Bishop Thomas Dabre faces ire for suggesting dialogue with RSS

 

 

Pune/New Delhi, Jun 20: Pune Diocese Bishop Thomas Dabre is facing the ire of the anti-RSS Christian lobby for his recent statement advocating meaningful dialogue with the largest Hindu organization and the Church.

 

It may be mentioned that speaking at a launching of a research journal of Dr. Shripati Shastri Institute of Social Science Research here in Pune recently, Bihsop Dabre, according to the local newspaper reports, has said that the ideology and principles of RSS are acceptable to the Christians and that there should be a meaningful dialogue between the two for a better future.

 

Within an hour of his statement the anti-RSS lobby took to social media and started sharing memes on facebook and twitter forcing the Bishop to go on a backfoot saying that the local vernacular newspapers had presented his views wrongly.

 

However, the local language newspapers reported the Bishop as saying: “The Sangh believes in nationalism, the church also believes in nationalism.”

 

“I am not an RSS spokesperson or its defender. In truth, I have demanded a dialogue between the church and the RSS which Indian bishops had proposed,” Bishop Dabre said.

 

The Pune Bishop seems to be on the radar of huge anti-RSS lobby of the church. John Dayal, a Delhi-based journalist and human rights defender also known for his strong anti-RSS views said, "Bishop Thomas Dabre, who has sought talks with Hindu nationalist RSS, does not represent the entire Christian community". (Emphasis added)

 

Dayal in his latest article published in "India Tomorrow" said, "As a diocesan head, Bishop Dabre essentially speaks as an individual, or at best for his clergy and laity. He does not represent the entire Christian community with more than 100 or more different denominations. The Catholic Church itself is rich with three liturgical divisions.

 

Bishop Thomas Dabre, known for his liberal and accomodative nature is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Dialogue which has the approved the concept of dialogue with other religious groups and organizations.

 

Of late a new class is fast emerging in Christian community that is openly taking anti-RSS and anti-BJP stand. This lobby has raised question marks on the silence of the Catholic Bishops on socalled exploitation of Muslims in UP and other areas. If a section of the Church speaks against the Muslim atrocities and policies in Kerala, this lobby by using its influence silences their voice. Most of them belong to either Congress or the Communist ideology and have astrong hold in the church system. It is this lobby that is standing a wall between the efforts of creating goodwill between the RSS and the Christians, observed R L Francis, President of Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM).

 

Francis further said that in May this year he had an opportunity to meet Vasai Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado who had worked as additional secrtary in the Inter-religion dialogue council for a decade. Francis had emphasized on the need for a dialogue with the RSS during his meeting to create goodwill and mutual trust. He opines that now the time has come for the Church leadership to promote such people who would defend dialogue and work to create an harmonious atmosphere. This will be in the larger interest of the Church and Christians, Francis said.

He asked:, "Why target Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre? He has only suggested the way forward the Church will have to take up for establishing harmony and goodwill. Afterall, RSS is a cultural organization".