, "all share the same priestly, prophetic call of Christ," said Kattakayam.

"The pastors must discover and promote charisms of the laity," he added.