288 newly baptized in Mumbai, a sign that the Church is alive beyond scandals
(April 07, 2010) "The 288 adults baptized throughout the diocese of Mumbai" in
India’s western Maharashtra State, is a sign that the Church is alive despite all
scandals, and a sign that the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus still
brings hope, joy, comfort”. This was the central message of the homily for the
Easter vigil given by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay in the city’s
Cathedral. Devoting a part of his homily to a passionate defence against the
accusations against Pope Benedict XVI that have appeared in the media about alleged
"concealment" of sexual crimes of certain priests, Cardinal Gracias said "The accusations
of inaction on the part of Catholic Church, are absolutely false. He said he was
in Rome at the time, when the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II called the cardinals
to discuss how to handle the situation and find a solution to the problem. Cardinal
Gracias said “ I am also personally aware that Pope Benedict XVI, when he was Cardinal
Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, he issued a document
to all bishops, to take the situation of abuses very seriously and put them on par
with serious crimes such as sacrilege. Cardinal Gracias announced that in the
coming weeks, the Indian Bishops' Conference will gather to study the issue. and draw
up guidelines on how to tackle these problems. He also said he has written "a personal
letter to the Pope, assuring the solidarity of the Episcopal Conference and the Indian
people." According to Cardinal Gracias there is an "orchestrated attack" against
the pope.