India’s Vice President commends Christian contribution ‎

by Robin Gomes

India’s Vice President has commended the nation’s Christians for their service to the marginalized and ‎for contributing to building a new India.  “The Catholic community is peace-loving and it contributes ‎immensely to nation building,” Vice President Venkaiah Naidu told a pre-Christmas gathering that the ‎Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) organized on Dec. 12 in the capital, New Delhi. ‎

‎“I have been attending Christmas functions at different parts of India as part of my political and social ‎activities. This is the first occasion as the vice president of India that I am participating in a Christmas ‎celebration,” said Naidu, who became the 13th Vice president of India on August 11, this year.  ‎

The event to exchange Christmas greetings, organized at the Community Hall of the Sacred Heart ‎Cathedral, was attended by large number of people, CBCI Secretary-General, Bishop Theodore ‎Mascarenhas told Vatican News.   He spoke to us on his mobile phone from New Delhi.‎

Bishop Mascarenhas said it was a very special occasion with a hall of some 400 packed to capacity.  ‎Among those who attended were important people such as judges, officials, members of parliament, ‎ambassadors of over 25 countries and high-ranking bureaucrats of Delhi.  At the end of the event, Mr. ‎Naidu told Bishop Mascarenhas that the gathering was the best he had attended.  It was ‎well organized and well attended by the city’s top officials. ‎

Christmas celebrated by all

In his speech, Indian’s Vice President noted that “People all over the world irrespective of caste, creed or ‎nationality celebrate Christmas with great joy and gaiety.”  “Jesus is the Son of God. He brings Good ‎news to all peoples, cultures and nations. His message is the message of peace,” said the 68-‎year old leader who holds the second highest post in India. ‎

Love, joy and service

Stating that Christmas reminds us all to live up to the ideals and values preached and practiced by Jesus ‎Christ, Mr Naidu, who hails from Andhra Pradesh state, said Christmas is the festival of love, joy and ‎sharing. It is a time to renew our commitment to love and serve our families, communities and society; ‎to be just and transparent in our dealings; to promote social and economic inclusion of all; to promote ‎lasting peace between people of different religions and cultures and to promote sustainable ‎development, he added. ‎

Bishop Mascarenhas spoke to Vatican News, picking out two important points from the speech of Mr. ‎Naidu. ‎

According to Mr. Naidu, Bishop Mascaranhas noted, Jesus is the man for all seasons who brings peace ‎and harmony, and everyone must learn from this.  Secondly, Naidu’s views about the Catholic Church was ‎very encouraging.  The Vice President praised the Catholic Church for the beautiful work for the poor, ‎especially in the fields of education and health care.  ‎

The CBCI Secretary General noted that this was not the first time that Mr. Naidu was saying this ‎about the Church.   He was a close friend of late Archbishop Saminini Arulappa of Hyderabad, and has ‎a high opinion about the Church in the country.  ‎

Education and health care

In his address, India’s Vice President spoke about education as “the most important tool for social ‎transformation.”  “It helps impart values compassion, morality and ethics.”  In this regard, he noted that ‎Christians “maintain best educational institutions in the country that create awareness about the need of ‎education for the needy.”  ‎

Mr. Naidu acknowledged “Christians have opened thousands of dispensaries and hospitals in remote ‎areas and collaborate with the central and state governments.”   He urged Christians to continue their ‎service with an added focus on the marginalized sections of society.

Abuse of religion

India’s Vice President also spoke out against misuse of religion, asserting that no religion preaches ‎hatred or violence.  “Religion has nothing to do with terror. Terror is the enemy of humanity,” Mr. Naidu said.‎