Archbishop Thomas D’Souza highlighted “the sprit of being humane, of being compassionate and being affectionate towards one another” while addressing a Christmas get-together at his residence on Sunday.
Representatives of various faiths, who are members of the United Interfaith Foundation, attended the get-together.
“We sing it beautifully and sing it quite often as the Christmas carol: Silent night, holy night/All is calm, all is bright. But today all is not calm, all is not bright,” the archbishop said in his address.
“The celebration.... here is actually reliving the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of joy, the spirit of fellowship, the spirit of being humane, of being compassionate and being affectionate towards one another,” he said.
The Telegraph later asked him whether the recent unrest over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens was in his mind when he said “all is not calm, all is not bright”.
The archbishop said: “I did not refer to that (CAA or NRC) in this (speech). But the reality is not so bright. All is not calm, there is no brightness. My message was that in the situation that exists, whatever is the situation, we have called to do whatever we can to bring peace and joy. We need to be humane. We need to remain an inclusive society.”
Syed Zaki Hassan Rizvi, Imam-e Jumma, Calcutta, who was present at the congregation, said the archbishop’s message should be seen in the context of what was happening in the county over the CAA and NRC.
“Communities are coming closer to one other. We stand by each other.... People of all religions are coming forward to make a joint move (against CAA and NRC). Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs are saying in unison that these are against the insaniyaat (humanity). People are asking how we can exclude Muslims who have lived together with other communities for 70 years,” Rizvi told this newspaper.
Children perform during the Christmas get-together Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha
On Christmas Eve, people from all faiths walked silently holding candles through lanes of Kidderpore after the midnight mass to show solidarity with neighbours who feel threatened and insecure because of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The walk from St Ignatius Church, Ekbalpore, to Loyola Primary School was short but the message was strong. There were no placards or slogans, just a quiet assurance of “standing together”.
On December 26, pastors, priests and nuns and hundreds of others from all communities walked from St Paul’s Cathedral against the CAA and NRC, in response to a call given by two arms of the archdiocese of Calcutta.
Most of those present at the march felt that the “diversity” of the nation was under threat and it was important to stand up for it and raise their voices.
Standing side by side, singing peace songs, were a burqa-clad young entrepreneur from Howrah and a Loreto nun.
The congregation on Sunday was held to give a message of unity in diversity, said a member of the United Interfaith Foundation. Archbishop Thomas D’Souza is the president of the body.
Towards the end of the programme the leaders of all faiths got onto the stage.
The archbishop said in his address thanking the participants: “It is a very good thing to be together and work together. This was required today. We are doing our little bit to share this joy and peace that we believe in among ourselves, among the communities.”
Representatives of other communities, too, felt the need to bond together.
“We all should bond together during this hour of crisis. What the archbishop has said is the need of the hour,” said Taranjeet Singh, who was representing Sikhs.
