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PARAPPULLY Jose, New Delhi says,

HOLDING UP TO THE LIGHT - 4
By Jose Parappully

360° VIEW

New Delhi, Jan. 3. DID YOU NEED TO SAY ALL THAT?A comment on BIS`s policies that restrict light bearers.

DID YOU NEED TO SAY ALL THAT?

The following is a comment sent to me on my previous Speak Up by D. Correa in Dubai. Since he is not currently a Salesian Correa does not have the possibility of utilizing Speak Up or commenting directly on BIS. However, he told me he would be glad if his comment can be reported on BIS. I am glad to do so on his behalf.

Correa`s predicament raises an important issue. BIS is read not just by Salesians. But only a Salesian can post anything on BIS. If a reader wants to comment on anything that appears on BIS, he or she can only send the comment directly to the Salesian who posted the original article. There is no way the general readership can know what the comment is. Should the comment be sent only to the author? Shouldn`t the general readership also know the reactions and responses an article that appears on BIS evokes?

Every newspaper, journal, has a Letter to the Editor column. Usually this is one of the most read columns. Shouldn`t BIS, if it is to be a genuine media entity, have such a column?

Here is my suggestion. Any comment, including those on Speak Up, should be sent directly to the Editor of BIS or to the Province ``Gate Keepers`` and they can use their judgment (just as any Editor chooses what letters/comments to publish) to post the comment on BIS or not. I would welcome comments on this proposal. Meanwhile, here is Correa`s comment. It has been edited to conform to BIS norms of acceptability.

Jose Parappully

* * *
I read the item HOLDING UP TO THE LIGHT - 3 in SPEAK UP (Silence Kills) by Jose Parappully with great interest.

How very true! In the Church more harm is done by omission than by commission -by not doing what ought to be done at the right time. It is so very easy for religious and priests to engage in escapism because few of them have to work for their daily bread. The tendency consequently is to either sweep the dirt under carpet or bury the head in the sand like the ostrich!

The solution is simple. It is a question of technique - technique to handle issues, to handle crisis. The principle is: When there is an issue, EXHAUST it - check EVERY aspect - be clever enough to make sure the case is 100% exhausted. Application of this strategy in day to day professional and personal life will bring forth great success.

Priests and religious should be taught this strategy when dealing with issues. One of them would be - how priests and religious handle their sexuality. We hear of a number of cases where priests have sexually exploited women and minors. Not all accusations may be true, but there are enough true cases to be concerned. I have a strong suspicion that what we hear of are just tips of the iceberg.

Will the Church and the religious Congregations have enough courage to discuss these issues in the open so that later they do not have to pay millions in compensation? An extensive, honest, scientific study on this will bring to light revealing facts with the possibility of arriving at concrete solutions. Daring to bring the truth to light will put the Church in tune with what is happening around.

Yes, the Church does speak - only 50 years after an incident. In the interim period the Church plays it safe - un-Christ like... this is NOT the Church Christ wanted to establish. If silence has not actually killed the Church, who wants a half-alive church? D. Correa, Dubai

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PARAPPULLY Jose(New Delhi) sumedhacentre@gmail.com

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