The Quotation of the Week (March 7 - 13, 2021)

 

"In Germany they [the Nazis under Hitler] came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. 

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up for me." 

--Martin Niemoller

German Lutheran pastor

The Catholic Church and Casteism

Casteism in the Catholic Church of India

A divided Catholic cemetery in Trichy of Tamil Nadu State, 
India (the portion on the left is for the upper-caste and
the one on the right is for the lower-caste Catholics)

Photo courtesy: bbc.co.uk/  

What is casteism? Casteism is prejudice or antagonism directed against someone of a different caste in the Indian Hindu society. Hindus, even after their conversion to other religions -- including Christianity -- do maintain some sort of casteism among themselves. 

Casteism comes from the word 'caste.' According to the Wikipedia, a caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy (the custom of marrying within one's own caste or group), hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution. 

According to the BBC, India's Hindu caste system is among the world's oldest forms of surviving social stratification. This caste system is more than 3,000 years old and it divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work or occupation) and dharma (religion or duty). 

Ancient India's religious texts, called the Vedas, speaks of the caste system that divides Hindus into four main categories -- starting from the top to bottom -- the Brahmins (priests, academics or teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors, kings or rulers, and administrators), Vaishyas (merchants, landowners or farmers, herders, craftspeople), and Shudras (manual labourers, peasants or farm workers, servants). Later, a fifth group or caste called the Dalits (outcasts or untouchables), emerged and they are persons, from the first four groups, who have been condemned and driven out of their individual caste because of their serious sins, transgressions, or crimes. They, then, sought refuge among other similarly condemned people, whose professions are considered 'dirty.' They work as street sweepers, latrine cleaners, leather workers,  etc. 

 In later ages, some Indian Hindus converted to Christianity but did not abandon their earlier socio-religious caste system. In spite of Christ's teaching "love your neighbor as yourself," they hung on to the caste system, which is more or less present among both the Catholic priestly class and laypersons. In name, they are Catholic ("without any bias towards others"), but in practice, they are still caste Hindus.    

During the 2003 'ad limina' (required periodic) visits of the Catholic archbishops of the ecclesiastical provinces of Madras-Mylapore, Madurai, and Pondicherry-Cuddalore of India, Pope John Paul II had reminded them that "It is the Church's obligation to work unceasingly to change hearts, helping all people to see every human being as a child of God, a brother or sister of Christ, and therefore a member of our own society." 

Please read the following to see the situation of casteism in the Indian Catholic Church:

• India's Caste System (britannica.com)
• Christian caste (britannica.com)
• Caste System among Indian Christians
• Dalit Christian 
• Caste, Catholicism and Indian Culture
• Catholics and Caste System
• Not even the Church escapes India's caste system (Sept. 10, 2013)
• Dalit Catholics continue to battle upper caste aggression (Aug. 2, 2015)
• Discrimination within the Church (June 6, 2016)
• Protesters decry caste prejudice within India's Catholic Church (March 24, 2016)
• 'Stop caste discrimination in the Church' (March 12, 2017)
• Catholic Church in India condemns caste system in new policy document empowering Dalits (Dec. 20, 2016)
• Indian Dalits find no refuse from caste in Christianity (Sept. 14, 2010)
• Is the Church finally acting against India's caste system? (May 5, 2017)
• The Indian caste system is based on racism (Feb. 6, 2016)
• Dalit Life in Catholic Church of South India: Dimension of Discrimination (July 2013)
• Kerala Christians and the Caste System (1976)
• Introduction to Caste in Christianity: Case of Kerala (Nov. 27, 2015)
• South Indian Christians, Purity/Impurity, and the Caste System (by D. Mosse) (1996)
• India: Catholic bishops issue document on Dalits, condemn caste system (Dec. 18, 2016)
• Papal intervention sought to end Dalit discrimination in India (Sept. 11, 2019)
• Caste off: The plight of Catholic Dalits in India (Feb. 8, 2013)
• India's Christian Untouchables: Christian Dalits fight for equality in their communities and nation (Nov. 2012)
• Dalit Christians in India file complaint with UN against the Vatican (Accuse Church of rampant caste-based discrimination) (June 29, 2015)
• Separate cemeteries for Dalits (June 4, 2011)
• Unchristian things in the Indian Church (a chapter of a book)
• Pope Francis' silence disappoints India's Dalit Catholics (Oct. 16, 2019)
• Dalit Catholics continue to battle upper caste aggression (Aug. 2, 2015)

The Catholic Church and Racism -- 2

Pope Francis celebrating Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

Photo courtesy: Remo Casilli/Pool and AP via forbes.com/

Pope Francis in a recent Angelus prayer service condemned "the sin of racism" and the violence in the U.S. He said: "We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human being." He also specifically mentioned the police murder of George Floyd, a black person, in Minneapolis in the U.S.  To read more, click here. 

Please read the following to learn more on the Catholic Church and Racism:

• Archbishop Wilton Gregory on racism: Significant Moment for real national transition (June 5, 2020)
• Race and faith: the Catholic Church, clerical fascism, and the shaping of Italian anti-semitism and racism (Nov. 2018)
• The Catholic Church Takes on Racism (May 1, 2018)
• Catholic bishops take on racism in society and the church (Nov. 13, 2017)
• 5 Quotes From Pope Francis on Racism, Xenophobia and Immigration (May 15, 2017)
• Selection of quotes from Pope Francis on equality, fraternity, racism (June 3, 2020)
• Racism in Catholic Church 'driving minorities away' (Oct. 16, 2000)
• Interrupting White Privilege: Catholic Theologians Break the Silence (a book by Laurie M. Cassidy and Alex Mikulich, Editors) (2007)
• What Black Lives Matter can teach Catholics about racial injustice (Feb. 1, 2019)
• The sins of racism and family separation erode the sanctity of life (Feb. 9, 2019)
• Nigerian priest leaves German parish after receiving death threat (April 17, 2020)
• We liberal Catholics must get serious about racial justice (June 4, 2020)
• U.S. Bishops: Racism Is a Persistent Evil (Nov. 26, 2018)
• American Catholics, racism and imperialism (by David Doyle) (1968)
• The Catholic Church's shameful history of Native American abuses (January 20, 2019)
• Tennessee Catholic Priest Blames Racist Dog for His Rejection of New Black Cleaner (Aug. 14, 2019)
• When America Hated Catholics (In the late 19th century, statesmen feared that Catholic immigrants were less than civilized (and less than white) (Sept. 23, 2015)
• Black Catholics in the United States and the History of Race in the Church (Nov. 5, 2017)
• Black Catholics called to 'change the narrative' about race in America (July 10, 2017)
• Racism in the Catholic Church -- A Catholic Conversation (2018)
• White Catholics have 'to talk about race and to admit their racism' (July 27, 2016)
• Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good (2008)
• Catholic Church Should Confront Racism and Misogyny, Says Scholar (Oct. 15, 2018)
• Brothers and Sisters to Us (US Catholic Bishops' pastoral letter on Racism, 1979)
• Combatting Racism (USCCB: A collection of articles, write-ups, statements, etc.)
• The Church and Racism  (a document of the Pontifical Commission "Justitia et Pax") (Feb. 1989)
• Responding to the Sin of Racism 
• Practicing What We Preach: White Catholics and the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta (Fall 2005)

(The End)

To go to the beginning of this write-up, click on 

The Catholic Church and Racism -- 1

The Catholic Church and Racism -- 1

Several decade-old racist Catholic demonstration in the USA 
with the placard "Jesus did not choose nonwhite apostles," 
meaning 'Jesus chose white apostles.' 

Since the late 19th century, Jesus and his apostles, although being 
Jews were thought to belong to the Caucasoid race as the whites, 
Middle Eastern people, and most people of north-west and south 
India. Latter scientists began to propose that Semites -- Jews and 
other Middle Eastern people -- are not white, but brown or 
dark brown. To see how Jesus Christ really looked like, 
click on the following: The Real Face of Jesus  

Photo courtesy: stdominicsmedia.com/

Catholics participate in the black civil rights 
movement in the USA in the 1960s

Photo courtesy: Marquette University Archives via thrivingparish.org/

"What Is Racism? 

"Racism arises when—either consciously or unconsciously—a person holds that his or her own race or ethnicity is superior, and therefore judges persons of other races or ethnicities as inferior and unworthy of equal regard. When this conviction or attitude leads individuals or groups to exclude, ridicule, mistreat, or unjustly discriminate against persons on the basis of their race or ethnicity, it is sinful. Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love (Mt 22:39).

"Racism occurs because a person ignores the fundamental truth that, because all humans share a common origin, they are all brothers and sisters, all equally made in the image of God. When this truth is ignored, the consequence is prejudice and fear of the other, and—all too often—hatred. Cain forgets this truth in his hatred of his brother. Recall the words in the First Letter of John: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him” (1 Jn 3:15). Racism shares in the same evil that moved Cain to kill his brother. It arises from suppressing the truth that his brother Abel was also created in the image of God, a human equal to himself. Every racist act—every such comment, every joke, every disparaging look as a reaction to the color of skin, ethnicity, or place of origin—is a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister, created in the image of God. In these and in many other such acts, the sin of racism persists in our lives, in our country, and in our world. Racism comes in many forms. It can be seen in deliberate, sinful acts. In recent times, we have seen bold expressions of racism by groups as well as individuals. The re-appearance of symbols of hatred, such as nooses and swastikas in public spaces, is a tragic indicator of rising racial and ethnic animus. All too often, Hispanics and African Americans, for example, face discrimination in hiring, housing, educational opportunities, and incarceration. Racial profiling frequently targets Hispanics for selective immigration enforcement practices, and African Americans, for suspected criminal activity. There is also the growing fear and harassment of persons from majority Muslim countries. Extreme nationalist ideologies are feeding the American public discourse with xenophobic rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants, and refugees. Finally, too often racism comes in the form of the sin of omission, when individuals, communities, and even churches remain silent and fail to act against racial injustice when it is encountered." 
--Compiled from Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love -- a pastoral letter against racism (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 2018)

In spite of Biblical and Catholic Church teachings on love, justice, and human dignity and equality, a good number of Catholic Church members (both the laypersons and the hierarchy) are not immune from racist behaviour.   

To learn more about the positive and negative aspects of the Catholic Church and racism, please read the following:

• Catholic Church and race
• Racism, Inclusion, and Diversity
• Racism in the Catholic Church (Feb. 13, 2018)
• Race in the American Catholic Imagination (July 24, 2018)
• The Bishops' letter fails to recognize that racism is a white problem (Feb. 20, 2019)
• Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Racism (Fall 2009)
• There is time for the church to support black Catholics -- if it has the will to do so (Sept. 18, 2o19)
• americamagazine.org: BLACK CATHOLICS
• All Catholics must speak out for equality, against racism, say leaders (June 3, 2020)
• How can Catholics help lead the fight against racism? (May 29, 2020)
• In fits and starts, US Church moving to confront 'sin' of racism (April 8, 2019)
• The Catholic Church and the Race Question (a book by Yves Congar) (1953)
• Catholic Church sometimes has been part of racism problem, says Bishop (Nov. 14, 2017)
• The U.S. Catholic Church's last major effort on racism was in 1979, Charlottesville woke it up (Aug. 23, 2017)
• Catholicism and Racism (by C. Davis) (1998)
• Presidential Address: Confessions of a White Catholic Racist Theologian (by J. Nilson) (2003)
• Catholic Racism and Its Opponents (by J. Connelly) (2007)
• The Church and Racism (Feb. 1989)
• Institutional Racism and the Catholic Church (a book by Dolores Foster Williams)
• Can Prejudice Be Cured?; "The Theology of Racism"
• The History of Black Catholics in America (June 7, 2018)
• There Are More Black Catholics in the U.S. Than Members of the A.M.E. Church (Nov. 5, 2017)
• Pushing Back Against Racism (Feb. 22, 2019)
• Racism has no place within Catholicism (Feb. 4, 2019)
• In God's Image: Pastoral Letter on Racism (Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, USA) (Sept. 12, 2003)
• Combating Racism (US Conf. of Catholic Bishops)
• Racism, Xenophobia, and Migration in Italy, a Post-Catholic Country (by G. Dotti) (2020)
• Catholicism and the "Negro Question": Religion, Racism, and Antiracism in a Transnational Perspective (United States of America and Europe, 1934 - 1968) (Dec. 4, 2019)
• Racism in Italy (Wikipedia)
• More than half of Italians in poll say racist acts are justifiable (Nov. 12, 2019)
• "Framing Racism Post Vatican II: Critical Race Theory and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (by A. Moras, 2012)
• Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Racism (by Fred Kammer, S.J.) (June 11, 2019)
• Combatting racism through faith, education (March 2, 2020)
• U.S. church urged to turn attention to racism before fractures widen (July 15, 2016)
• Unpacking the Intersection of Race and Racism within Catholicism (2018)
• Catholic Social Teaching on Discrimination and Racism

(Continued)

President Donald Trump in Cartoons

Cartoon courtesy: ottawaherald.com/

The world, especially the U.S., is gripped with the consequences of the childish behaviour of President Donald Trump. His narcissism, irresponsibility, quirkiness, constant belittling of others, and total lack of love and empathy are causing many people to suffer unnecessarily. 

You may see the reflection of this in the following cartoons, provided by the U.S. News and World Report website: 

• Cartoons on President Donald Trump (Click on the first cartoon and then click on the arrow on the right one by one to view more than 800 cartoons on President Donald Trump)

The Racial Killing of George Floyd and the Catholic Church Reactions

George Floyd of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA,
was brutally killed by police on May  26

Photo courtesy: nytimes.com/

A mural of George Floyd of Minnesota, USA

Photo courtesy: medium.com/

Police arrested George Floyd, an African-American man, on a complaint of passing a spurious 20-dollar bill in a store in Minneapolis on May 27. He was handcuffed and the police tried to place him in a police vehicle but failed as he was unwilling to enter the vehicle saying that he was claustrophobic. Then four policemen pinned him to the ground with their knees. In spite of his cries, " I can't breathe," " I can't breathe," one policeman, Mr. Derek Chavin, kept on pressing his knee on his neck for minutes. When his limping body was taken to hospital, he was pronounced dead.

The whole scene of arrest and policemen's brutal behaviour toward him was videotaped by more than one spectator. The videos became viral and spread throughout the world like wildfire. Condemnation and anger were expressed around the world including the USA against this blatant racism. 

The U.S. Catholic Church leaders were quick to express their resentment and outrage, too. A number of priests, bishops, laypersons, and Catholic charities and organizations condemned the racist and dreadful behaviour of the policemen and demanded justice for it. 

 On May 29, U.S. Bishop Chairmen (of seven committees of U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops) gave a statement in the wake of the death of George Floyd and national protests, saying: "We are broken-hearted, sickened, and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our own eyes. What's more astounding is that this is happening within mere weeks of several other such occurrences. This is the latest wake-up call that needs to be answered by each of us in a spirit of determined conversion." 

The statement also said: "We cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice."

 On May 31, Archbishop Jose H. Gomes of Los Angeles and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a separate statement said: "The killing of George Floyd was senseless and brutal, a sin that cries out to heaven for justice. How is it possible that in America, a black man's life can be taken from him while calls for help are not answered, and his killing is recorded as it happens?

"I am praying for George Floyd and his loved ones, and on behalf of my brother bishops, I share the outrage of the black community and those who stand with them in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and across the country. The cruelty and violence he suffered does not reflect on the majority of good men and women in law enforcement, who carry out their duties with honor. We know that. And we trust that civil authorities will investigate his killing carefully and make sure those responsible are held accountable."

It further states, "We should not let it be said that George Floyd died for no reason. We should honor the sacrifice of his life by removing racism and hate from our hearts and renewing our commitment to fulfill our nation's sacred promise -- to be a beloved community of life, liberty, and equality for all."

The Catholic Church has its own drawbacks, too. It needs to be consistent, insistent, and striving all time to see changes in the discriminatory behaviour in all spheres of life. Its own people are not immune from racism, casteism (especially in south India, where the higher caste Catholics have separate seats in certain churches and separate graveyards than the low-caste Catholics), and other types of injustices. 

For more details, please read the following: 

• Killing of George Floyd exposes blind spot on racism, Catholic advocates say (May 27, 2020)
• After death of George Floyd Minnesota Catholics pray for justice (May 29, 2020)
• Bishops call racism a 'real and present danger' in aftermath of death of George Floyd in Minneapolis (May 29, 2020)
• Statement of U.S. Bishop Chairmen in Wake of Death of George Floyd and National Protests (May 29, 2020)
• Pandemic hinders Catholic response to Minneapolis killing (May 29, 2020)
• Racism 'at heart' of man's death at hands of police, says Pax Christi USA(May 29, 2020)
• Christ can overcome racism, Minnesota priest says at George Floyd prayer service (May 30, 2020)
• Cardinal O'Malley reacts to Floyd's killing (May 30, 2020)
• Catholic Charities USA Condemns Killing of George Floyd (May 30, 2020)
• 'Racism is not a thing of the past' -- US bishops respond to George Floyd killing (May 30, 2020)
• Bishops 'sickened' by Floyd's death, say racism 'real and present danger' (May 31, 2020)
• Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, on the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath (May 31, 2020)
• Crux: George Floyd

Coronavirus Outbreak Provides A Hey Day To The Sin Counters

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke 

Photo courtesy: Public Radio International

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano

Photo courtesy: dailymail.co.uk/

Evangelical pastor Rick Wiles

Photo courtesy: TruNews via nypost.com/ 

COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is providing a centre stage to the sin counters of various religions.  These self-righteous and judging-condemning people see things in black and white -- sinfulness and holiness. There is no grey area in their sight. They have been pontificating that this pestilence outbreak is a chastisement, punishment, or retribution for sins of abortion, fornication, homosexuality, and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) practices.  

This widespread virus attack and death in the world has levelled everything -- casteism, racism, feeling and practice of superiority and inferiority, richness and poverty, educational and intellectual pride and humbleness of illiteracy -- into a single line. 

Yet, we find that some religious leaders are shouting from the rooftops how God's severe punishment is befalling on the sinners of particular infractions. They are, as if, enjoying their hurtful pontification. 

When people are suffering so badly, when they are in anxiety, and unsure of their future earnings, this type of religious judgment and condemnation is not only pathetic but also shameful. Now is the time when suffering and anxiety-filled populace needs words of comfort, encouragement, and God's love and mercy all the more. 

It is easy to pontificate being in a comfortable and pompous position, but difficult in being in the real, hard, and suffering world. Religious leaders usually are well-trained and well-read in the teachings and practices of their religions. They easily understand and realize what is right and wrong, what verbalizations and actions go against the teachings of God. How many of the COVID-19 virus sufferers have the capacity for understanding and realizing the rightfulness or wrongfulness of their actions? 

If God really punished people for their serious sins, he would do it all the time in world history. According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Adam and Eve are the first man and woman created by God the almighty. Through the disobedience of God's command, they committed the first sin of mankind and were banished to the world from the blissful Garden of Eden. Their sin is called the Original Sin or Ancestral Sin, which gave rise to other sins of mankind. 

If God really took retribution for serious sins through natural disasters (cyclones, hurricanes, volcanoes, thunderstorms, famines, plagues, and pestilences, and man-made disasters like ethnic cleansings, murders, persecutions, revolts, wars, abductions and rapes of women, mafia and gang violence and human traffickings, usurpation of lands and properties, fornications, adulteries, and homosexualities), the world would really be depopulated by this time. The Bible speaks of God's punishment for human sins. According to the Bible description, the creation of the first human beings (Adam and Eve) occurred about five to ten thousand years ago. But in the real world, we find the existence of human beings (through skeletons and other artifacts) in different parts of the world as old as 100,000 to 300,000 years old. So, there were human beings even before Adam and Eve. Why didn't God punish the pre-Adamite peoples for their sins? Were the pre-Adamites sinless peoples?

Later in history, especially in the Middle Ages, we see how the Catholic Church and a number of its clergy in Europe and some colonies committed persecution of and injustice against apostates and heretics -- including people of other Christian denominations and religions, 'witches,' and others who did not follow Catholic Church teachings. What about the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) in Europe, the First World War (1914-1918), and the Second World War (1939-1945)? How cruel and barbarously evil methods were used in persecuting, killing and maiming of thousands and millions of people? People of other religions also had their own types of sins and injustices. Where was God in those evil times? Why didn't God chastise or punish them?

We see in the first several hundred years of its existence, married clergy were allowed in the Catholic Church. A good number of these priests, bishops, cardinals, and popes had engaged in adulteries, child sex abuses, rapes, illegally giving away church funds and properties to their children and concubines. To redress this situation, the celibate (unmarried) priesthood was introduced for unhindered and fulltime devotion and service to the Lord Jesus and his Church. That change also could not do away the normal human weaknesses and sins of the celibate priests and bishops. This has been well-proven in the last four decades when a good portion of the Catholic clergy (priests, bishops, and cardinals) were engaged in child sex abuses, bisexuality, homosexuality, heterosexuality (sexing with women or nuns, and, in a good number of cases, siring children and secretly paying church funds for their upkeep), misuse or embezzlement of church funds, and so and so forth. The cover-ups of these crimes and sins by their superiors were tantamount to participation in others' sins.  Why didn't God punish these clergy sinners en masse?    

Jesus Christ, who is believed by Christians, to be the second person of the blessed Trinity of God, himself said that sickness is not a punishment from God. We read in the Gospel of John 9:1-3: Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him."

Please read the following for details on the recent COVID-19 outbreak:

Coronavirus Is a Chastisement For Sins

• Assessing the Pope's responsibility in the chastisement of coronavirus (March 31, 2020)
• One of Trump's Favorite Pastors Says, "All Natural Disasters Can Ultimately Be Traced to Sin" (March 14, 2020)
• The Coronavirus and God (March 16, 2020)
• Is the coronavirus an act of God? Faith leaders debate tough questions amid pandemic (April 2, 2020)
• Coronavirus is punishment from God, Pa. lawyer suggests; calls for statewide day of atonement (March 24, 2020)
• 'Presumptuous sins': Pennsylvania lawmaker says coronavirus is divine 'punishment' (March 25, 2020)
• Coronavirus is Punishment for 'LGBT Sin,' Says Far-Right Pastor (March 6, 2020)
• Religious conservatives are blaming gay people for coronavirus (March 12, 2020)
• COVID-19 pandemic: The world's religions and coronavirus (March 16, 2020)
• Rabbi: Coronavirus 'divine retribution' for gay pride parades (March 2020)
• Islamic Scholar Who Called Coronavirus 'Act of Allah' Gets Infected (March 9, 2020)
• Why coronavirus is a punishment from God that should lead to repentance (March 12, 2020)
• Conservative pastor blames coronavirus on same-sex marriage (March 20, 2020)
• 'God's punishment': Muted Nowruz in Afghanistan over coronavirus (March 2o, 2020)
• God's vengeance: the Christian right and the coronavirus (March 27, 2020)
• Natural Disasters Are Part of Original Sin (Sept 27, 2017)
• [Video] 'It's About Sin!' Hermit says coronavirus is a 'chastisement' (March 24, 2020)
• Evangelical pastor claims coronavirus is God's 'death angel' to 'purge a lot of sin' (January 29, 2020)
• Top pro-life leader: coronavirus pandemic is 'chastisement' for sin of abortion (March 24, 2020)
• Irvin Baxter Says Coronavirus Is a Warning From God About the Sin of Fornication (March 27, 2020)
• Pastor: Coronavirus is a Warning from God Because Only 5% of Brides Are Virgins (March 27, 2020)
• Conservative pastor says spread of coronavirus in synagogues is punishment from God (March 29, 2020)
• Insane End Times Preacher: Coronavirus Came About Because of Fornication (March 30, 2020)
• Kenneth Copeland: Fear of the Coronavirus 'Is Not OK -- It Is Sin' (March 11, 2020)
• Coronavirus: Sermon of Saturday March 7, 2020 at Saint-Nicolaus-du-Chardonnet (Paris) (March 16, 2020)
• The 11th Plague? Pastor Claims Coronavirus is God's Punishment for Sin (January 31, 2020)
• [Video] Pastor says coronavirus will "purge sin off our planet" (Feb. 3, 2020)

Coronavirus Is Not Punishment For Sins

• Can God Use the Coronavirus for Good? (March 19, 2020)
• WATCH: Pope Francis blames coronavirus on nature 'having a fit' over environmental damage (March 24, 2020)
• Faith leaders reject the idea that coronavirus is punishment from God for a sinful world (March 25, 2020)
• There is nothing pro-life about exploiting a pandemic to further a political agenda (April 4, 2020)
• Is the coronavirus an act of God? Faith leaders debate tough questions amid pandemic (April 5, 2020)
• No, God Did Not Send Coronavirus To Punish Us for Sin (April 2020)
• Is the Coronavirus Evil? (March 17, 2020)
• Why Zika, and Other Viruses Don't Disprove God's Goodness? (A microbiologist reflects on the problem of evil in human diseases) (August 14, 2018)

Should People Attend Church Services En Masse?

• Vatican says public will not be admitted to papal Holy Week liturgies (March 16, 2020)
• Vatican extends lockdown measures to Easter Monday (April 3, 2020)
• Vatican says general absolution may be permissible during pandemic (March 20, 2020)
• Coronavirus may cause 'grave necessity' for general absolution, Vatican says (March 20, 2020)
• Message on the Combat against the Coronavirus COVID-19 (March 21, 2020)
• Cardinal Burke says faithful should attend Mass despite coronavirus (March 24, 2020)
• Bishop Sneider: Priest don't have to obey bishops, govt who suspend Mass over COVID-19 (March 30, 2020)

Pope Francis Defrocks Kerala Priest For Serious Sexual Misconduct

Father Robin Vadakkumchery of Kerala, India

Photo courtesy: newindianexpress.com/

Pope Francis recently defrocked Father Robin Vadakkumchery who was convicted earlier by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) court of Thalassery, Kerala, India, for raping and impregnating a 16-year-old girl in 2016, reports the New Indian Express. The court had jailed him for 20 years and imposed a fine of 300,000 Indian rupees (US$4,300) to be paid as compensation to the victim. 

Father Vadakkumchery was a manager and teacher at the Catholic school where the girl was studying. On February 7, 2017, she gave birth to a child that has been sent to a Catholic orphanage.

On February 27, 2017, Mananthavady Catholic diocese had suspended Father Vadakkunchery from priestly duties and formed a committee for further investigation.

For further details, please read the following:

• Pope Francis defrocks rape convict Kerala priest Robin Vadakkumchery (March 1, 2020)
• Vatican dismisses Indian priest jailed for rape (March 2, 2020)
• Jailed for 20 years, rape-convict Kerala vicar defrocked by Pope Francis (March 2, 2020)
• Pope defrocks priest convicted in rape case (March 2, 2020)

Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche Communities, Sexually Abused Women

Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche International 
for developmentally disabled persons

Photo courtesy: och.fr/

Jean Vanier, born in Switzerland and domiciled in both France and Canada, was a philosopher, theologian, and social activist. He was the founder of the world-renowned charity, L'Arche International, that helped thousands of developmentally disabled persons in 38 countries on five continents. In spite of his monumental achievements, he was as weak as any other human being. An internal investigative report of the same organization in France has found that he has sexually abused at least six women, who were not handicapped. 

The report, publicly released on February 22, speaks of Jean Vanier's "manipulative sexual relationship" over the victims in the period from 1970 to 2005. He is said to have used his power over them "to take advantage of them." Jean Vanier died on May 7 of 2019 at the age of 90. 

"The alleged victims felt deprived of their free will and so the sexual activity was coerced or took place under coercive conditions," the report said. 

It is notable that Father Thomas Phillippe of France was the co-founder of the L'Arche. He died in 1993. There are allegations of similar sexual misconduct against Father Philippe, too. 

Jean Vanier's work with disabled persons won international attention and appreciation. Last year, Pope Francis also praised his work. 

Dozens of schools and other institutions have been named after him and some of them are actively thinking to change their names.

Jean Vanier had received a number of accolades, awards, and honours worldwide, such as the Order of Canada -- 1972, the Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec (Canada) -- 1992, Legion of Honour (France), Rabbi Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award -- 2001, the Community of Christ International Peace Award -- 2003, the Globe and Mail's Nation Builder Award -- 2008, the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award (from the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa) -- 2013, the Templeton Prize (Great Britain) -- 2015, Canada's Mennonite University's PAX award -- 2015, the Peace Abbey Foundation (USA) International Courage of Conscience Award -- 2016, the Gaudium et Spes Prize, L'Ordre des Chevaliers de Colomb -- 2005, the Notre Dame Award (University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA), Paul VI International Prize, Loyola Medal (of the Concordia University, Canada), Writers' Trust of Canada's Gordon Montador Award (for his book Becoming Human), and official naming of the 'Asteroid 8604' to 'Vanier' -- 2010.   Some authorities of these awards and honours are thinking to revoke them. The University of Notre Dame already revoked its award on Feb. 26. 

It is also notable that Jean Vanier had written 30 books on philosophy, theology, and intellectual disability, including Tears of Silence (1970), Followers of Jesus (1976), I Walk With Jesus (1985), The Broken Body (1988), and Becoming Human (1998). 

Two documentary films were also made on his life and work.

For more details, please read the following:

• L'Arche founder Jean Vanier sexually abused at least six women, report finds (Feb. 21, 2020)
• Jean Vanier had 'manipulative' sexual relationships with six women, says report (Feb. 22, 2020)
• L'Arche charity founder Jean Vanier sexually abuse six women, report finds (Feb. 22, 2020)
• Jean Vanier had 'manipulative' sexual relationships with six women, says report (Feb. 22, 2020)
• Canadian L'Arche group shocked by report founder sexually abused women (Feb. 22, 2020)
• Catholic community struggling amid report charity founder Jean Vanier sexually abused six women (Feb. 22, 2020)
• Winnipeg L'Arche community 'sick to their stomach' over revelations of sex abuse by founder (Feb. 22, 2020)
• How can I reconcile the good and evil of Jean Vanier? (Feb. 22, 2020)
• Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School considers name change in light of sex abuse scandal (Feb. 23, 2020)
• Beyond Jean Vanier: Protecting the legacy of service to the vulnerable (Feb. 23, 2020)
• Johnson: Moral Blindness and the fall of Jean Vanier (Feb. 26, 2020)
• University of Notre Dame revokes awards give to L'Arche founder Vanier (Feb. 26, 2020)
• A Light Extinguished (Jean Vanier and the betrayal of trust) (Feb. 29, 2020)

(Updated on March 2, 2020)