Seminary Rectors to tackle Hindu fundamentalism

(October 03, 2009) The Association of Rectors of Major Seminaries of India (ARMS) plans to tackle the problem of Hindu fundamentalism that its says is the biggest threat to the Church and India as a whole. Father Joseph Prasad Pinto, ARMS' newly elected president and rector of Ranchi's St. Albert's College, said that the Rectors wanted to find a solution to growing sectarianism and attacks on religious minority groups, including Catholic priests working in remote areas in the country. "We want to prepare our future priests to face" the problem before it catches them unawares, he said. Seminaries can play a "great role" in the fight against sectarianism as they prepare future priests who work among "Christians and others alike," he added. He noted that Christians cannot accept Hindu fundamentalist ideology if it discriminates separates and divides people on the basis of religion. Furthermore, Catholic priests should help people understand Hinduism's positive aspects and Hindu fundamentalism's negative teachings that threaten the nation, the priest stressed. Rectors from 53 of 141 major seminaries belonging to the Latin-rite Church recently discussed how to bring about changes in seminary formation to respond effectively to various issues facing the Church and society, including sectarianism. Their September 25-28 meeting in Ranchi, eastern India, had as its theme: "Formation for Mission in Today's Context." Father Pinto said the rectors realized the need to review major seminaries' training programs to effectively address sectarianism.