"Day for Justice": Indian Bishops deplore the arms race
New Delhi, 20 August 2013: To re-launch a message of "Social Justice in India" and
say "no" to the arms race, rediscovering the encyclical "Pacem in Terris" of Pope
John XXIII, 50 years after its publication: is what the Bishops' Conference of India
proposed with regards to the "Day for Justice", celebrated on Sunday, 18 August, by
the Indian Church. According to Fides News Agency, all the dioceses of India celebrated
the Day and the Commission "Justice, Peace and Development" of the Conference of Catholic
Bishops issued a message asking the faithful Indians "to inspire each of their action
to the fundamental principles that guide the encyclical", which are: truth, justice,
love and freedom.
Pacem in Terris "recommends a new spirituality and a culture
of peace", says the message sent out by local Churches in India, "starting with the
recognition of human dignity and respect for the rights of every person in all human
relationships". These principles need to be urgently applied to the context of Indian
society, together with those indicating "dialogue to resolve all disputes".
The
Bishops’ text recalls, in particular, the steps of the encyclical that insist on "the
cessation of the arms race", and says: "Such recommendation has a particular significance
and relevance in the Indian context: India, in fact, is the largest importer of weapons
in the world", and is one of the 24 countries that abstained during the vote of the
UN Arms Trade Treaty in April 2013.The "Day for Justice", now in its 30th edition,
is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday after the Independence Day of India , and
intends to "make people and institutions sensitive to the reality of society and to
respond to the demands of justice". Source: Fides