Indian Archbishop scripts reflections for Pope's Way of the Cross on Good Friday

(April 9, 2009) The sufferings of Christians and the Catholic Church in India will be brought to the world’s attention on Good Friday when Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the Way of the Cross at the Coliseum in Rome. Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, in northeastern India’s Assam state, was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI to write the reflections and prayers for this traditional Catholic devotion, which focuses on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The ceremony will be broadcast worldwide by TV and Radio and other media.
When the Vatican broke the news mid-March, it noted how in recent years, “the Pope, in solidarity with the suffering Christians, has called on Church leaders from persecuted Churches to prepare the meditations and prayers to be used at the Good Friday devotion.” It expected Archbishop Menamparampil to refer to “Christians who suffer persecution in India and in other countries, as well to the violence that destroys ethnic and religious groups, and to conflicts fuelled by economic interests.”
India is officially a secular state, and the vast majority of its more than 1 billion citizens are Hindus. Over the past few years, anti-Christian attacks have increased in the country. In the last quarter of 2008, Hindu extremists in the eastern state of Orissa killed more than 60 people and displaced about 50,000.
Speaking to Fides, a Vatican news agency, Archbishop Menamparampil said that in writing his reflections, he sought to integrate Indian culture and Christian tradition, using concepts such as ahimsa, often translated as non-violence, which fully express the way in which Christ accepted and suffered his sufferings with serenity and strength of spirit. He drew also on other aspects of Indian culture, linked to contemplation, silence, spiritual depth, self-denial, sacrifice as well as the concept of harmony, which expresses “co-existence amidst differences.”
This is the second consecutive year that the Pope has thrown the spotlight on Asia. Last year he asked Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong to write his reflections.
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati has described the opportunity to write this year's Good Friday Way of the Cross as “an expression of the Holy Father's closeness to the persecuted Christians in India who are victims of attacks simply because of their faith in Christ." The archbishop said his choice by Benedict XVI was a sign that “His Holiness regards very highly the identity of Asia, the cradle of civilisation. Moreover, our Holy Father has a prophetic vision for Asia, a continent much cherished by him and his pontificate."
Archbishop Menamparmpil drew his reflections from two months of visiting his suffering flock. “I have spent about two months in personal reflection in carrying out this beautiful task, as I carried out intense evangelization and formation activities in the diocesan territory and beyond,” he explained to Fides. “Many times I was in isolated towns, without public facilities or electrical current. Sometimes I wrote down my notes on sheets of paper, during the night. I tried to immerse myself in the person of Jesus and, while I was on my pastoral trips, I was able to perceive first-hand the agony of mankind today, seeing so many people suffer from illnesses, hunger, and misery.” During these difficult times, he continued, “I have tried to let myself be led by hope. In spite of the tragic situations around us, as Christians we are called to share in the hope of the weak and those who suffer. This is our mission.” “I have also tried to perceive the problem of evil, which is part of the spiritual battle of every Christian, myself included. I tried to respond to the question: Why do innocent people suffer? And I have lifted my gaze to the Cross, to Christ Innocent, who suffered for us,” he said.
Hailed as an apostle of peace, Archbishop Menamparampil has been untiringly working towards resolving conflicts, which afflict the region. There are many tensions in his state, and he has often engaged in peace mediation between tribal leaders, seeking to resolve ethnic clashes. Last year, he worked behind the scenes to end communal violence in Udalguri and Darrang districts in lower Assam. He was instrumental in setting up the Peace Centre in Guwahati, an institution for studying the theory and practice of reconciliation, non-violence and peace.
Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil was born in Kerala state, south India, in 1936 and came to the Northeast in 1961 after completing his college education in Darjeeling. He studied theology in Shillong and became a priest in 1965. He became a bishop in Dibrugarh in 1981 and came to Guwahati in 1992. He was appointed the Archbishop of Guwahati in 1995.