Asian Journal of Religious Studies

January-February 2020 65/1

Contents Editorial: Pope Francis as the Person of the Decade...... 3 Reclaiming the Secular Spirituality of Diocesan Priests . 8 Victor Ferrao From Amazon: Lessons for the Asian Church ...... 18 Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ Daddy, Darling: An Interview with Cyril Desbruslais.... 27

Fully Human and Fully Alive ...... 31 Anil Thomas CM

ACPI Statement: Rediscovering the Healthy Scientific Temper ...... 40

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Asian Journal of Religious Studies (formerly AUC or Apostolic Union for ) is a pastoral journal for Christian leaders. It is a bimonthly published from the Papal Seminary, Pune 411014. Inspiring and short articles beneficial for Christian leaders are welcome. Editor: Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ Circulation: Stephen Jayard Section Editors: Pastoral Theology: V M Jose SJ Christology: Francis Gonsalves SJ Scripture: Paul Raj Homiletics: Nishant Irudayadason Moral Theology: J. Thayil Counselling: V.Crasta & G. Cordeiro Indian Religions: Prasad Lankapalli. SJ Mysticism: George Karuvelil SJ Administration: Dinesh Braganza Management: Karunaidass & Patras Kujur Finance: Alex G SJ Printed at: Kunal Offset, Pune Typeset at: Papal Seminary Centenary Computer Centre Donations are accepted either by M.O. or D.D. If sent by cheque, please add Rs. 15 as bank commission. Suggested amount: Rs. 100 (in India); $ 5 (in Asia); $/Euro 12 (in Europe & America). Cheques and DD in favour of APOSTOLIC UNION Address all correspondence (incl. DD) to: The Editor, AUC, Papal Seminary, Pune 411014, India Email: [email protected]

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Editorial

Pope Francis as the Person of the Decade

The most significant change in the last decade of the Church is the message of joy, hope and peace that Pope Francis has been able to spread to the world and to the Church. The first Jesuit pope and the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years, Francis has differed significantly from his predecessors with his outspoken style and his approach to leading the church. His comments on poverty, church reform, climate change and divorce have made headlines around the world. The New York Times detailed eight ways the Pope is changing the Church on July 6, 2015, about two years after he became Pope.

1. He Criticized the 'Cult of Money' Driving the World Financial System Francis’ emphasis on the poor, and a style that is more akin to that of a parish priest, albeit one with a billion parishioners, was transforming perceptions within weeks of his selection. In a speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See in May 2013, Francis spoke of the need for more ethics in finance. “We have created new idols," he said. "The worship of the golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 3 cult of money and the dictatorship of an economy which is faceless and lacking any truly humane goal.”

2. He's Not Afraid to Criticize the Church Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis sent shock waves through the Roman with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite criticism. His comments came in a long interview in which he criticized the church for putting dogma before love, and for prioritizing moral doctrines over serving the poor and marginalized. He articulated his vision of an inclusive church, a “home for all” — a striking contrast with his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who envisioned a smaller, purer church. Further, in a challenge to the Vatican hierarchy, Francis called for decentralizing power in the church, saying the Vatican and even the pope must collaborate with bishops, laypeople and in particular women.

3. Not Afraid to Change Its Structure and Leadership Francis took on a Vatican bureaucracy so plagued by intrigue and inertia that it contributed, numerous church officials now believe, to Benedict's resignation. Francis replaced traditionalists with moderates as the church prepared for important debates about the Vatican's decision- making process and the nature of the family. He also started to break up the rival blocs of Italians with entrenched influence in the Roman Curia, the Vatican administration. He increased financial transparency in the

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Vatican Bank and upended the career ladder that many prelates have spent their lives climbing.

4. He Endorsed the 'State of Palestine' Pope Francis put himself directly into the collapsed Middle East peace process in May 2014, issuing an invitation to host the Israeli and Palestinian presidents for a prayer summit meeting at his apartment in the Vatican. Francis took the unexpected step in Bethlehem, where he became the first pontiff ever to fly directly into the West Bank and to refer to the Israeli-occupied territory as the “State of Palestine.” After describing the overall situation between Israel and the Palestinians as “increasingly unacceptable,” the pope made a dramatic, unscheduled stop at Israel’s contentious concrete barrier separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem, where he prayed and touched his head to the graffiti-covered wall. 5. He Could Change the Church's Stance on Divorce Francis set in motion a high-level debate about whether the church could change its posture toward divorced people without altering a doctrine that declares marriage to be permanent and indissoluble. It is a hot issue within the church. The battle lines are clear: Some high-level church officials, most notably the conference of German bishops, want the church to relax its rules. They want to give divorced Catholics a chance to more fully return to church life and receive Communion even if they have remarried without having their previous marriages formally annulled.

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 5 Traditionalists are pushing back fiercely, arguing that the indissolubility of marriage is ordained by God and therefore nonnegotiable. As we know the Pope has not changed the Church’s stand on divorce, but has emphasised mercy and compassion in dealing with such tragic cases. 6. He Is Holding Bishops More Accountable for Sex Abuse Francis approved the creation of a Vatican tribunal for judging bishops accused of covering up or failing to act in cases of child sexual abuse by priests, a step long demanded by victims in the more than three decades that the Roman Catholic Church has publicly dealt with the abuse scandal. Until Francis, no pope had publicly confronted or demoted bishops accused of gross negligence.

7. He Is Reviving Liberation Theology Francis cleared the path for the slain Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador to become a . Thousands attended his beatification, the last step before sainthood, in May. For years, Vatican critics of liberation theology and conservative Latin American bishops helped stall the canonization process for Archbishop Romero, even though many Catholics in the region regard him as a towering moral figure: an outspoken critic of social injustice and political repression who was assassinated during a Mass in 1980. By advancing the campaign for sainthood, Francis sent a signal that the allegiance of his church is to the poor. That is a big difference from previous years, when some bishops were widely seen as aligned with autocratic governments that favored the wealthy.

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8. He Is Pushing for Action on Climate Change On June 18, Francis released his second teaching letter, known as an encyclical. Entitled "Laudato Si'," it called for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront climate change. It attributed environmental destruction to apathy, the reckless pursuit of profits, excessive faith in technology and political short-sightedness. It wasn't Francis' first push on the issue. Vatican officials are campaigning for world leaders to enact a sweeping United Nations climate change accord in Paris in December. The accord would, for the first time, commit every nation to enact tough new laws to cut emissions that cause global warming. They're already encountering fierce resistance, particularly from powerful figures in the United States, notes The New York Times. Although we may not be able to accept everything that the left- leaning newspaper says about the Church and the Pope, we need to note gratefully that Pope Francis has made a significant change in the way the challenge of Vatican II is faced by contemporary Church and the world. Let us hope that the Church continues to serve the world and the poor and spread the good news that God is truly alive in our midst. Precisely, therein lies the hope and the joy, which Pope Francis has been talking of. May the new year bring us abundance of joy and hope rooted in genuine faith and Christian charity! The Editor and Team

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Reclaiming the Secular Spirituality of Diocesan Priests Victor Ferrao Seminary,

Diocesan priests face several challenges today. The condition of the diocesan priests is varied and complex all over the world.1 But there are certainly several common challenges along with the specific ones that are afflicting the diocesans priests. All these challenges can become opportunities if one views them from the perspective of diocesan spirituality. Hence, here, I am not cataloguing all challenges that afflict our diocesan priests today but would rather try to unravel how a diocesan spirituality can assist to face them and convert them into opportunities. Here we concentrate on the challenges emerging from our specific context of our country. We can classify the challenges as those that originate from within our community and those that have their origin outside it. Within the community, we have an issue of loss of credibility generated by several factors like the scandal of sex abuse, mismanagement of church finances, ritualism, legalism, clericalism and lack of holiness, . Besides internal challenges , we have external challenges posed by the acceleration of our society produced by new technologies of

1 George Aschenbrenner, S.J, “a Check on our Availability: The Examen”, Review for Relgious (May 1980) 321-324. 8 Asian Journal of Religious Studies communications, rising fundamentalism, haunting sense of loss of present and the future, haunting past being seen as linked with the colonizers, economic slowdown. Specific Character of Diocesan Spirituality ‘Is there a specific diocesan spirituality?’ is question raised by many.2 We can find it even in the angelic doctor St. Thomas Aquinas who seems to affirm the specificity of Diocesan spirituality as he asks whether the religious or the secular clergy is perfect.3 This seems to presume that there is a hierarchy of spirituality and it is often used to relegate diocesan spirituality to a lower level. Thus, while affirming the specificity of diocesan spirituality,4 I refrain from a thought that seems to flow from the assumption that the call of a diocesan priest is something inferior. 5 Perhaps, it is better to trace the locus theologicus of the spirituality of the diocesan priest in the universal call to holiness that came to a profound understanding in the dogmatic constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium, given by the Vatican II council.6 With the conciliar rediscovery of the essential nature of the Church, the Diocesan priest is enabled to respond to the call of the Spirit to live the priesthood of Christ in complete fidelity to Christ our saviour and God our father. Within this context, I wish to reclaim the secular calling

2 We can trace it being raised by Archbishop Henry D’Souza, “ Diocesan Spirituality” , Vidyajoyti, 58/11 (1994) 738. 3 See St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Vol II, Trans. Fathers of the Dominican Province (New York: Benzinger Brothers, Inc, 1947), part II-II, question 184, Article 8. 4 Apostolic lives of like Charles Boromeo, Vincent de Paul, Cure de’Ars, John Marie Vianney teaches us that there is a specific diocesan spirituality. 5 One can trace the famous French debate on the spirituality of a diocesan priest that basis on a conception of the inferior calling of a diocesan priest. See La Maison-Deiu, “ Debat sur la Spiritualite du clerge diocesan”, La Maison –Deiu 1/3(1945) 71-90. 6 Lumen Gentium, 39-42. AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 9 of the diocesan priest.7 It is a call of complete immersion into the life and world of our people. Perhaps, Raimon Panikkar’s sacred secularity might open some windows into the understanding of the secular spirituality of the diocesan priest.8 Panikkar’s sacred secularity chiefly follows from the non-dual perspective. I rather wish to take up an incarnational and sacramental approach to understand the specific spirituality of a diocesan priest and explore how a diocesan priest can become a living Christo-ecclesial-cosmo-anthropophany or the sacramental manifestation of the Christ his Church, humanity and the world sacradizing all space and time. May be this is close to Pierre Tielhard de Chardin’s celebration of mass on the altar of the world.9 Diocesan Spirituality as Incarnational The spirituality of diocesan priest is incarnational. It can never be one of Fuga Mundi of the yesteryears which was largely animated by a dualist worldview. It was this separation of the sacred and secular that might have interpreted the incarnational impulse of the diocesan priest in terms of secular life. It is in the giving of oneself in the ministry that a diocesan priest becomes most aware of the Spirit’s action in him. A diocesan

7 The dichotomy between the sacred and secular is bridged by the great Vatican Council II and hence, we cannot think that the secular calling of the diocesan priest is inferior to the religious life. 8 There is nothing that is non-sacred. The sacred and the profane inter- penetrate each other. We live tempternity. http://www.raimon- panikkar.org/english/gloss-sacred-secularity.html accessed on 30/09/2019. Hans Gustafson, “ Guidance for contemporary Pilgrims” http://merton.org/ITMS/Seasonal/43/43- 1GustafsonRevDallmayr.pdf accessed on 30/09/2019. 9 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 11-31. 10 Asian Journal of Religious Studies priest is an incessant mediator10 wherein he witnesses to and channels God’s grace when God the father encounters his people in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence, besides the Ecclesial and Christic dimensions, diocesan spirituality has constitutive sacramental and Trinitarian dimensions. It is a spirituality centred on pastoral ministry or action. Indeed, it is based on the sacramental economy that is the moral and eschatological incursions of divine power into time and space until the eschaton. This is why the spirituality of a diocesan priest is a spirituality of blessed hope, centred on the sacraments and the word of God. He chiefly does it through liturgy and other pastoral actions by which he situates the sacramental grace into nature and culture that is inhabited by the people of God. This means that the sacraments perpetuate God, the father’s creative plan, the Son’s re-creative task of directing all things towards the glory of the Father and the Spirit’s trans-creative power which never ceases to make present the Son’s resurrection to renew the face of the earth. This is the reason why a diocesan priest has to become an incarnated sacrament of divine action of love, not in abstraction but in concrete actions. Sacramental Basis of Diocesan Spirituality Sacramental theology teaches us that a sacrament combines the divine and the human action of the Church. The sacraments, therefore, are viewed as visible signs instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and entrusted to his Church for the sanctification of the faithful. We cannot understand the sacraments outside the symbolic network of the Christian faith. As sacred signs, they have both a revelatory and operative functions. They reveal God’s love and communicate his salvific grace. This is why the sacramental basis of the spirituality of a diocesan priest has both revelatory and operative dimensions. He has the mission to

10 Religious priest are also mediators but a diocesan priest lives his entire live mediating God’s sacramental economy to his people with the people. AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 11 indicate as well as become the channel of God’s love and his grace of salvation in the spirit of Diakonia. This mission is linked to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council that teaches us that the Church is the sacrament of salvation. It is in and through the sacramental dimension of the Church that the diocesan priest lives/exercises his specific ministerial priesthood in communion with the faithful who share in the common priesthood derived from the one priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 11 The challenge to indicate the love of God and live the imperative of being a sacrament of the same is at the heart of the spirituality of a diocesan priest. Canon law also teaches us that the source of sanctification of the diocesan priest is his pastoral ministry.12 It is holiness that is lived through active participation in the triple mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.13 While understanding the sacramentality of diocesan spirituality, one should care not to view the priestly ministry as mainly inward looking locked within the Church. It is ministry that takes the sacramentality of the world seriously. Hence, justice and peace, inter-religious dialogue, environmental issues, dialogue with science and technology also become central to him. This is why a diocesan priest naturally and fully lives the sacred secularity. Diocesan Priest as Immersed into the Sacramentality of the Church Like every other Catholic, a diocesan priest is already immersed in the sacramentality of the Church. We inhabit it but the diocesan priest is also exercising leadership within it. In anthropological and philosophical language, we can say that we

11 See john Ponnore , Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest (Raipur : United Printers, 2016)66-67. 12 See can 276 para 2, 1 Code of Canon Law ( Bangalore : Theological Publication in India, 2015). 13 Abraham Kadaolackal, The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest (Mumbai: St. Pauls 2004), 29-39. 12 Asian Journal of Religious Studies are living under a Catholic symbolic order. The sacramental theology of Louis-Marie Chauvet of the Institut Catholique in Paris can assist to understand the spiritual challenge of a diocesan priest. He invites us to give up our common sense instrumentalist view of language and embrace language not as an instrument but as mediation. Language thus becomes a medium of our experience of our world.14 Following Jacques Lacan, he teaches that language forms an important constituent of the symbolic order. Thus, we live our faith and have our being in the symbolic order. Chauvet sees the symbolic order as synonymous to sacramental order.15 Within the symbolic order, Lacan traces two psychic constituents: Imaginary and symbolic. The symbolic keeps the real at a distance and represents it while the imaginary tries to erase the distance where it attempts to gain immediate contact with things.16 This means the subject tries to find its image in the things and is a narcissist. Self-being a subject of liturgical and sacramental action is assisted by the mediation of the symbolic in the sacramental order to form ourselves and everything that we experience into a world. Often we may get fixated into the mirror stage of Lacan where a person identifies with the mirror image and thinks that he/ she is only that image. Thus, for instance, for a diocesan priest, his entire ministry can be only a selfie / a narcissist indulgence, but when he humbly recognizes the surplus in the symbolic, he is enabled to live the mystery of Christ who is living and acting in him.

14 Louis-Marie Chauvet, The Sacrament: The Word of God at the Mercy of the Body (Banglore: Claretian Publication, 2001),3. 15 Ibid., 11-14. 16 Ibid., 15-16. AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 13

1 Subject 2 Real (the universe, others, one self) 3 language

(This is a common sense understanding of our relation to reality)

Subject 2 1 Reality

(This is Lacan’s symbolic understanding of our reality)

Mystery of Symbolic Mediation and Resonance The challenge to live the mystery of symbolic mediation can also be understood with the help of Jerry D. Korsmeyer’s resonance model of revelation. It does assist us to understand how the human and the divine co-participate in the drama of experience. He proposes resonance as a mode where God and humans meet on the platform of experience. Resonance is a key analogy to him. All physical systems have a natural frequency. Each system reacts by the maximization of its own amplitude impulse or impact corresponding to its natural frequency.17 Our blowing musical instruments work on this principle. We can also understand through this model of revelation, not just the

17 Jerry D. Korsmeyer, God, Creature, Revelation: A Neoclassical Framework for Fundamental Theology (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1995), 161. 14 Asian Journal of Religious Studies sacramental economy but also the consequences of the original sin which can be seen as being of tune or our of resonance with God and cosmos. He teaches that God’s revelation is an event that brings about an inter-personal communion between God and Human beings which is symbolically mediated and accessible though the resonance of God-human relationship. Hartmut Rosa, a socialist and political scientist also presents resonance as model to understand the relationship.18 Resonance thus provides a powerful model to consider our embodied nature seriously and presents a synchronic reciprocal form to understand the divine human engagement in the sacramental economy of our salvation. The wind instruments can provide us a deep insight into how resonance can be a profound model to understand a reciprocal model by which a diocesan priest can allow his pastoral ministry to become an incarnation of divine love and let it become a source of holiness for the faithful as well as the sanctification of the priests themselves.19 This means

18 Rosa presents three axes of resonance: Horizontal (family, friendship and politics), Diagonal ( relationship to objects at work, in education, sport, and consumption), and Vertical (religion, nature, art and history). We either have resonance or are alienated from the world. Resonance takes our embodied nature seriously and views us as resonating bodies. Madalina Diacono “Engagement and Resonance: To ways out from disinterestedness and alienation” http://oaji.net/articles/2019/6934-1560504828.pdf accessed on 25/05/2019. 19 To understand how resonance works in a wind instrument, think of someone pushing the child swing. Like any pendulum the length of the swing decides the natural frequency of the swing. Pushes that are closer to the frequency of the swing will produce optimum swing for the child. The pushes that are not in tune with the frequency of the swing will produce bad swing. By changing the length of the swing you can produce different frequencies and consequently corresponding optimal swing. In a wind instrument the mouth piece vibrations are the push and the column of air inside the instrument is the swing. The push that gives right frequency produces the musical sound while the push that does not AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 15 that the diocesan priest like any other faithful can also fail to synchronize /harmonize/ resonate with the economy of grace and salvation. Absence of Resonance The lack of resonance with the divine as well as the people of God/ Church can render the pastoral ministry of a diocesan priest arid and sterile. This mainly happens when pastoral work becomes an egology for the concerned priests. Maybe we can illustrate this virus of narcissism that afflicts several of our diocesan priests with the help of conjugation of a verb. We are familiar with the conjugation of the several verbs but what if the entire life of the priest becomes a conjugation of an ego.20 Let’s illustrate it. Let us take the case of one Fr. Newton. Here Fr. Newton is imaginary and does not stand for any living or a dead person. I Newton You Newton.... You have to Newton He/She/ It Newtons ..... Everyone has to Newton We Newton You Newton They Newton This makes the entire pastoral work into an ego project. When there is resonance with the divine the conjugation will change..... I Christ

hit the right frequency fails to produce the right musical sound. By changing the length of the air column the musician produces different frequencies that resonate and generate soothing music. See ‘Resonance and Musical Instruments’https://cnx.org/contents/WnAQOkNR@6/Resonance- and-Musical-Instruments accessed on 25/09/2019. 20 I draw inspiration from the book, Applying: To Derrida See John Brannigan, Ruth Robbins and Julian Wolfreys, Applying: To Derrida (London: Macmillian Press, 1996). 16 Asian Journal of Religious Studies

You Christ He/She/ It Christs We Christ You Christ They Christ This is conjugation of reciprocal resonance.

Conclusion The unique diocesan spirituality can let the diocesan priest transform the challenges that afflict them into opportunities. The sacramental paradigm that we have tried to intertwine with the incarnational model of holiness can assist us to respond to the scandals within the Church and challenges that we face in our society. The paradigm that we have embraced invigorates and builds synergy within the Church21 and leads it to become light to everyone. It is not an inward-looking model but is profoundly missionary paradigm that echoes the life and mission of Christ our Lord.

21 Fr. George A. Aschenbrenner S.J calls it fire. See George A. Aschenbrenner, Quickening the Fire in our Mind (Chicago: Loyola College) AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 17

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From Amazon: Lessons for the Asian Church Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ Papal Seminary, Pune

The Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region met in Rome from 6 to 27 October 2019. The minor controversies overshadowing it threatens to overshadow its major contribution to the universal Church. It was found very positive response from diverse places. Further, it has important implications for the Church in Asia. San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy, urged the Church in America to embrace the type of synodal pathway that the church in the Amazon has been undergoing. McElroy was chosen by Pope Francis to attend the Amazon synod, a gathering that the U.S. bishop found marked by "deep and broad consultation, the willingness to accept arduous choices, the search for renewal and reform at every level, and unswerving faith in the constancy of God's presence in the community." Reports National Catholic Reporter Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, Germany, told the National Catholic Register that the recent synod’s push for married priests and women deacons ‘complies with our reflections’ for the German Church’s upcoming ‘Synodal Path.’

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Besides accepting the “synodal path,” we in India have a lot to learn from it, leading to an ecological conversion respecting the earth and the indigenous mentality. Becoming Subjects of One’s Own History Regarding its proposal to adopt an “Amazonian rite” Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, said it was natural for people to want to communicate through their “local language and symbols, colours, and stories”. He recalled how the bishops of the Amazon Region are dealing with “diversified realities” that are multi-ethnic and multi- linguistic. Any rite expresses the history and the spirituality of a people, he said. Fr Eleazar Lòpez Hernández, an expert in indigenous theology, and a member of the Zapoteca people in Mexico, confirmed that the Churches of Latin America need to express their faith according to their traditions. This is what the proposal for an Amazonian rite is based on, he said. We need to generate something that is “in tune with local traditions”, added Fr Hernández. “Our people have their own religious experiences that give meaning to their lives”. We cannot focus on only one culture or follow a single pathway, he explained. Sr Mariluce dos Santos Mesquita held that the indigenous people, are here “to say we have our own spirituality”. “We already celebrate rites and live with our cultural values and traditions”, she said. “We are the result of evangelization but we interact and live our celebrations bringing our symbols and Jesus’ message”, said Sister Mariluce. “We need to delve deeper into our spirituality and the Word of God”, through sharing, fraternity, and gestures of solidarity, she said. A prominent member of the Ashaninca indigenous people in Peru, Mr Delio Siticonatzi Camaiteri, held that the indigenous people of the Amazon Region have their own “world view”,

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 19 which encompasses nature, and which “brings us closer to God”. As indigenous people, “we experience harmony with all living beings”, he said. “We have our own rituals but they are centered on Jesus Christ. There is nothing else”, he asserted. Realising “the importance of defending the earth where we live,” he opined that the Synod experience is a source of hope for indigenous people that has allowed them to speak up for their rights. Father Peter Hughes has closely been engaged in the formation and in the development of the REPAM - the Church network for the defense of Amazonia. He noted the indigenous people of the Amazon “have become the subjects of their own history, and they want a place at the table. They demand to be heard at the concert of nations.” At the synod, “the periphery speaks from the center with the awareness that its experience is heard as a prophetic voice for the whole church,” said Antonio Spadaro, S.J., a synod member and the editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica. The Asian Situation It may be noted that there are approximately 370 million Indigenous people in the world, belonging to 5,000 different groups, in 90 countries worldwide. Indigenous people live in every region of the world, but about 70% of them live in Asia. Coming to India we have 104 million indigenous peoples constituting 8.6% of the national population. Although there are 705 officially recognized ethnic groups, there are many more ethnic groups that would qualify for the scheduled tribe status, but which are not officially recognized. The tribal population in India covers approximately 15% of the country and the majority is found in central India. By taking away forest lands for industries and plantation forestry instead of preserving natural species that provide

20 Asian Journal of Religious Studies livelihood to these people, the government was depriving them of the basic means of livelihood. Response of the Indian Church Listening to the various interventions of the Synod so far, Cardinal Gracias says he feels the Church is really one body. He told Malaysian Herald that Asia, as well as India, have challenges that are similar to the people of Amazonia. The cardinal learnt a lot about the challenges of the people of the Amazon which are a little different but essentially the same, such as making the Gospel values present and reaching out to the poor in the peripheries.

Passion for the people: Another aspect of the Synod that struck the cardinal is the passionate care of the bishops of the Amazonia for their poor people who are suffering. The bishops are the voice of the voiceless. They are listening to the cry of the people against violence, exploitation, injustice and are passionately concerned about their future. Hence, being in the Synod has been a good learning experience and inspiration for Cardinal Gracias. Exploitation of the indigenous people: What came out strongly in the interventions, according to Cardinal Gracias, is the exploitation of the indigenous people. He says this is also happening in India. “The Adivasis and the tribals are our indigenous people. Their land is being taken away. Legislation is being passed that deprive them of the privileges they have.” The 74-year old cardinal explained that many of these original residents do not have proper documents. They are not accustomed to all this but they have been living in their lands for centuries. “All of a sudden, someone comes telling them they don’t have proper papers, so their land is being taken AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 21 away.”

Deforestation: Cardinal Gracias pointed out that India also has the problem of deforestation but to a lesser extent than in the Amazonia, where it is rampant. In India, corporate companies are taking over the land. He lamented that the green cover of the country is gradually diminishing. “Fortunately, the government has been speaking about the necessity for taking care of the climate” but in reality, the corporates” have been doing otherwise. On the whole the response of the Indian Church has been lukewarm. Speaking to the students of Papal Seminary, Pune, Dr Binoy Jacob, Director, Loyola Institute of Peace Initiatives, Kochi, urged the Indian Church to learn from the Synod “to respect fellow human beings, respect the earth based on a living spirituality.” “The Indian church did not even see that something is happening and the Synod is really significant to us,” said Fr Joby Tharamangalam, research scholar at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth.

Call for Conversion By focusing narrowly on married deacons and Pachamama statue, we are forgetting the great spiritual insights for contemporary world. The America Magazine points out that “The synod was prophetic in placing Amazonian and indigenous communities at the center of the synod process and for making a clear option for these communities over foreign economic interests.” It adds: “At the heart of the synod process and the final document is conversion at the pastoral, cultural, ecological and synodal levels.” On the last day of the Synod, the Holy Father warned against building walls and ignoring the traditions of those often on the 22 Asian Journal of Religious Studies margins of society. His challenge to us calls for our own conversion. “How many times do those who are prominent, like the Pharisee with respect to the tax collector, raise up walls to increase distances, making other people feel even more rejected,” he asked. “Or by considering them backward and of little worth, they despise their traditions, erase their history, occupy their lands, and usurp their goods.”

Cry of the Poor Pope Francis emphasised that “the best prayer is that of gratitude, that of praise.” Such prayers, says Sirach, “will reach to the clouds” (35:21). While the prayer of those who presume that they are righteous remains earthly, crushed by the gravitational force of egoism, that of the poor person rises directly to God. The sense of faith of the People of God has seen in the poor “the gatekeepers of heaven”: The poor are the ones who will open wide or not the gates of eternal life. They were not considered bosses in this life, they did not put themselves ahead of others; they had their wealth in God alone. These persons are living icons of Christian prophecy. In this Synod we have had the grace of listening to the voices of the poor and reflecting on the precariousness of their lives, threatened by predatory models of development. Yet precisely in this situation, many have testified to us that it is possible to look at reality in a different way, accepting it with open arms as a gift, treating the created world not as a resource to be exploited but as a home to be preserved, with trust in God. He is our Father and, Sirach says again, “he hears the prayer of one who is wronged” (v. 16). How many times, even in the Church, have the voices of the poor not been heard and perhaps scoffed at or silenced because they are inconvenient. Let us pray for the grace to be able to listen to the cry of the poor: this is the cry of hope of the Church. The cry of the poor is the

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 23 Church’s cry of hope. When we make their cry our own, we can be certain, our prayer too will reach to the clouds. Reaching out to Asia through “Asian Francis” Pope Francis’s choice Sunday, December 8, 2019, about a month after the end of the Amazon Synod, to name the 62-year-old Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila in the Philippines the new prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is very significant, notes Raymond J de Souza writing in The National Catholic Registrar. Tagle replaces the 73-year-old Italian Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the Vatian’s former ambassador in Iraq who refused to vacate Baghdad in 2003 when American bombs began to fall, and who now moves on to become the grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

His appointment bolsters the ranks of Vatican personnel on board with the pope’s agenda, thereby giving Francis more leverage to get things done inside his own shop. Tagle is widely known as the “Asian Francis,” as Cardinal Tagle is often called,” a social justice-oriented moderate who’s known best for his advocacy for immigrants and the poor, and whose personal lifestyle speaks to modesty and simplicity. As a young bishop, he was known for bicycling to cover Mass assignments by himself and for inviting local beggars into his residence for lunch. Tagle’s theological background reflects the progressive, reform-oriented wing of the Second Vatican Council. He served as a member of the editorial board of the multi- volume History of Vatican II edited by Giuseppe Alberigo

24 Asian Journal of Religious Studies and Alberto Melone, key figures in the “Bologna School” embodying the liberal reading of the council. Again, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is a big deal on the Vatican scene, and it’s about to become bigger. Traditionally known by its old Latin name Propaganda Fidei, the department is responsible for the Church in mission territories, which has traditionally made it both politically and financially powerful in Rome and around the world. Today, under the terms of the pope’s impending overhaul of Vatican structures, it’s set to become the centerpiece of a new mega-Dicastery for Evangelization, taking over the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization as well. The idea is that this new department for evangelization will become number one in the Vatican’s internal pecking order, supplanting the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, traditionally known as La Suprema, or “the supreme.” Moreover, the mere fact that Tagle’s in charge also boosts Propaganda Fidei’s profile, given that he’s a celebrity in his own right with a large and devoted following on the Catholic lecture circuit. He’s a gifted communicator who wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s capable of doing it successfully in multiple languages. Further, Tagle’s appointment also puts an exclamation point on the “Philippines’ moment” in global Catholicism. Today, the Philippines are the third largest Catholic country in the world, with a Catholic population of around 90 million, sitting behind only Brazil and Mexico and comfortably in front of the United States. Compared to Brazil and Mexico, however, Catholicism in the Philippines tends to be more dynamic, with higher average AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 25 levels of faith and practice and a larger crop of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In many spots on the Catholic map, including parts of the U.S., Filipinos today are the new Irish, meaning the missionaries who keep local churches alive. Filipino ex- pats are also the backbone of local Catholic churches in a staggering variety of settings, from Saudi Arabia, where they work in the oil industry and as domestic servants to wealthy Saudi families, to Australia and even Tagle’s new home in Italy. Finally, putting Tagle into such a meaningful post on the Roman stage cements his status as a possible successor to Francis. Assuming a conclave isn’t on the horizon for a while, the timing likely would put Tagle into his mid-to- late 60s, which might strike electors as about right - young enough to govern, but old enough not to be there forever. Certainly, Francis enthusiasts would see a lot to like in the charismatic Filipino “bishop of the poor.” Can we visualise an Asian Bishop who speaks for the poor!

Let us hope and pray that the Asian Church will learn these lessons of synodality, ecological conversion, respecting the earth and the indigenous mentality and listening to the cry of the poor!

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Daddy, Darling: An Interview with Cyril Desbruslais SJ

(Cyril Desbruslais SJ (1940-), a philosopher and playwright has done yeomen service to thousands of young people in and around Pune. He has been teaching philosophy for more than 35 years As he is entering his 80th year, a short interview with him is apt.)

AJRS: Dear Cyril, as you approach 80 years of enriching life, what are the things that you are really grateful for?

Cyril: That's easy. I am most grateful for my vocation to the in the post-Vatican era, of the Church I love. It had come at a time of great openness, at a time when there was never so much excitement and adventure in being a priest and a Jesuit. The church was so much more lovable and humble that I was freer to go to the youngsters, when I was a Theology student, and be with them as a friend. I founded the SSU in 1972, a youth group open to all cultures and religions, not only for the goody-goodies but where students and workers or broken families and youngsters with an unsavoury reputation AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 27 could find acceptance and encouragement to slowly and gradually improve among people who genuinely loved them and had confidence in them - which is still going strong and active! And there was my being graced to be called to be a formator of young Jesuits and other seminarians. In the spirit of the 31st General Congregation of the Society, I volunteered to teach all faith-and-justice related topics and a sought to bring in that dimension to all the other subjects I taught. I was immeasurably helped by the SSU and my seminarians and the Jesuits whom to taught to make my philosophical and theological more Christic and human!

AJRS: Any regrets in your life? Cyril: Any regrets? Well, there was the occasion when I was returning from a Youth Camp, from Bombay to Pune. I was crossing the overbridge and I saw a nameless villager, with his wife and little children, looking lost and confused while everyone passed them by. I did, too, in spite of having Rs 2000 in my pocket, as a contribution to my projects. I was haunted by the expressions of misery and incomprehension on the faces of the two adults and, almost home to Ramwadi, I made my rickshaw my turn to go in search of that desperate looking- family, but they were nowhere to be found on the overbridge or anywhere I searched on Pune station. I filed that in my memory and made that experience motivate me to never pass by any forlorn and confused-appearing family on my path. I felt that I had met Christ alone and forgotten and neglected to respond to him!

AJRS: You have been deeply involved with the youth, learning from them and interacting with them for more than 45 years. How do you evaluate your interactions with them?

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Cyril: The SSU and I have been teaching each other some things. In fact, I am busy still teaching them respect to each other’s' religions and cultures. Today’s youth have more respect for each others' religions and cultures than youth had some 30 or 40 years ago (there are some exceptions, though). And the non-Christians, today in the SSU, are almost as numerous as the Christians (19 and 24 respectively, are dedicated members). But they are slightly better provided. In the beginning, we all used to move around on bicycles, nowadays almost everyone has a motor-bike or scooter. They are on the way to a higher lifestyle than their parents. Of course, not all of them are equally on the same footing. But these ride pillion on their friends' bikes and we all chip in to share in the food and drink. And when they come into their own (with a little help and subsidy from the SSU), they always are there with their contributions to me. But young people, now, have less time. They have TV, mobile and computers and race around to venues far distant on their mo-bikes. Whereas in the old days, we would all meet almost every day it's rarely we manage to meet each other once a week. Old SSU camps were thronged to about 50-100, but now we can have, if we are lucky, about 20-25 for a maximum of three days, at the most. Play practices which last daily for about two months require much more commitment and sacrifice than earlier. But the youth are not found wanting. More come when there are parties or picnics but a considerable number turn out when there are Outreaches (visits to Institutions, Orphanages or such like, where we interact, play games or entertain the inmates). Inter-religious services, which we have once a month, are well attended. I habitually call God ''Daddy Darling'', my translation of Jesus' ''Abba Father''. The Muslims and the Jews (we have a AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 29 few!) were, on the whole, not prepared to ''take such liberties'' with God, though most others were warmed by that appellation. And when recently a few Muslim boys and girls ventured to call him by that name, I felt that a life-time goal was realised! What I have learned from the youngsters? More tolerance: young people will not practice Jesuit obedience, but get to work with a lot of shilly-shallying. And I have become a better counsellor, especially in the context of boy-girl relationships and petty youthful rivalries!

[Friends and colleagues have presented a Festschrift for Cyril titled, Fully Human and Fully Alive: Essays on Being Human Today in Honour of Dr Cyril Desbruslais SJ, on his birthday, December 21, 2019]

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Fully Human and Fully Alive Anil Thomas CM Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune

Dr Cyril Desbruslais SJ has done yeomen service to thousands of youths and students of Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth and Pune. He was an inspiring teacher, effective mentor and practical philosopher. Through his lectures and plays, he has shaped the destiny of many young men and women. To honour him on his 80th birthday (DoB: 21 December 1940), some of his friends and colleagues have out this volume. It highlights Cyril’s main vision and articulate his insight on life. He has been fond of quoting repeatedly St Irenaeus of Lyons, “The glory of God is humans fully alive.” Throughout his career, he has struggled to bring out the liberative dimension of every ideology, vision and system. He has also tried to make us more human and humane. One of his most inspiring courses and books is Philosophy of Liberation, for which he has taken insights from Theology of Liberation. Through other courses, like “Hunger and Violence,” “Philosophy of Technology,” “Postmodernity,” “Existentialism,” and “Ethics,” he has striven to radiate a

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 31 vision of human beings who are freedom from shackles of poverty, injustice and ignorance. As such this books want to evoke the meaning, message and vision of Cyril Desbruslais. As a person, he has been remarkably forthright and articulate in his view for a more humane and liberative understanding of God and of human beings. As a philosopher, he was amazingly critical of the structure and ideology that dehumanise us. As a playwright, he was been extraordinarily creative in inspiring the young minds to love the world and experience the fullness of life, which definitely includes the experience of the Divine.

Structure of the Book This book seeks to understand Cyril’s passionate search for truth and life, by focussing on the main aspects of his own thinking and living. It contains 36 articles and a brief writeup on Cyril’s life. a. Seeking Holistic Liberation Keeping in mind Desbruslais’ passion for philosophy, the articles are divided into five parts. The first part deals with his philosophy of liberation. Drawing from liberation theology and convinced that India needs a philosophy (not theology) of liberation, he has been advocating a philosophy that humanises, empowers and liberates. He could trace the liberating and dehumanising potential in every attempt at philosophising, thinking and being. So his advocacy for a philosophy that enables and inspires everyone, especially the disadvantaged and the marginalised. This section begins with an article by Errol Fernandes SJ, Vice Principal (Commerce), St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, who explores Jesus also brought about liberation from social and structural sin. This liberation was in order to free those who 32 Asian Journal of Religious Studies encountered him to love as they are loved. The next article by Thomas Karimundackal SJ, Scriptural Studies, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, focuses on the hermeneutic study of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, his home town, from the perspective of liberation. Next, Patricia Santos RJM, Faculty of Theology, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune integrates and builds on some of the varied aspects of flourishing as reflected in the different disciplines of philosophy, psychology, education, anthropology, ecology and spirituality from a feminist theological perspective in order to present a synthesized theological understanding of flourishing as fullness of life for all. The succeeding article of Anil Thomas CM, Department of Systematic Theology, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, studies the change that Vatican II has brought about in the perception of liberating mission and how this new understanding of mission has been at the heart of many documents of Vatican II as well as the teachings of all post-conciliar Popes.

Next Lawrence S. Fernandes SJ, Principal, Sacred Heart College, Satya Nilayam, Chennai argues that education is and can be a source of empowerment and liberation taking the cases of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar. This is followed by Dolichan Kollareth SJ,Dept of Social Sciences, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, who advocates from a liberation psychology, inspired by Ignacio Martín-Baró SJ, for whom , the ultimate purpose of the discipline of psychology should be the liberation of the oppressed people. Next Sathya Balan, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune explores Heidegger’s invitation to think deeply and radically to be freed from the clutches of practical and calculative thinking in our hyperactive society to emancipatory meditative thinking.

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 33 The last article in this section is by Joby Tharamangalam OP, Research Scholar, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, who attempts to discern the liberating face of God in the midst of our temptation to make GODS in our own image. b. Socially Committed The second Part dwells on his social concerns. Fascinated by Second Vatican Council of the Church and by 32nd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, he has been an ardent advocate for the cause of the poor and the exploited. He has stood for a Church that stands for and with the weak, as did Fr Pedro Arrupe in the 1980s and Pope Francis today. Together with his colleagues, George Soares-Prabhu and Francis D’Sa, he has been in the forefront in Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth’s attempt to change the society structurally. The first article by Roy J. Pereira, SJ, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, interprets the parable of the Good Samaritan, from the perspective of the youth, to whom Desbruslais has dedicated his whole life. Next, Educationist and Biodiversity Conservator, Hector Andrade, provides hope for the ecological crisis that we are all facing. In the subsequent article, S. Stephen Jayard, Professor of Science, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, India outlines a “seasoned” spiritualty for today’s youth. Job Kozhamthadam SJ, Director, Indian Institute of Science and Religion, New Delhi, investigates the significant role that science plays in the modern India, which helps in the emergence of a new world-view. This is followed by the plea of Kuruvilla Pandikattu, Dean, Faculty of Philosophy, JDV, Pune, to understand and appreciate the mystery of evil in our highly complex world. The next article by researcher and publisher Joji Valli shows that relationship and responsibility are hallmarks of human existence because life is a gift and a one-time opportunity, in the context of corporate social responsibility. VM Jose SJ, 34 Asian Journal of Religious Studies

Moral and Pastoral Theology, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, deliberates on the life of physically challenged people, enabling them to live happy and fulfilled lives. The last two articles takes up specific problems which Desbruslais would be very much involved in. That of feminine entry into the Ayyappa temple by Sacaria Joseph, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and Anuradha Mazumder, Prafulla Chandra College, Kolkata. James Ponniah, University of Chennai deals with the question of refugees and religion. c. Open to Difference and Dissent The third Part invites us to respect difference and affirm dissent in view of fostering freedom, pluralism and diversity. Recognising that India is a land of plurality (of religions, cultures, languages, etc.) Desbruslais has been keen to foster a liberal mentality of openness, courage and conviction. Such a search will unsettle the settled and naturally create trouble and tension. So this section represents the convinced and committed rebel that Cyril is. He is a prophet who would courageously criticise the structural sins of the society and stand for the rights of the poor and those who are different. In the first article, Gnana Patrick, Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras argues that religious pluralism cannot be grasped deeply in a-historical manner; it needs, on the other hand, a context-specific exploration in order to make meaningful statements upon it. The next one by M.X. Gnanadhas, Research Scholar, University of Innsbruck, Austria, identifies and analyses the varieties of epistemic injustice, which are prevalent all over the world especially in the arena of gender and race. Next, Paul Thelakat, Chief Editor, Light of Truth, Ernakulam ruminates on the meaning of human

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 35 lives provided by religions and on the role of images and temples as possible scandals. In a similar vein, Victor Ferrao, Dean of Studies, Rachol Seminary, Goa reflects on spectres of Hinduism from postmodern perspectives. Three young and promising scholars, Suchetana Banerjee, Gayatri Mendanha and Ananya Dutta, Symbiosis School of Liberal Arts, Pune dwells on Symbol and Anti-Text with Satire and Blake: Image Similarly, Sacaria Joseph, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, points out the difficulties to relate Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses with freedom of speech and expression. The final article in this secton is on ambiguity in philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre’s understanding of “bad faith” or “mauvaise foi”. d. Towards Fuller Living The fourth Part invites the reads to experience fuller living both personally and socially. Desbruslais has been pleading for fuller life, which recognises the brokenness and vulnerabilities of ordinary human beings. Still he is able to recognise the potential that each one of us is capable of individually and collectively. So the invitation to affirm life in its abundance and seek joy in everything and everyone. This section begins with an article by Libin Joseph CST, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome. Basing himself on Martin Seligman and William James, he argues that teleological perspective is a guiding map for a meaningful life and that ‘the meaning of life’ consists in responding optimistically and creatively to the struggles of life with purposes. Another young and enthusiastic research scholar from Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth meditates on a quote which Desbruslais, borrowing from Gabriel Marcel, is fond of: “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.” A former college of Desbruslais, Subhash Anand, Professor 36 Asian Journal of Religious Studies

(Emeritus), Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, explores the symbolic connection between symbols and rights and their significant role in religions. This is followed by an article on human dignity by J. Charles Davis, Humboldt Research Fellow, Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany. He locates the human dignity in the human body, moving away from our rational capacities. Next, Nishant A Irudayadason, Professor of Ethics at JDV, Pune, relates discourse ethics with ethics of liberation, by creative interpretation of Karl-Otto Apel and Enrique Dussel. This is followed by another article on the role of human beings in the universe. Isaac Parackal OIC, Professor of Metaphyscis, JDV, is inspired by A.R Peacocke and explores our ecological relationship to the universe. The final article by Ginish Cheruparambil, Christ University (Deemed), Lavasa, Maharashtra studies Social Progress Index (SPI) as alternative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Human Development Index (HDI), a topic significant to appreciate collective human progress and liberation. e. The Concluding Articles The final Part focusses on the message, philosophy and person of Desbruslais. Here we study the unique contribution to Desbruslais to the society at large and the Indian Church in particular. Rajan J. Barrett, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Vadodara , Gujarat, traces the development of Cyril Desbruslais S.J. as a playwright who has a predilection for a German theatre practitioner and playwright Bertolt Brecht. It also looks at what I term as ‘Minority Theatre’ because it works for a minority community. G. Lazar SVD, Director, SANSKRUTI, Hyderabad, investigates Desbruslais’ approach to virtues and values and shows that Desbruslais holds on to the basic goodness of human beings, in spite of our failures and

AJRS 65/1 Jan-Feb 2020 37 vulnerabilities. Then V. Y. Dasappan SJ, Principal, St. Xavier’s College, Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, encounters Desbruslais as a “Philosopher with Angel’s Wings.” He traces the Jesuit vision of art and theatre through the lens of Desbruslais’ plays. In this spirit, Babu Joseph Karakombil SVD, Director, Satprachar Press, Indore, M.P investigates the “Life-World” (Lebenswelt) of Cyril Desbruslais. The final article by Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit social activit from Gujarat and an ardent admirer of Desbruslais. He sees the life and message of Cyril as being fully young and alive, by being with the young, challenging and inspiring them.

As already mentioned, Cyril Desbruslais has been repeatedly fond of quoting St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c 120-200), “the glory of God is man fully alive,” we have taken this quote to sum up Desbruslais’ philosophical life and horizon. In all his work, he has been trying to deepen the human beings dignity, freedom and nobility so that we can be truly in touch with God. We can truly glorify God by becoming genuinely ourselves more and more. By reaching out to others, loving them deeply and embracing and empowering them, we become more human and give glory to God. This explains title of this volume, Fully Human and Fully Alive.

The book contains messages from 11 eminent persons, including Rev Fr Arthuro Sosa SJ, who says that Cyril was a “friend, philosopher and guide to innumerable young people in Pune.” In the Foreword Re Dr Libsert D’Souza SJ calls Cyril a “wonderful human being.” One of his students Dr Shashi Tharoor holds: “I was influenced and inspired by the Jesuit Fathers in my school life. Among them I always love to mention Dr Cyril Desbruslais.”

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May this volume be a modest contribution, inspired by Dr Cyril Desbruslais SJ, to foster a shared and collective life of love, joy, peace and freedom! May we be inspired by his life to enable and empower the weak and to dedicate ourselves fully to remove the tears from the faces of the marginalised and to contribute to the physical, emotional and spiritual well- being of all, especially the youth, for whom Desbruslais has a special devotion. Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ (ed) Fully Human and Fully Alive: Essays on Being Human Today in Honour of Dr Cyril Desbruslais SJ, New Delhi/Pune: Christian World Imprints & Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, pp. 498+xxx; Rs 900

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ACPI Statement: Rediscovering the Healthy Scientific Temper

The Association of Christian Philosophers of India (ACPI) held its 44th annual research seminar at the St. Spiritual Renewal Centre, , from 23rd to 25th October, 2019. The theme of the seminar was “Philosophizing Science: Promises, Perils and Possibilities”.

The Chief Guest at the inaugural function was Goa Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao. In his inaugural address, the Archbishop stressed the need for philosophy, science and faith to work productively together to create a better world.

The Keynote Address was prepared by Prof. Job Kozhamthadam, SJ, Director of the Indian Institute of Science and Religion, Delhi (IISR), which co-hosted the seminar. His paper was titled, “Science and Philosophy: Companions on a Common Mission”. He stressed the complementary nature of philosophy and science, and pointed out how these two disciplines independently and collaboratively had contributed towards the cumulative wisdom and development of the human family.

The papers presented pointed towards beneficial as well as dysfunctional aspects of various features and disciplines of science. The aspect of “promises” and “possibilities” of science and technology focused on the several accomplishments which the discipline of science has gifted the human family over the centuries. Many of these creative contributions (Contd first inside cover)

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