Verghese V Joseph –
Bengaluru: Renowned human rights activist, peace campaigner and author Fr Cedric Prakash has called upon the Church in India to reclaim its role in nation-building, defend the dignity of vulnerable communities and communicate its social contribution more confidently.
Delivering a hard-hitting address on “India and the Church at Crossroads in Nation Building” at Resurrection Church in Bengaluru on Saturday, Chief Guest Fr Prakash said the Church and its institutions continued to face attacks despite representing less than three per cent of India’s population and having made significant contributions to education, healthcare, social welfare and community development.
Fr Prakash argued that the Church had, in many ways, lost the public narrative about its contribution to the country’s growth. This, he suggested, was not merely a communication failure but a wider institutional challenge requiring greater participation from the laity, stronger public engagement and a renewed commitment to social action.
“The question is not only what priests and religious leaders can do, but what the laity can do,” was the underlying thrust of his appeal. He urged Catholic laypeople to participate actively in public life, defend constitutional values and ensure that the Church’s work among the poor and marginalised is neither ignored nor misrepresented.
Earlier, the programme began with a welcome by Resurrection Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Amarnath Dinesh Roy, who invoked God’s blessing on the gathering. Assistant Parish Priest Fr Pawan Anthony and Fr Magimai Dass were also present.
Development and human dignity
Fr Prakash cautioned against a model of development that measures progress only through economic growth, infrastructure or technological advancement. Development, he stressed, must serve the common good and cannot come at the cost of human dignity.
He drew attention to the continuing marginalisation of Adivasis, backward classes and other vulnerable communities, warning that their rights and identities were often sacrificed in the name of progress. Development, he said, was not the property of those with power, wealth or influence. It was a common good that must benefit all sections of society.
His remarks also touched on the need to approach the lives and rights of sex workers with fairness, sensitivity and respect. Rather than reducing people to labels or treating them solely through the lens of criminality and decriminalisation, he called for recognition of their inherent dignity and humanity.
The emphasis on human dignity, he noted, was central to the teachings of Pope Francis and remains an essential principle for the Church’s engagement with society. Every person, irrespective of social status, occupation, caste, class or circumstance, must be treated as possessing an inviolable dignity.
A warning about technology
Linda Shibu compared the proceedings. The Catholic Women’s Cell of the church led by its President Smytha Fernandes, Vice President Flavia Monterio, Secretary Anita D’Souza and Treasurer Binny Shibu felicitated the Chief Guest.
A significant part of the address focused on the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence and rapidly advancing technologies. Fr Prakash challenged communicators to operate in a landscape where technological efficiency can easily eclipse ethical responsibility.
The discussions were shaped by Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. The encyclical places human dignity, truth, freedom, work, social justice and the common good at the centre of the debate on AI. It warns that technological power must not become a new form of domination and calls for the construction of a “civilization of love.”
Fr Prakash urged the audience to study, internalise and act upon the encyclical’s message. He said its central concern was not whether technology should be accepted or rejected, but whether it would be directed towards the service of humanity.
The encyclical warns against a future in which efficiency, data and performance become substitutes for the human person. It calls for shared responsibility among governments, technology companies, civil society, educators, media organisations and faith communities.
That concern is particularly relevant to communicators. Pope Leo’s message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications states: “We need faces and voices to speak for people again.” It describes communication as a deeply human act and cautions that AI-generated voices, faces and content can weaken trust, distort reality and erode human relationships.
Fr Prakash drew inspiration from this appeal, arguing that communication must remain rooted in truth, accountability and compassion. Technology, he said, should strengthen people’s voices rather than silence, manipulate or replace them.
Communication must lead to action
For Fr Prakash, communication was not an end in itself. It was a pathway to social responsibility and collective action.
His message could be summed up in a simple formulation: there can be no meaningful action without communication. If communities fail to communicate their concerns, document injustice and create public awareness, those concerns risk remaining invisible.
He referred to protests at Jantar Mantar as a source of hope, pointing to the importance of peaceful democratic expression and public mobilisation. Such actions, he suggested, demonstrate that citizens can still challenge injustice and demand accountability through constitutional and non-violent means.
He also urged the Church to become more attentive to contemporary realities, including social exclusion, attacks on minority institutions, inequality, technological disruption and the erosion of democratic freedoms.
Renewed responsibility for the laity
The talk placed particular emphasis on the responsibilities of ordinary Catholics. The laity, Fr Prakash said, cannot remain passive observers while public debates are shaped by misinformation, prejudice and concentrated power.
They must engage in civic life, support vulnerable communities, communicate the truth responsibly and work with people of different faiths and backgrounds. The Church’s nation-building role, he implied, would be strengthened not only by institutional statements but by the everyday witness of its members.
Fr Prakash later responded to questions from the audience, placing the issues raised during the session within the Indian social and political context.
The discussion ultimately returned to the relationship between dignity, development and communication. In an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, polarisation and competing narratives, Fr Prakash’s message was that the Church must not retreat from public life. It must speak clearly, listen attentively and act decisively—especially on behalf of those whose faces and voices are most often excluded.