A heavy cross to bear

As a State guest of India in December 1999, Pope John Paul II declared in Delhi his mission to plant the cross in Asia'' in the current ...

As a State guest of India in December 1999, Pope John Paul II declared in Delhi his mission to 8220;plant the cross in Asia8221; in the current millennium. This announcement signalled alarm to non-Christians, Christians, and even to a few Catholics. The expression 8220;plant the cross8221; is an obvious metaphor for conquest, consistent with the history of the Catholic Church and its stated ideology.

Paradoxically, this concept is far removed from the deeply personal realm of religion, much less spirituality. But there8217;s an even more disturbing dimension to this message, one that is well-understood by, and no doubt directed to, Roman Catholic theologians. The Roman Catholic tradition holds that Christ was crucified on a garbage dump outside Jerusalem so that his sinful blood, when spilled, would not pollute the Holy City. However, being who he was, the spilling of Christ8217;s blood on this site had the effect of purifying it and making it a holy site. Planting the cross, therefore, means both claiming for God what is estranged from God, and purifying that which is impure.

The sentiments covertly reflected in the phrase 8220;planting the cross8221; were made clearer in the recent declaration Dominus Iesus8217;, issued by the Vatican on August 6, 2000. The Pope opened with a clear directive to Catholic theologians to 8220;baptize all nations8221;. The document impresses upon its faithful the necessity to convert all people to Christianity.

The late Archbishop Alan de Lastic of New Delhi downplayed the Pope8217;s remarks by saying he was merely referring to a 8220;conversion of heart8221;. However, the Vatican is clearly concerned with correcting just such interpretations of the mission of the Church. Nothing new is stated in the declaration in terms of the Church8217;s doctrinal position. But in order to execute its mission of complete global conversion to Catholicism, the Church has historically allowed its real agenda to be concealed. Now, however, the sense of urgency to complete the mission of converting all people has caused the Church to abandon all pretense about its mission.

Lamenting that at the close of the second millennium 8220;this mission is still far from complete8221;, the document declares that 8220;God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth8221;. Since this truth8217;, which is a non-verifiable belief, is entrusted only to the Church, however, and 8220;because he believes in God8217;s universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary.8221; The non-negotiable goal of the Catholic Church is conversion of each and every person in the world, not just to Christianity, but to Catholicism.

The document specifically targets religious pluralism, viewing it as a danger to 8220;the Church8217;s constant missionary proclamation8221;. The document itself is, in fact, meant to be a 8220;remedy8221; for this thinking and expressly states its aim to 8220;rule out in a radical way8221; the thinking that 8220;one religion is as good as another8221;.

Inter-religious dialogue, the declaration states, 8220;is part of the Church8217;s evangelizing mission8221;. The palpable contradiction between dialogue and the stated evangelizing mission of the Church is evident. Dialogue is an exchange of ideas among equals, ideally towards a mutually enlarged understanding.

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It is not surprising, therefore, that two Rabbis refused to participate in an October 3 symposium on dialogue in protest against this document, forcing the Vatican to cancel the symposium. The remarks of a secretary of the Vatican8217;s office might more appropriately apply to anyone who enters into dialogue with the Church. 8220;It is difficult to have a dialogue when one side is missing.8221;

As for the sacred writings of religious traditions, the document claims that the designation 8220;inspired texts8221; applies only to the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. The sacred books of other traditions are not regarded as revealed works of divine origin, and if they have any merit in them at all, they 8220;receive from the mystery of Christ the elements of goodness and grace which they contain8221;. This statement endangers the survival of every one of the world8217;s sacred works, except the Bible. Works that do not reiterate Biblical teachings are heretical and those that do, derive their merit from 8220;the mystery of Christ8221; and are, therefore, redundant.

At the recent United Nations Summit of World Religious Leaders, a Roman Catholic Cardinal defended the Church8217;s right to convert by citing Article 18 of the United Nations Bill of Rights which grants everyone the 8220;freedom to change his religion or belief either alone or in community with others8221;. In light of the Pope8217;s intention to 8220;plant the cross8221; globally, and the doctrine and intentions set forth in the 8220;Dominus Iesus8221; the Church has declared a position that threatens to place it in violation of several human rights assured by this Bill. The same Article 18, cited by the Cardinal, grants every human being the 8220;right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion8221;. A systematic, often coercive and even covert effort to impose one8217;s religion on another is a clear violation of this basic human right.

The Vatican8217;s document is an eye-opener for all those who believe in religious pluralism. They have to safeguard their noble belief, as even Mahatma Gandhi did all through his life.