'Church must stand firmly with the poor'

Eminent sociologist Prof TK Oomen on Thursday urged the Church to stand firmly with the poor and marginalised, and strive to build a society which provides equal opportunities for all.

The Church must critically engage the state and the other civil society groups to ensure that the poor are not deprived of their land, legitimate rights to equality and dignity, he said, while speaking at the 30th general body meeting of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

He called on the leaders of the Church to ensure that everyone, including the tribals, Adivasis, linguistic and religious minorities who are economically and socially weaker get equal opportunity to come up in society.

Author of over 20 books, Prof Oomen said today there is a widespread perception in the minds of the people that the Church was using fraudulent means to proselytize.

Though the first religion to proselytize in India was Buddhism, Christianity carries the tag of being a religion that converts people, he observed, adding the perception was not right and the Church must counter the allegation.

He also called on the Church to examine and verify through a census the perception and allegation that Christian institutions were catering to the elites.

"We may find some meaning or rationale in this criticism. We need not abandon the rich, but there can be a graded way of charging fees, but our main focus must be on the poor," a CBCI release quoted him saying.

Recipient of three awards, Prof Oomen further highlighted the different kind of forces in India which were having destructive tendencies.

A former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Oomen said there is an attempt to destroy the languages and identities of the minorities, an 'ecocide' which stifles the roots of the economies of the tribals and Adivasis.

While there have been genocides against the Sikhs, Muslims and Christians in the past, today there is a 'culturocide' which stifles the roots of the economies of the tribals and Adivasis, he said.

Among the people displaced in the name of development 60 per cent are from the 8 per cent of the Adivasis of the country, he informed.