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| James Kottoor |
INDIAN CURRENTS 03 - 09 February 2014 37
(The writer can be contacted at:
jameskottoor@gmail.com)
The new full form of AAP
is: Aam Aadmi Pope.
He in fact was the first
to herald the dawn of aam aadmi
culture in Vatican and among the
high and mighty world leaders.
He did it after sweeping out the
VVIP Imperial culture telling all
in their face: “Carnival time is
over”. Only he was not called aam
aadmi Pope then.
Now the mindboggling
challenge hurled at over 200
bishops who are to meet at the
Catholic Bishops Conference
of India (CBCI) conference due
to begin in Palai, Kerala, on
February 5 is simply this: Become
Aaam Aadmi Pastors like Pope
Francis. Will their week-long
sitting succeed to give at least an
Aam Aadmi facelift and the much
needed structural change to the
Indian Episcopal conference?
Pappa Francis has been always
talking of a “poor church for
the poor”. Our bishops surely
can do this instantly and at little
cost. How? Just imitate the new
political outfit called Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) even if it may look
humiliating for those expected to
be role models in society. Bowing
to truth, wherever you find it, is
not humiliating, but ennobling.
Simply declare and proclaim at
the very outset:
“We the Catholic Bishops of
India renounce and reject for
good the VVIP, flashy, flamboyant
culture starting with our addiction
to a soothing royal, imperial, godly
but outdated honorific titles and
appellations like: Your Eminence,
Your Grace, Your Highness, Your
Excellency, Monsignor, Most Rev.,
Very Rev., Rt. Rev., and so on
and the all too costly life style in
palaces and moving about in posh
cars – even imported bulletproof
ones reportedly -- and all sorts of
dressing up for public display like
the newly-weds, in silk and satin,
gold and silver and matching
head gears reminiscent of princes
of a dead bygone era, and the
company of a coterie of “yesmen”
when in public space.”
