Christians & The Constitution
A half-day seminar on "Christians and the Constitution" was organized on the 18th of June 2022 in the St.Mark's Cathedral auditorium by the Minority Rights & Political Concerns Department(MRPC) of the Karnataka Central Diocese in collaboration with the National Issues & Ecumenical Relations Committee(NIERC) of St.Mark's Cathedral.
The proceedings started with a prayer by Rev.Dr.Vincent Vinod Kumar, Diocesan Secretary, and Presbyter-in-Charge, St.Mark's Cathedral. Mr.M.Jebakumar, Convenor, NIERC welcomed the Bishop, Officers of the KCD, the speakers, and the audience. The dignitaries were also presented fruit baskets. Rev. Christopher Samuel, Asst. Secretary of the Diocese and Chairperson, Social & Economic Concerns Committee(SECC) introduced the topic of the seminar and flagged the concerns of the Christian community in the present context, and laid out the contours of the seminar.
The key-note address was delivered by the Rt.Rev.Dr.Prasannakumar Samuel, Bishop of KCD. He brought out clearly the concerns of the Christian community in the present milieu and how they need to be addressed. He explained the various provisions of the Indian Constitution that guarantee the right to profess, practice, and propagate one's religion. However, this freedom is under brazen attack with the tacit approval of the authorities. He lamented the lack of unity among the various denominations of Christians. He exhorted Christians to be alert and use all lawful means to protect themselves.
The Bishop also made the very important point of the need for Christian boys and girls to enter public service into not only central services like IAS and IPS but also state-level services.
The compere, Rev.Rachel Sudarshan,Convenor,SECC welcomed the first speaker Mr.K.Mathias KAS(Retd) gave a brief resume of his career. Mr.Mathias spoke on "Constitutional Rights & Opportunities for Christians." Mr.Mathias in his speech stressed on the need for unity among all Christians. He said that they have been able to form an association of Christians serving in the government, whether they are from All India Services or from the State cadre. This will need to be replicated across the entire community.
To break the monotony of speeches Rev.Solomon Paul led the gathering in singing the very appropriate song "We shall overcome." The audience joined with gusto.
The next speaker was Mr.J.Robin Christopher of the ADF India. A lawyer by profession, his topic was"The Present Challenges Faced by the Christian Community." He elaborated on the various steps to be taken by the churches and the pastors when they are attacked. The one thing that he emphasized was that running away was not an option. We have to stand our ground and resist peacefully. He offered free legal services in case churches face attacks.
This was followed by a Q & A session. It was very lively and both speakers responded appropriately to the questions posed by the audience. The session had to be cut short as we were running short of time.
The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Rev.Thabitha, Director MRPC, followed by the closing prayer by Rev.George Jayaprabhu Associate Treasurer, KCD.
The proceedings concluded with benediction pronounced by the Bishop.
The 240 odd participants were served a sumptuous lunch courtesy St.Mark's Cathedral.
