Church Leaders call for accountability

August 05, 2011: Religious from the North-Ecclesiastical region of India have stressed upon the need for evangelical accountability by Church ministers. “We are accountable to the people in our commitment to evangelization,” said Franciscan Brother Lawrence, President of the regional Conference of Religious of India (CRI). The region’s 35 religious leaders, including four bishops and 24 Major Superiors, working in the area met at the CRI House at Indian capital Delhi, on July 30.
The main theme of the day was the question of accountability of Church personnel especially in the context of sex abuse cases which are destroying the credibility of evangelization worldwide. It was felt that the Indian Church must take proactive measures to reduce such cases and put in place proper mechanisms to address the issue. Elaborating on the issue, Archbishop Vincent Concessao of Delhi spoke of the overall accountability. “We have to be seen as credible apostles of Jesus Christ addressing people’s concerns,” he said.
Sister Agnes, a Medical Mission Sister and the main resource person, spoke of her experience of working as a counselor in India and abroad. She said the need of the hour was to help the persons in difficulty in relation to sex abuse. Many participants expressed their concerns and shared views on the ongoing process of formulating guidelines. It was regretted that the national effort by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and CRI is yet to find the light of the day.