A heavy cross to bear

The sentiments covertly reflected in the phrase “planting the cross” were made clearer in the recent declaration `Dominus Iesus’, issued by the Vatican on August 6, 2000. The Pope opened with a clear directive to Catholic theologians to “baptize all nations”. 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 Pope’s remarks by saying he was merely referring to a “conversion of heart”. 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 Church’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 “this mission is still far from complete”, the document declares that “God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth”. Since this `truth’, which is a non-verifiable belief, is entrusted only to the Church, however, and “because he believes in God’s universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary.” 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 “the Church’s constant missionary proclamation”. The document itself is, in fact, meant to be a “remedy” for this thinking and expressly states its aim to “rule out in a radical way” the thinking that “one religion is as good as another”.

Inter-religious dialogue, the declaration states, “is part of the Church’s evangelizing mission”. 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.

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 Vatican’s office might more appropriately apply to anyone who enters into dialogue with the Church. “It is difficult to have a dialogue when one side is missing.”

As for the sacred writings of religious traditions, the document claims that the designation “inspired texts” 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 “receive from the mystery of Christ the elements of goodness and grace which they contain”. This statement endangers the survival of every one of the world’s sacred works, except the Bible. Works that do not reiterate Biblical teachings are heretical and those that do, derive their merit from “the mystery of Christ” and are, therefore, redundant.

At the recent United Nations Summit of World Religious Leaders, a Roman Catholic Cardinal defended the Church’s right to convert by citing Article 18 of the United Nations Bill of Rights which grants everyone the “freedom to change his religion or belief either alone or in community with others”. In light of the Pope’s intention to “plant the cross” globally, and the doctrine and intentions set forth in the “Dominus Iesus” 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 “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”. A systematic, often coercive and even covert effort to impose one’s religion on another is a clear violation of this basic human right.

The Vatican’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.