“We are going through troubled times in this composite and diverse nation, but this is a temporary phase and we will fight this disorder,” said former President of India Pranab Mukherjee. He was speaking at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Christmas celebrations on Thursday.
The function saw the participation of senior leaders of the church, retired Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph, Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam among other dignitaries.
Vast diversity
The former President, in his Christmas message, said: “When I think of India, I see a country with vast diversity of customs, traditions and religions and yet we live under a common system and have one identity — that of being an Indian.”
“The image of the church for us is its educational institutions, its hospitals and the work done by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity who serve even the last person in the society,” he said.
Calling Christmas season a sacred time, Mr. Mukherjee said: “We have to remember the virtues of tolerance and compassion and let go of anger, which is a poison dividing the country. We have to respect our Constitution, which gives us our freedom and responsibility. Every citizen should follow it in letter and spirit. It is our Constitution that should guide our ideology.”
CBCI president Cardinal Oswald Gracias reiterated that there is an urgent need to work for peace and reconciliation. “The disharmony that we are seeing today between man and nature, as well as man and man, calls for us to becomes agents of reconciliation. During the Christmas season let us relearn the value of forgiveness and understanding,” he said.
