Following up on their protests against the appointment of a non-Dalit bishop in Salem, Tamil Nadu’s Dalit Catholics have asked India’s new papal nuncio to nominate Dalit prelates to fill vacancies in the state, threatening legal action if caste discrimination persists.
Mary John, President of the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement, said, “The demand for Dalit-origin bishops in the state has intensified after the recent appointment of a non-Dalit bishop in Salem by the Vatican.”
Mary John has written to new nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli on behalf of several Dalit Christian organizations requesting him to consider appointing a Dalit archbishop in the Pondicherry-Cuddalore Archdiocese and Dalit bishops in the dioceses of Kuzhithurai, Sivagangai, Tiruchirappalli, and Vellore.
In his letter, he said, “We appeal to appoint a Dalit archbishop and Dalit bishops immediately in the existing vacancies to restore confidence in Dalit Catholics to prevent their imminent uprising in Tamil Nadu as well in other states of India.”
He also called for a revision of India’s traditional method for choosing bishops, archbishops, and cardinals to ensure that Dalit Catholics are properly represented.
He stated that the DCLM has been addressing this matter with the Indian Catholic hierarchy and nuncios for the past three decades through various letters and appeals.
The letter warned that Dalit Christians are prepared to take legal action because India’s constitution abolished untouchability and caste discrimination against Dalits.
(with inputs from UCAnews)
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