2010-04-07 15:39:04

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.









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