SEPTEMBER 2013

Is the Syro-Malabar Church now openly promoting its Hinduisation?

Here is a letter from Fr. Jacob Parappally MSFS, a theologian of the Missionary of St Francis de Sales order:

From: Jacob Parappally <parappally@gmail.com> Date: 30 August, 2013 10:38:59 AM GMT+05:30 To:
Fr Nn

Subject:
Syro-Malabar Synod about the Use of Indian Symbols

Dear Fr Nn,

Greetings of love and peace!

I have found the news item in Deepika about the decision of Syro-Malabar Synod concerning preaching about Indian symbols.

Since we have charismatic centres and we have preachers it may be useful for you to know and correct some of the ideas flowing from simple biblicism without much understanding of the issues concerning theological matters and cater to the emotional needs of the faithful without true Christian doctrine.

It is wide-spread tendency in Kerala in almost all charismatic centres and among charismatic preachers.

I had mentioned about this to the priests of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese in two seminars in the presence of the Auxilary Bishop. 

If our confreres are free from it, we shall thank God. If some of them indulge in proclaiming cheap grace they can be corrected.

So I am sending you this news item which I translated from Deepika.

You can check in the Deepika Daily, Internet edition of today, 30th August.

With best wishes and prayers,

Yours fraternally,

Jacob Parappally MSFS

Prof. Dr. Jacob Parappally, MSFS, Tejas Vidya Peetha, Kumbalgodu P.O. Bangalore -560074, India.

E-mail: parappally@gmail.com, jacob.para@gmail.com Mobile: +91 – 9448908755

No need of intolerance to the essential symbols:

Exhortation of the Syro-Malabar
Synod

The Syro-Malabar Church Synod exhorted Christians living in various religious and cultural contexts of India to respect the essential symbols of their context. It is the teaching of the Church to accept and integrate the good elements in the cultures. The symbols and representations from the Indian culture commonly accepted by the general public are also accepted by the Church. The traditional standing lamp, ayurveda, yoga, using Mangalsutra (Tali), gifting of Wedding Saree etc. are some of the examples of the same.

Those practices and medical treatments which are helpful for the well-being of the body and the mind need not be considered as a part of any particular religion. In retreats, preaching of the word and in seminars if anyone is presenting these symbols and medical treatments as satanic or devilish they must be corrected by their concerned authorities.

Christians must take care that they promote harmony and unity among the members of various communities and religions. The uniqueness of the Christians consists in their practice of love.

The Synod also exhorted the faithful to pray for that the political conflict in Syria may not slip into a danger of war and that the nations of the world may live in peace and concord.

(Cochin, 29^th August, 2013; Deepika Malayalam Daily, 30^th August, 2013, pg.9)

MY COMMENTS

The condescending and derogatory language in Fr. Jacob Parappally‘s letter clearly exhibits his opinion that the charismatic renewal is the main opponent of the Hinduisation of the Church in India.

What he calls “Indian symbols” are in reality HINDU symbols. India has a vast and wide variety of cultures, one of which is Hindu, but it is precisely and solely those symbols, rites and philosophies of Hinduism that our Church leaders are promoting in the liturgy and life of the Church.

The letter shows the horrible spiritual condition of the Indian Catholic Church where paganism is routinely accepted as Christian and the errors and lies are propagated as truth by top theologians.

It is interesting that the translated information in the attachment is not “certified” by any authority of the Church. It is taken from a Malayalam language daily called “Deepika”.

Over two years ago, I had sent Fr. Jacob Parappally my report

THEOLOGIANS LAMBAST THE VATICAN DOCUMENT ON THE NEW AGE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/THEOLOGIANS_LAMBAST_THE_VATICAN_DOCUMENT_ON_THE_NEW_AGE.doc.

He was one of the contributors [Jesus Christ: the Answer to the New Age Quest] to the May 2004 issue of Jeevadhara [New Age Theological Response to the Vatican Document] in which 12 theologians banded together under the leadership of Ashram founder Fr. Sebastian Painadath SJ to condemn Rome for publishing the February 3, 2003 Vatican Document ‘Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life, A Christian Reflection on the New Age’ even as they had done earlier in the case of the document Dominus Iesus on the unicity of Jesus Christ. Below is his response followed by mine.

From:
Jacob Parappally
To:
prabhu
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 10:14 PM

Subject: Re: JEEVADHARA MAY 2004: THEOLOGIANS LAMBAST THE VATICAN DOCUMENT ON THE NEW AGE

Dear and Respected Michael Prabhu,

Greetings of Peace from Jacob Parappally MSFS

Thank you very much for sending your research study on Jeevadhara Issue on “New Age”!

Sorry for the delay in replying to you.

Whether one may agree with your observations or not it must be acknowledged that you have gone through all the articles thoroughly and raised your objections to some of the points discussed in the articles.

I appreciate your interest in this matter and your concern about issues that you think may be contradicting the Church’s teaching or at least not helpful for the faithful.

With regard to our faith, I think, you and all the contributors of Jeevadhara issue are on the same side. We may differ in our understanding of communicating our faith meaningfully to others so that they may encounter the Living Lord whom we all believe in.

I wish you all the best in your effort to deepen your Christian faith and share it with others,

Yours fraternally in Christ,

Jacob Parappally MSFS 

From:
prabhu
To:
Jacob Parappally
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 6:56 AM

Subject: Re: JEEVADHARA MAY 2004: THEOLOGIANS LAMBAST THE VATICAN DOCUMENT ON THE NEW AGE

Dear Fr. Jacob Parappally,

I truly do appreciate your honest assessment of my critique on the Jeevadhara “Theological Response” to the Vatican’s Document on the New Age, and I thank you very much for it.

However, I cannot agree with you that I and “all the contributors of Jeevadhara issue are on the same side” [to quote your words].

How could I possibly be on the same side as Paul Knitter, Francis Clooney SJ, Francis D’Sa SJ and others when they disagree with Rome, even reject magisterial authority? I am no theologian or scholar but, to the best of my knowledge and understanding, what they do is not “theologising”. Instead, they destroy the faith not only of ignorant lay Catholics but also of many innocent young men who are under formation in our seminaries.

My ministry seeks where possible to repair that damage and to restore that faith.

I do not just “think” [again, to quote you] that the opinions of some of the theologians who I write about may be “contradicting Church teaching”. Their writings are themselves evidence of that, and there are those other conservative theologians who speak and write to oppose those progressive and liberal ones. It was a priest from St. Peter’s Seminary, Bangalore, now in the CBCI executive, who gave me a copy of the May 2004 Jeevadhara issue. Both groups cannot be right at the same time.

While expressing my gratitude to you for your priestly blessings, I pray that God may bless you abundantly in your vocation.

Have a good day. With kind regards,

Michael Prabhu, Catholic apologist

Watch this space for further information.

We have still not found any other such report on the alleged August 2013 Syro-Malabar Synod.

While this ministry has regularly reported on Hinduisation attempted in an unorganised away, one wonders now whether the cancer has reached the hierarchy and is all set to be institutionalised.

Categories: Hinduisation of the Catholic Church in India, new age