The issue of caste discrimination has become a concern in some Christian communities, reads an editorial on January 9. Hindu in Hindi: The issue of caste discrimination has become a concern in some Christian communities, read the January 9 editorial.

In recent years, the country has witnessed a movement within the Christian community to grant equal rights to Dalits in the diocese.

By Muhammad

The issue gained political momentum when Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, who leads the Dalit party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Kattachi, released a book by author Nivedita Lewis titled Caste in Christianity. Thirumavalavan, while noticing a strange thing about Christianity in India, said that this religion has strengthened its roots in the society without any change.

Literary works attempted to expose the caste divisions within Christianity. In her famous autobiographical work ‘Karuku’, Dalit Christian writer Bam expressed her dismay at caste discrimination in the Church and its institutions. Similarly, Father Mark Stephen in his novel ‘Yathirai’ (Pilgrimage) showed the ignorance of Dalit Christians’ rights in church administration and festivals.

The novel is the result of his experiences as a pastor in Ongur between 1984 and 1990. Where he saw discrimination against Dalit Christians. His first Nobel for ‘Suvargal’ (Walls) highlighted the need to demolish the walls that separate the graves of Dalits and upper caste Christians. In addition to literary works, the fight against caste discrimination in Christianity has been going on for decades.

In 1990, the Arokia Matha Church (established 1822) in Thatchur village in Kanchipuram, where the first Christians arrived in 1836, was closed for more than 10 years due to a legal battle between upper caste Reddyars and Dalit Christians Was. It was reopened in late 2006 following a tripartite agreement between the Reddy and Dalit groups.

Nevertheless, five years later, Thachur witnessed an atmosphere of tension and intense police deployment over the burial of two Dalits in a church graveyard. Although Dalits were the majority in the Catholic faith, Dalits were rarely appointed as priests or bishops.

The Tamil Nadu Eradication of Untouchability Front, which fights discrimination, has alleged that casteism plays a big role in the appointment of priests. Dalit Christians cannot participate in church management, and separate places of worship are created for Dalits and Christians of other castes in the same village.

The truth is that the Dalit Empowerment Policy of the Catholic Church in India recognizes that the presence of Dalit Christians in the administration of religious functions and religious order is very low. About nine years ago, Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission Chairman M. Prakash publicly admitted that Dalit Christians face discrimination in churches.

The commission or the government could not interfere in this matter because it was a dispute between family members, which should be resolved by themselves. Efforts were also made to ensure adequate representation of Dalits in the Roman Catholic Church in the courts. Among the 18 archbishops of Tamil Nadu, only one bishop comes from the Dalit community.

In this case, M. Arbasan, a resident of Srivilliputtur, prayed to the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court that the court issue directions to the government to end this discrimination. In August 2021, the court issued notices to the Center and the state, as well as the Apostolic Nuncio to India and the Bishops’ Council of Tamil Nadu. This matter is still not accepted. Politically, Thirumavalavan believes that it is not Christianity’s weakness, but that the caste system is so strong that it has swallowed up religion.

Courtesy : IG News

Note: This news piece was originally published in ignews.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Righ