{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 194,
  "chapterName": "1969. Resolutions of the All-India Seminar on the Church in India Today",
  "pageFrom": 409,
  "pageTo": 412,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 409,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n409)\nWe are united to our Christian brothers of other Churches and\nwith all those who struggle against poverty, illiteracy and disease,\nand work for social reform, economic uplift and better living.\nconditions. It is not our intention to build rival rival structures for the\nachievement of such goals; our institutions are at the service of\nour country, in collaborations with other agencies, private and\npublic, religious and secular. Beyond collaboration at the insti-\ntutional level, we hope to be present in organisations and efforts.\nfor the welfare of India, of Asia and of the larger world community\nand to put our professional skills and other talents at their disposal.\nAs we re-examine ourselves and our way of life in the light of\nChrist, we find that in the past with the help of God's grace we\nhave in some measure been faithful to our calling and worked for\nthe progress of our country in various spheres such as education\nand social services. We have also endeavoured to contribute our\nshare to the spiritual growth of our nation. At the same time we:\nare regretfully aware of the deficiencies that are the consequence\nof our human weakness and our failure to measure up to our ideals.\nWithin the Christian fellowship we have not always placed the:\naccent on the essentials of our faith; and in our relations with\nothers we have tended in many ways to lack understanding and to\nstand aloof from the mainstream of India's thought-patterns and\ntraditions as well as of her contemporary development, by confining:\nourselves to the fostering of our narrow, domestic interests.\nUnited now with all our brothers and sisters in a common effort,\nwe sincerely desire to share with them the inspiration of our faith.\nin Jesus, and to welcome them to the fullness of our Christian\nfellowship. We recognise with joy and gratitude that the teaching\nand example of Jesus have deeply influenced not a few of our\nleaders and their followers, and that they in their turn have been\nto us a living illustration of the Sermon on the Mount.\n194. RESOLUTIONS OF THE ALL-INDIA SEMINAR ON\nTHE CHURCH IN INDIA TO-DAY (1969 A.D.)\nThe Resolutions of the All India Seminar on the Church in India\nToday, held at Bangalore in 1969, reproduced here reflect the influence\nof the Second Vatican Council on Roman Catholic thinking in India\nwith respect to ecumenism, religious dialogue and Indian culture.\nAll India Seminar, Church in India Today, Bangalore, 1969, pp. 284-\n285, 295-297.\nI.\nEcumenism\n1. (a) We request the C.B.C.I. to re-organise its present Com--\nmission for Ecumenism and Dialogue into two separate commis-\nsions; one for ecumenism and the other for dialogue with non-\nChristians and non-believers.",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 410,
      "ocrText": "410\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\n(b) We recommend that the commission for ecumenism be\nbroad based so as to include therein experts in ecumenism and\npersons with practical experience from among the clergy, religious\nand laity; if possible from different areas of the country.\n(c) We feel that the present Directory on Ecumenism has\nto be adapted to the needs of India and request the C.B.C.I. to\ntake the necessary steps to produce an Indian Directory and ensure\nits wide publicity and circulation.\n2. We urgently request the C.B.C.I. to constitute the necessary\nmachinery for furthering dialogue and collaboration with the\nNational Christian Council, the Syrian Orthodox Church, and\nEvangelical fellowships.\n3. (a) We recommend that Education in Ecumenism should be\neffectively promoted at all levels of the Church in India, diocesan,\nparochial, institutional and individual. We particularly urge that\ngreater opportunity and special training in ecumenism be given to\nour seminarians and our College students.\n(b) We reiterate that an ecumenical commission should be\nestablished in every diocese, as recommended by the Directory.\nWherever this is not possible, an expert, either lay or clerical,\nshould be set apart specifically to promote ecumenism.\nII. Dialogue with Other Religions\n1. In order to bring about the positive attitude towards non-\nChristian religions as demanded by our faith and affirmed by\nVatican II, we recommend that a theology for dialogue in the Indian\ncontext based on salvation history and embracing all positive\nvalues of non-Christian religions be worked out.\nWe affirm that the development of this theology is possible only\nif the Church in India, convinced of its urgency and necessity,\nenlists the co-operation of the best talent available.\n2. Since many more experts in the various religious traditions,\nespecially Hinduism and Islam and quasi-religious movements\nsuch as Marxism and secular humanism, are an absolute necessity,\nthe C.B.C.I. and C.R.I. are requested to set up jointly a commission\nfor the two-fold task of exploring present resources in personnel and\nof urging the authorities to select, train and assist suitable candidates\nfrom the clergy, religious men and women and the laity.\n3. We recommend the establishment of\n(a) many more centres of dialogue;\n(b) authentic Christian ashrams open to all non-Christians.",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 411,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n411\n4. We recommend that the treasures of Christian spirituality\nbe published in all major languages of India and that this work be\ntaken up with much urgency.\n5. Generally non-Christian women can best be approached\nby women. Therefore, our women, lay and religious, should be\ntrained and given opportunities for this necessary dialogue. They\ncan render an invaluable service of charity to their non-Christian\nsisters.\n6. As far as possible, in all our efforts at dialogue we should\nstrive for an ecumenical approach, a combined effort by all\nChristians\nIII. Indian Culture\nAccording to Vatican II the Church is fully mature when, in a\ngiven country, the people reflect and formulate their Christian faith\nin their own idiom and express it in their particular art forms.\n1. Whereas the proper atmosphere must be created and the\nsoil prepared for the evolution of an authentic Indian theology by\nrecognising the seeds of the Word hidden in the diversified Indian\ntradition, especially in its Sacred Scriptures and in its living religious\nexperience, nourished by which the Church in India must grow,\nit is recommended that:\n(a) under the creative guidance of the magisterium directed\nby the Holy Spirit, all be encouraged in the spirit of freedom to\nenunciate our faith in the richness of the Indian tradition, using\nits thought-patterns, concepts and symbols.\n(b) the sacredness of the world, particularly in its modern\ndimensions of science and technology, be acknowledged in the light\nof the mystery of the Incarnation, emphasising the intrinsic value\nof the time-bound existence and of human history in all its aspects,\nas well as its redemption and its assumption in the Body of the\nRisen Christ.\n(c) against the background of Indian culture, devout medi-\ntation on our spiritual inheritance of the Bible and of Indian Scrip-\ntures be encouraged, in order that our faith may be deepened and\na truly Indian theology blossom out of this experience.\n(d) with a view to developing leadership in this field, proper\nformation in Indian culture be provided :\n(i) to all, by offering facilities so that they may become\naware of and are nourished by their rich cultural\nheritage;",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 412,
      "ocrText": "412\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\n(ii) to priests and religious, in a general way during the\nperiod of their training\n(iii) to some priests, religious and people, in a more specia-\nlised way in secular universities.\n2. Whereas, in the Indian tradition, art is an integral part of\nreligious expression and whereas true art can only emerge from\npersonal charism, it is recommended that:\n(a) every effort be made to encourage real and artistic talent\nin our youth and provide a proper formation for them particularly\nin our schools and colleges so that those who have the talent and\nvocation may attain personal fulfilment in their way of commitment\nto Christ.\n(b) in the development of an Indian Christian art, emphasis\nbe laid on the one hand, on the deep spirituality and rich variety of\nIndian music and on the sense of mystery and symbolism of Indian\narchitecture, and on the other hand, on the freedom and originality\nof the artist to draw from far and wide and give creative expression\nto the feelings and yearnings of contemporary humanity.\n3. Whereas the renewal of the Church in India demands more\nresearch and scientific study and a better diffusion of information\non Indian culture, it is recommended that:\n(a) the existing institutes or centres of Indian culture as:\nwell as other such institutes to be created in different parts of the\ncountry be given due recognition and encouragement and provided\nwith competent personnel by those concerned.\n(b) an agency be set up to co-ordinate the work of these\ncentres as well as to stimulate the starting and functioning of new\ncentres and to harmonise all available talent into a combined\neffort.\n(c) this co-ordinating agency be recognised by the Catholic\nBishops' Conference of India and its services, as those of an expert\nbody, be made available to the Conference.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}