New dresscode for Catholic churchgoers in Mumbai evokes mixed response

Mumbai – Concerned with the supposed lack of sartorial propriety of the Catholic community of Mumbai, the Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Ivan Dias has issued a dress code during religious functions for the 500,000–strong Catholics of Bombay archdiocese, Christian Today has confirmed.

In the circular issued, the cardinal stated that the Church is the House of God (Domus Dei) and although God is present everywhere, “He dwells in a very special way in the Church, for it is there that Jesus descends from heaven at Holy Mass to re–enact His sacrifice of Calvary, and then remains a Prisoner of Love in the Most Blessed Sacrament.”

“In these sacred precincts most of the Sacraments are administered, and the faithful enter into an intimate communion with God and God with them. It is therefore fitting that everyone – priests, religious and lay–faithful – who come to Church should present themselves in a manner befitting God’s sacred presence there,” he exhorted.

“In the first place, they must come interiorly adorned with the gems of Christian virtues – viz. purity of mind and heart, meekness and humility, justice and love for all – and with the sincere desire to worship the Lord with piety and devotion, even if they are heavily burdened with their daily crosses and many challenges,” the cardinal said.

“They must further remember that, while God looks at the heart, human beings look at outward appearances. The Church is a community and, as such, has a social dimension which cannot be ignored,” he continued. “In society at large, there are dress codes and behaviour patterns for different occasions. There are, for instance, those for recreational activities, for moments of leisure at home, for gala dinners; and others for condolence visits, for concerts, for official or informal receptions, etc. Each attire must naturally be worn as the circumstance demands.”

“The dress code and behaviour patterns in the Church require our special attention. One cannot ignore the critical remarks being made by many, even by those of other faiths, with regard to the attire used by some persons, men and women, when they worship in Church,” the prelate explained. “Whereas in days gone by the “Sunday best” used to become at times a sort of fashion–parade, the modern tendency would seem to go to the other extreme, with people wearing an attire which is considered casual and unbecoming of the sacred dignity of the Church and the members of its Congregation as, respectively, the House and the People of God.”

According to the circular, the Archdiocese of Bombay is carefully attending to matters relating to the dress and behaviour of those involved in Church liturgical ceremonies (altar servers, lectors, choir, sacristans, etc.). Priests are required to use the cassock when on official Church duty, and to wear the appropriate liturgical vestments whenever they perform the sacred rites.

The cardinal has especially exhorted the “lay faithful to come to Church functions attired in a way that shows their respect for the sacred place they are worshipping in.”

“Parents would do well to attend to this aspect of propriety when they send their children to Church services,” he advised.

Church officials say that, in plain terms, it is an attempt to discourage vulgarity.

This is something not strange, as in the recent past, educational institutions have also woken up to the growing problem of the “fashion sense” of the Indian youth and have categorically issued guidelines for “proper dressing” because “mini skirts, tight outfits, plunging necklines and skimpy clothes” lead to crimes such as eveteasing and rape.

In the past, some right–wing Hindu organisations have also tried to ban what they describe as "provocative dressing" on campus.

Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Dolphy D'Souza, the president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) explained that the Church had merely issued guidelines and they should not be taken as an “order.”

He said that issuing such guidelines was nothing new and the Church had been reminding followers about dress codes for some time.

Though most churchgoers agree with the dresscode, some feel that it is an infringement on their freedom to dress up the way they want.

Even the clergy seem to be divided on this issue and though most of them feel that the “Church dressing is just getting worse,” yet, some feel that there should not “be any fixed rule on attire as long it doesn’t distract or scandalise others.”

The Archdiocese of Bombay is the largest in India, with the concentration of Christians and Catholics high in the state.