Christians must build a harmonious community, says Mangalore Bishop

Mangalore – Christians must serve the downtrodden and continue to live harmoniously with others in the society, said Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza, the Bishop of Mangalore diocese during a function that marked the first World Convention of the Canara–Konkani–Catholic community.

“Though Christians are merely three per cent of the total population in India, about 40 to 50 per cent of the service works are being done by the Christian population,” he said.

The bishop presided over the function that took place in Bishop Basil D’Souza Nagar (Yenepoya Convention Grounds), near Fisheries College, Mangalore.

Former Karnataka chief minister, Mr. M. Veerappa Moily, who was also present on the occasion, said that the ‘cultural dimension’ is very important for any race and if it has to continue. “Its roots should be very strong,” he opined. “If the roots of the culture were not strong enough to withstand any obstructions, then the culture will collapse like a building constructed on sand.”

Lauding the Canara–Konkani–Catholic community, he referred to Pope John Paul’s (II) recent message to the world titled “The threshold of hope” and said there was a need to search for truth to achieve the goal in respective fields – be it office, agriculture fields or anywhere else. Noting that people from the coastal region were known for creativity, truth and handling responsibilities efficiently, Mr. Moily said there was a need for perseverance to reach the goal.

Terming the coastal region as one of the most harmonious land, Mr. Moily said the confluence of Indo–Aryan language (Konkani) and Dravidian language (Tulu) cannot be seen anywhere in the world except in this coastal region. “Probably the region is a model to the world,” he said.

Stressing the need to consolidate unity and to celebrate the identity of Canara–Konkani–Catholic community, he called upon the massive gathering to re–invent themselves with respect to the tradition.