Courtesy: The Hindu

Catholic bishops reiterate commitment to educating the marginalized 

• Over 70 p.c. of students in Catholic institutions from among the poor
• Marginalised groups being targeted in education intervention programme

Bangalore, Feb 11: Catholic bishops gathered here to attend the 27th general body meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) have reiterated the commitment of the Church to educating the marginalised. The theme of the deliberations on the third day of the meeting was "Catholic education and the Church's concern for the marginalised."

Speaking to presspersons here on Friday February 10, Archbishop Thomas Menamprampil of Guwahati said education has always been a central concern of the Church. Due to the efforts of the Church, the literacy rate in the north-eastern part of the country has increased tremendously, he said.

Rev. Babu Joseph, CBCI spokesperson, said the bishops discussed the importance of educating all those who are socially, economically, culturally and politically marginalised in the country. "The marginalised are further discriminated against by caste, exclusion, displacement, lack of opportunities, forced migration, child labour, unemployment, faulty development paradigms, fierce competition, fundamentalism and globalisation," he said.

The Church in India is committed to educating and empowering people to become integral, holistic and capable of making conscientious choices for the good of society, he said. Over 70 per cent of the students in Church institutions come from the economically weaker sections of society, he said. "The Church has made these marginalised groups high-priority targets for its education intervention in society. Tribals, Dalits, women, the differently abled and people from economically and socially oppressed sections will be given preference over others in our educational institutions," he added.

Explaining the activities of the Church in the north-east, Archbishop Menamprampil said the Church is active in ensuring peace in the region by initiating talks with warring ethnic groups. "There are over 400 ethnic groups in the region. Representatives of the Church have played a key role in establishing peace there by holding discussions with respected individuals of the groups and society," he said. He also said that the Assam Government has recognised the role of the Church in this regard.

"It is a risky job, but someone has to do it to ensure peace in the region. Over the years, many Fathers have become the victims of violence," he said.

The Archbishop said the Church recently introduced a peace programme in the syllabus. Children learn about the ill effects of prejudice and also about the ideals of great personalities. The University of Guwahati recently introduced a peace course, he added.