Daijiworld News Network - Udupi (MB)
Report from Prof Cyril Mathias

Udupi, Oct 3: The Indian Christian service Association organized 'Justice Sunday' on October 1 here to create awareness among the christians to fight injustice within and outside the Church.

Justice Michael Saldanha, retired judge of the Karnataka High Court, said on the occasion that every citizen has a fundamental duty to oppose the wrong and injustice. He called upon the Church leaders to ensure that Christians are trained to be respectable leaders and that they should vociferousely oppose any injustice committed by the police and the  public against innocent civilians.

The church leaders must be vigilant on the attacks on the churches and christians. He suggested that the Church must set up a legal aid committee to help the laity during crisis. The Church leaders must mobilise resources to give high quality education to poor christians to eliminate social injustice in society. He criticized the indifference of leaders towards the attrocities against minority community by the so-called culture police of India. The silence of the good is the greatest sin as it can lead to violence in large scale.

Professor and head of chair in Christianity at Mangalore University Dr John Fernandes called upon Church leaders to create awareness, to organize, to act and reflect in every possible way on making the life of the laity meaningful and service-oriented. The dead fish moves with water whereas a live fish can swim against the current.He called upon the christians to be a living thing within and outside the Church.

The other leaders said that prayers are necessary but economic and social emancipation of poor Christians is the need of the hour. Building the community is more important than building churches, he concluded.

ICSA presidnet P B D'Sa welcomed the gathering. Vincent Pinto Manipal presided over the meet. A positive interaction among the speakers and audience followed.

• CLICK HERE to read more about Justice Michael Saldanha and his exclusive interview to Daijiworld.com