The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on the Indian churches to tackle “institutional casteism.”
“Institutional casteism has not been properly discussed in India …
and the colloquium has drawn attention to the need for addressing the
issue at all levels,” said a statement released at the end of the
conference on “Caste, Religion and Culture.”
Over 70 delegates attended the May 1-4 conference organized by the WCC Commission for World Mission and Evangelism in collaboration with the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI).
The Student Christian Movement of India and the Centre for Social
Studies and Culture based in Kerala also participated in the conference.
The conference noted that the rigid social hierarchy of the caste system in India lie at the bottom of society.
Formerly referred to as “untouchables,” dalits often survive by
scavenging and doing other menial jobs while living apart from such
upper castes as Brahmins.
Though dalits account for nearly two thirds of the 28 million
Christians in India, they face discrimination even in the churches and
Christian institutions as upper castes hold most positions of power.
“Only the excluded people have the moral stamina to destabilize the
oppressive structures and cultures,” said Gopal Guru, a dalit and
professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
“Dalit studies are done not out of fascination for caste but because
of the moral significance for social transformation,” he added.
Professor Rajkumar Hans said the deadwood of “oppressive caste
hegemony” in India has gone deep into egalitarian religions like
Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity.
“Caste cannot be annihilated by good intentions and theological rhetoric. What we need is bold steps,” Hans said.
Geevarghese mar Coorilos, moderator of the WCC Commission World for
Mission and Evangelism, noted that “caste dynamics has changed over the
decades.”
“The new dynamism must be translated into the life of the churches,”
said mar Coorilos, presiding bishop of the Thiruvalla of the Malankara
Orthodox Syrian church.
Reverend Philip Vinod Peacock said the hypocrisy between the
proclamation of the church as an egalitarian community and practice of
caste must end.
Citing the declaration of a church national consultation on dalit
Christian rights in October 2010, Peacock said, “churches have to choose
between Christ and caste … Both cannot exist together, for one would
despise one and be devoted to the other.”