Rome synod told Indian tribals find it easy to accept Christ

(October 10, 2008) An Indian bishop has told the ongoing synod of bishops in Rome that the tribal community from where he comes finds it easy to accept the person of Jesus Christ as God who heals, loves and teaches. Addressing the synod assembly on Friday morning, Bishop Charles Soreng of Hazaribagh from Jharhkhand state said he himself was one of the nearly 1.8 million tribal Catholics spread across different parts of India. “In the tribal religion,” he said, “God has manifested himself through nature,” and that “it is very easy for them to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of the Supreme Being” who manifests the Father's love in his deeds of healing and love, teachings and parables. Bishop Soreng said that the Word of God has the power to build community leading the people to live as a Eucharistic communion in witness and service.
The 12th Ordinary general assembly of the synod of bishops, in session in rome from Oct. 5th to 26 is discussing the theme, “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church”. 237 synod fathers attended the morning session on Friday in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI. Myanmar Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon also addressed the session saying the Word of God in his country leads to the love of neighbour. Quoting Pope Benedict’s encyclical ‘Deus Caritas Est” or “God is Love”, he said, "The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word.” The Gospel mandate of 'feeding the hungry, clothing the naked', Archbishop Bo said, came forcefully after the recent attack of the deadly cyclone Nargis. Nearly 150,000 people died and 2 million people became refugees in their own land. The nation was in mourning. “With the help of the Lord we have brought life back to many communities,” he added.