3rd June 2015:
Dear Archbishop,
On a private Requiem Mass at 7 a. m. on Tuesday, 2nd
June 2015 at the Animation Centre Chapel:
Stop terrorizing the naïve priests for nothing…
You made a commotion yesterday morning, it seems, on the
above Mass wherein the concelebrants seemingly haven’t wore the ‘proper’
vestments! It was a private celebration, first of all, and that too for a
grieved sister who happened to work so excellently in our diocese, especially
for the Marriage Preparation Course on the loss of her beloved mother.
Apprehending that someone, especially the one who had
photographed the celebration would come and complain to you, the ‘poor’
Rajasekaran along with Pius seemingly have come and confessed of the incident
to you. And you seemingly have exploded, if not terrorized unusually and
instantaneously leading them to doubt that someone else, quite apparently the
one who photographed, might have already briefed you of it… That is nothing but
making a mountain out of a mole… yes, a mole I repeat…
While respecting your blind obedience and even your own
‘conviction’ let me dare challenge you on Biblical terms and real tradition. Do
you know the celebration you insist today is the one which doesn’t have even
the remotest affinity with the one Jesus had either at the Last Supper or at
Calvary or for that matter with the ones celebrated by the first disciples or
even the earliest church…? These vestments might in all probability have been a
vestige of the feudal system happily inherited by the church with the
conversion of Constantine.
While insisting so much on such traditions/paraphernalia,
have you ever given the slightest thought to the much graver concerns of Jesus
or the disciples or even the early church? What would you say to Jesus’
response to the Pharisees and scribes who questioned him on ‘transgress(ing)
the tradition…’? He was bold enough, rather had authority enough to challenge
them in the following words: “So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made
void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he
said: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in
vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the precepts of men.’ (Mt
15:6-9).
Now, let me tell you something which people might have
been hesitant to tell in your face. Will you be able to deny that almost half
of the priests, especially the younger ones in the diocese are your students in
the minor or major seminary? Even among them the majority might have been
formed by you in the minor seminary. It is the gestation period so to say in
the birth of a priest. What they have seen, heard and experienced there forms
the basis of their priestly character. And that way you are responsible for all
that they are today, especially the black sheep, the prodigal sons etc, Can you
deny that?
What moral authority do you have on any of them, or can
you have ever? You have more than enough the authority of your position,
especially the arbitrary power wherein you don’t really take anyone into
confidence. You have almost ‘used’, if not exploited, almost every system/body,
none of which is other than merely consultative.
In this context, today’s second reading of the office of
readings from the ‘commentary of Pope Gregory the great on the book of Job’,
become relevant. “When Paul says to Titus: ‘Command these things, teach them
with all authority’, he is not recommending the domination of power but the
force of his disciple’s life… Paul is not recommending the power of haughty
words but the trustworthiness which comes from good conduct…”
You seemingly exercise your power mostly through keeping
finance among the few whom you chose so arbitrarily. Your finance council is
only an extension of your very self. They know how to please you and not in any
way responsible to the faithful, not even the priests of the diocese. This in
turn makes you fail miserably to make priests accountable and get their
accounts properly and socially audited. You seemingly have special liking or
appreciation for the ones making money whether they be priests or not. This is
clear from your selective favoritism for the Marian Engineering College and to
a lesser extent to Jubilee Memorial Hospital and so on!
And you are the pastor of this great diocese, now an
archdiocese, for over than quarter a century. What is your specific
contribution by way of improving the quality of our priests, their holiness and
integrity with your so-called ‘simple’ life? Simplicity is nothing other than
holiness which in turn is being transparent, accountable and responsible. Now,
you judge yourself before judging others!
You always wanted power, absolute power. And I don’t know
whether you know the great adage: ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts
absolutely!’ You seemingly want to use it so arbitrarily and when questioned
the rationale of such use, you become defensive and at times offended and
offensive.
Coming back to the issue of vestments, don’t be silly
just because ‘Rome’ has wanted it so. It is your pleasure to be servile, but
don’t expect that from priests who take their call seriously, ministry all the
more seriously and respect their people. You discuss and debate, if there are
difference of opinion or even conviction… the touch stone being the word of God
and the writings of the earlier fathers… Hope, you have read Albert Nolan’s
“Jesus before Christianity’. The very title conveys a lot… Don’t try to stop
the flow of the Spirit who renews the church keeping her young and energetic
with its creative inspirations…
If it is against any provision of the law, go with the
sanctions it provides for. Don’t be like an irritant parent who wants his/her
children to obey only to please him/her or an age-old depleted custom.
Try not to spoon feed us. We are grown enough, mature
enough and take us into confidence to let us grow together with our people into
a people of God with all the freedom of the children of God. If you don’t treat
us responsible and mature co-workers, be ready to be treated in equal measure
inversely sooner than later. Don’t spoil your last leg of episcopacy…
Expecting your reply or arrangements for a serious debate
at your earliest, I remain,
Thanking you,
Pancretius.
6.6.15:
Mk 12:38-39 – “Beware of the scribes, who like to go
about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best
seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts…’
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