Archbishop asks priests, nuns to get out of structures

March 6, 2012: Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, who retired recently as Guwahati prelate, has asked priests and nuns to get out of their structures and work for society at large.
“We belong to all. If we want to build a strong Church, we must become effective and serviceable to the larger society,” the prelate told at the installation ceremony of his successor, Archbishop John Moolachira.
Hundreds of people yesterday attended the ceremony at the new cathedral in Dispur, the capital of North Eastern state of Assam.
Archbishop Menamparampil reminded the priests and nuns that loyalty to the Church did not mean they should only care for the Church and its people. “It is an inclusive loyalty” to all people and common good, he asserted.
The Salesian prelate, who advocated “whispering Gospel to the soul of Asia” as the best method of evangelization in the continent, said only “genuinely spiritual atmosphere” attracts people, not “elaborate structures and organizational setups.”
Society gets divided when people get embroiled in petty issue, noted the Church leader who has worked for peace reconciliation among various warring ethnic groups in northeastern India.
“When we come to the real point, we belong together,” he said and added everyone appreciated “sincerity of purpose and simplicity of heart.”
He also urged the gathering to help the Church find common causes to work with mainstream society. He said violence, corruption, environmental degradation and attack on cultures affect the common good of society and all sections should work together to overcome such problems.
Archbishop Moolachira sought the help of all sections of society to make the archdiocese serve the people of Assam. He noted Christians formed only 5 percent of Assam’s 31 million people.