Archbishop Peter Machado, Catholic Bishops of Karnataka meet Pope Francis
A Group of 56 Indian Bishops consisted of prelates not only from Karnataka but also Andhra-Telengana, Tamil Nadu and the Latin Bishops of Kerala went to Rome for their Ad Limina visit, which is mandatory for Bishops to meet with the Pope every five years. They began this visit with the Holy Mass at the Tomb of St Peter in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica on 12th September.
They also celebrated the Holy Masses at the three other major Basilicas of St Paul, Mother Mary and St. John Lateran, and visited important Congregations such as Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments, Integral Human development, Inter- Religious dialogue, Laity, Family, Catholic Education etc.
The Bishops also met Pope Francis who met and spent time with each one of them and had words of encouragement for them on September 17. The Pope also reportedly spoke of his concerns for the Church.
In his official speech, the Holy Father thanked the bishops for their dedicated service to the people and also instructed them to reach out the love of Christ to the needy and the poor by upholding simplicity, truth and justice. He then invited questions and clarifications. Archbishop Peter Machado wrote from Rome: “I considered it a unique but humble opportunity to represent the Archdiocese and the Karnataka State in Rome. Both Archbishop Emeritus Bernard Moras and myself were privileged to be provided accommodation at Casa Santa Martha, in the same residence as the Holy Father. In fact we were surprised to find him walking on the corridors and even eating in the same refectory, a little set apart, but we were instructed not to go too close to him or talk to him. The Holy Father is an epitome of simplicity and humility.
“I expressed appreciation for his teachings about the poor and more than anything else his approach to the poor. I assured the Holy Father that with his closeness to the poor, we in our Archdiocese, Karnataka State and Country at large feel consoled that he loves the poor and his heart beats for the poor. I told him of our humble attempts of coming to the aid of the poor, the latest one being opening a night shelter for those sleeping on the streets, beginning with one such shelter in the Archbishop's House Campus, perhaps with more to follow in the Archdiocese. Taking cue from the Holy Father's Celebration of the Day of the Poor, I told His Holiness that in consultation with the Priests, Religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Bangalore, we may keep up the coming year in the Archdiocese as the Year of the Poor. His immediate response in Italian was "Vai Avanti" which means "Go ahead!" was Archbishop Machado’s word from Rome" he further wrote.
“The Holy Father was happy that initiatives are being taken in many dioceses of India of greening the environment. The Pope expressed his keen desire to visit India as he has been visiting so many other countries. The Holy Father closed the audience with a prayer for India and blessings to all the bishops and the faithful of their dioceses. The Holy Father interacted with each one of them, and allowed them to take Groups photographs region-wise” an official press statement from The Archdiocese of Bangalore informed.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
