Verghese V Joseph –
Pondicherry: In a crucial and heartfelt meeting, a delegation from the Dalit Christian Liberation Movement (DCLM), led by Prof. Dr. M. Mary John, President of DCLM, met His Eminence Cardinal Poola Anthony on June 28 during his visit to Pondicherry to grace the Annual Festival of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This meeting marked a significant moment in the ongoing struggle for justice and equality for Dalit Christians within the Indian Catholic Church.
Cardinal Poola Anthony holds a unique and inspiring position as the first and only Cardinal from the Dalit Christian community—a group historically marginalized and oppressed, yet constituting the majority of Catholics in India. The delegation sought his intervention to address the deep-rooted caste-based discrimination and exclusion that continue to plague Dalit Catholics, despite their overwhelming presence in the Church.
The delegation conveyed their urgent concerns about the persistent caste oppression, domination, and discrimination faced by Dalits within the Catholic Church. They appealed to Cardinal Poola Anthony to use his influential position to raise these issues with the Vatican and the Holy See, highlighting that the caste-dominated Catholic hierarchy in India has thus far failed to take meaningful action.
Prof. Dr. M. Mary John emphasized that Cardinal Anthony’s personal experience with caste discrimination uniquely positions him to be an authentic and powerful voice for Dalit Christians. “He is not only a messenger of God and Christ but also a beacon of hope for voiceless millions,” John said. The delegation urged him to speak assertively both within the Indian Catholic hierarchy and on the global stage of the Vatican.
The Silent Suffering of Dalit Catholics
The delegation expressed deep anguish that the voices of Dalit Catholics have not reached the Holy Father, the Pope, due to deliberate obstruction and misrepresentation by the Indian Catholic hierarchy. They reminded the Cardinal that while the Vatican has historically opposed racism and played a pivotal role in combating it, casteism—a social evil older and more pernicious than racism—remains unaddressed within the Church in India.
Casteism, deeply entrenched since the Church’s arrival in India in the 16th century, continues to manifest in untouchability, denial of rights, discrimination in education and employment, and exclusion from ecclesiastical leadership. The delegation highlighted that the casteist clergy and hierarchy remain silent, forcing Dalit Catholics to struggle publicly for their rights.
The Catholic Church is India’s largest Christian denomination, with approximately 19 million Catholics, of whom about 65%—roughly 12 million—are Dalits. Despite their majority status, Dalit Catholics face systemic discrimination and marginalization.
One of the root causes of this injustice is the near-total exclusion of Dalit priests from leadership roles within the Church. Currently, only 11 Dalit bishops serve out of approximately 180 bishops nationwide, representing a mere 6%—a stark contrast to their 65% share of the Catholic population. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, where Dalits make up about 75% of Catholics, only 2 out of 18 bishops are Dalits, accounting for just 11%.
Over the past 18 years, around 20 bishop and archbishop appointments have been made in these regions, yet none were Dalits until a recent rare appointment. This ongoing exclusion is seen as a grave insult and betrayal of Christian values of liberation, equality, and justice for the oppressed.
The delegation presented a detailed action plan to Cardinal Poola Anthony aimed at dismantling caste domination within the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Catholic Church:
- Appointment of Dalit Priests: Mandate that all future vacancies for the next 15 years be filled by Dalit priests, with immediate appointments of Dalit auxiliary bishops across several dioceses.
- Diocesan Reorganization: Propose bifurcation of large dioceses such as Madras-Mylapore, Pondicherry-Cuddalore, Kumbakonam, and Thanjavur to create new dioceses led by Dalit bishops.
- Dalit Archbishop Appointment: Urge the appointment of a Dalit archbishop in Tamil Nadu, a position historically dominated by non-Dalit clergy except for one instance.
The delegation also requested Cardinal Anthony to raise these issues with the Apostolic Nuncio in India, His Excellency Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, and to advocate for similar reforms across other Indian states where Dalit representation remains negligible or nonexistent.
Dalit Catholics, many of whom are impoverished, unemployed, and laborers, face severe educational disadvantages. The delegation stressed that Catholic educational institutions across India lack accountability and fail to implement data-driven, policy-based strategies to uplift Dalit students. Coordination between bishops and the Conference of Religious India (CRI) at national and state levels is virtually nonexistent, resulting in marginalization and neglect.
The delegation called on Cardinal Anthony to urge the Church hierarchy to prioritize Dalit education as a key component of empowerment and social justice.
Despite the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council (TNBC) declaring Dalit policies and action plans in 1990 and 2004, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) adopting a “Policy of Dalit Empowerment” in 2016, implementation remains absent. The delegation condemned this as hypocrisy and betrayal, noting that Church authorities dismiss these policies as mere guidelines rather than binding laws.
This failure to act perpetuates systemic injustice and undermines the Church’s moral authority.
A Call to Honor Pope John Paul II’s Legacy
The delegation reminded Cardinal Anthony of Pope John Paul II’s 2003 appeal to Indian bishops to eradicate caste discrimination and uplift Dalits. They lamented that the Indian Catholic hierarchy has cynically disregarded this papal directive, amounting to disobedience and disrespect to the Pope’s vision.
They urged Cardinal Anthony to bring this critical issue to the forefront in the Vatican, especially before the new Pope Leo XIV, hoping that fresh leadership would renew the Church’s commitment to justice and equality.
Cardinal Poola Anthony listened attentively as the delegation presented their memorandum, expressing sincere concern for the anguish and denial of rights faced by Dalit Christians. He thanked the delegation for their detailed information and appeared receptive to their appeals.
There is growing hope that Cardinal Anthony’s unique perspective and recent meetings with Pope Leo XIV will inspire decisive action to address the systemic casteism and marginalization within the Indian Catholic Church.
This crucial meeting between Dalit Christian leaders and Cardinal Poola Anthony symbolizes a turning point in the struggle for justice, equality, and dignity for millions of Dalit Catholics in India. The delegation’s courageous appeal highlights the urgent need for the Catholic Church to confront and dismantle caste-based discrimination embedded within its structures.
With Cardinal Anthony’s influential voice now raised, there is renewed optimism that the Vatican and Indian Catholic hierarchy will finally take meaningful steps to realize the Church’s core Christian values—liberation, equality, and rights for the oppressed.
The eyes of millions of Dalit Christians, and indeed the global Christian community, are now watching closely, hopeful that this historic moment will lead to transformative change.
Nonsense.A christian , a follower of Christ partakes in the life , death and resurrection of Christ by paticipating the sacrament of baptism.How can he/she can be a dalit then? All these so called christians having caste mentality have in fact a political mindset who want to have the same mentality in the Church.They should join political outfits then to get name, fame ,status and worldly power as the political figures are seeking.
I support Shri Omprakash’s point that once one is baptised as a Christian, he/she becomes equal in one Christ, along with all other fellow Christians. In Christianity no one cannot be any casteeism, no one is high, no one is low. Also a parish priest, bishop or cardinal is for all laity in gis parish / diocese. He has to treat all members of the Laity and clergy equally without segregating them on caste, colour ir creed. This fanning of casteeism must stop. When the issue is hauled up in a high court or the Supreme Court, can any bishop or cardinal vouch publicly in the court that casteeism persists in the Catholic Church? Let all barriers be broken forthwith.
I agree with the view of Mr. Om Prakash in theory or what is should have been ideal in our Christian faith and life. All those persons baptized in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are Children of God and there is no place for discrimination.
But in practice, there are elements of discrimination in Administrative hierarchy and among laity. Among the laity, there are people boosting that they are descendants of St. Thomas / St. Xavier and not converted in recent years. The old Christians in Christian communities thinks that they are Authentic Christians and new Christian Baptized converts in lower grade in Christian Community. Thus the cry for inclusion and equality should not be neglected, but adequate weightage should be given.