Vasai-based Catholic priest Father Francis D’Britto, writer and environmentalist, was on Sunday elected president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (ABMSS) 2020, a three-day event that will be held in Osmanabad starting January 10, 2020.
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Fr. D’Britto, who is the first Christian to be elected president of the ABMSS, said he would like to use the platform to spread ideas of secularism and tolerance in the country. “We need to respect our Constitution. With the book of one’s religion in one hand and the Constitution in the other, we can pave the way for peace in the country. While our religious books will lead us to heaven, our Constitution will lead us to experiencing heaven on earth, in our country,” he said.
The veteran who is known for serving people beyond the four walls of the Catholic Church, attributed his success to the people who have stood by him for several decades. Apart from having authored over a dozen books, Fr. D’Britto spearheaded the Harit Vasai Movement in the 1990s, when Vasai was on the verge of becoming a breeding ground for the land mafia.
Fr. D’Britto said writers like Bharat Sasne, Pratibha Ranade and Pravin Davane were among those who withdrew from the election in his support. “It was an absolute honour to have all 19 members vote in my favour,” he said.
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The priest-author said his selection as president honoured the Indian tradition of inclusion. “The ethos of the country built by leaders like King Ashoka, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and many others like them is all about embracing the Indian culture of pluralism,” he said.
Speaking about the growing religious intolerance in the country, Fr. D’Britto said it is a passing phase, and that Hinduism promotes the values of tolerance, acceptance and inclusion. “Every individual should feel safe in our country. Freedom and not fear should run through the fabric of the country,” he said.