NEW DELHI: The CBCI has decided that every parish in the country will observe December 13 as Dalit Rights Day where the subject would be discussed from various perspectives. “Though the Church does not believe in caste supremacy, it is a sad reality that the Indian Church is not free from its clutches. We want the believers to be more aware and sensitive towards the subject,’’ said a priest at CBCI, which has a special wing for Dalits and lower classes.
All aspects of Dalit life, including the roles played by B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, will be discussed. The issue of Dalit Christian reservation will also be discussed, and the church will renew its struggle for getting reservation for Dalit Christians.
According to the priest, the Indian Church has drawn its inspiration from Pope Francis, who inspires the believers to empower the downtrodden. He said that liberation of Dalits had always been a theme close to the Indian Church, “but this kind of national observation across all parishes in India is new”.
In the last one year, there have been instances of ‘ghar wapsi’ in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where Christian converts prodded by Hindu outfits converted back to Hinduism.
“The church is not scared of ghar wapsi controversies. We genuinely feel for the uplift of Dalits and the decision to observe Dalit Rights Day has been taken after considering all aspects of their issues,’’ the priest said.
“The Indian Church is deeply casteist where Dalit Christians have never been given their due. This is despite that a majority of Christians here are Dalits,’’ said Victor Daivasahayam, a Dalit Christian activist.
According to Daivasahayam, a Dalit Christian, ‘upper caste’ Christians—who barely account for 30 per cent of Indian Christians—call the shots while the majority are being kept in the fringes without any active role. “Though we may be going to the same church, we are never the same. A marriage between a Dalit Christian and an upper caste Christian is unthinkable, just as in the case of upper and lower caste Hindus,’’ he said.
A Catholic priest acknowledged that Dalit Christians have every reason to complain. “The life of a Dalit Christian is quite miserable as he is still a Dalit despite the conversion. They are deprived of many protection and privileges of Hindu Dalits because they converted to Christianity. But within the Church, they are never treated as equals. Whatever be the compulsions, it is good to hear that CBCI is concerned about Dalit Christians,’’ he said.