Indian Catholics attending World Youth Day in Madrid say that they
are enjoying the feeling of not being a minority, even if it’s only for
one week.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said 32-year-old Vivek Machado to CNA.
“We’re only two percent of the population in India but you only really realize the size of our religion, the Catholic religion, which is the biggest religion in the world, when you come here and meet so many people from across the world.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said 32-year-old Vivek Machado to CNA.
“We’re only two percent of the population in India but you only really realize the size of our religion, the Catholic religion, which is the biggest religion in the world, when you come here and meet so many people from across the world.”
Machado is in Madrid this week with a group of
200 youngsters from the city of Mumbai in western India. CNA met them
as they made their way to a catechesis session at a church in central
Madrid. In total, there are approximately 1,000 Indian pilgrims in the
Spanish capital this week.
“It’s great. We’ve been to a lot of places,” said 24-year-old Sandia Furtado from Mumbai. “We’ve been to Italy, and before that we came through Catalonia as part of the ‘Days in the Diocese’ scheme.”
“It’s great. We’ve been to a lot of places,” said 24-year-old Sandia Furtado from Mumbai. “We’ve been to Italy, and before that we came through Catalonia as part of the ‘Days in the Diocese’ scheme.”
Days in the Diocese is a program that
dispersed over 130,000 young people across Spain’s 65 dioceses in the
week prior to the actual World Youth Day gathering.
“Everyone is one and everyone is equal over here. We’re one,” said Furtado. “We don’t usually get the chance to meet with young Catholics from all over the world so this is the time and this is the place -- and we’re making the best of this week,” she said.
“Everyone is one and everyone is equal over here. We’re one,” said Furtado. “We don’t usually get the chance to meet with young Catholics from all over the world so this is the time and this is the place -- and we’re making the best of this week,” she said.
Although Catholics are only a
small percentage of Indian society, the presence of the Church is
magnified through its extensive involvement in education, caring for the
poor and health care.
The roots of the Christian faith in India
are also ancient. It’s a widely-held belief that Christianity arrived on
the subcontinent in the first century with St. Thomas the Apostle.
“It’s
really overwhelming, it’s really amazing, it feels awesome,” said
17-year-old Sabrina Young, a schoolgirl from Mumbai, who is attending
her first World Youth Day.
Young says that her experience has
been so incredible because “there are very few Catholics in India, but
everyone here is Catholic, everyone is together, is one, and is doing
the same thing.”