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India News Clips
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Priests In India Face
Problems Plaguing Their Ministry, Church Leaders Say
http://www.catholic.org/printer_friendly.php?id=25160§ion=Cathcom
8/27/2007
NEW DELHI, India (UCAN) –
Some church leaders in India say many priests in India suffer
from intellectual inadequacy, careerism and loneliness,
problems that affect their ministry. Lack of motivation and
alcoholism are also problems, Archbishop Marampudi Joji of
Hyderabad told UCA News ahead of an Asia-wide bishops' seminar
on “Caring for Priests – Especially those in Difficult
Situations.”
The Office of Clergy of the Federation of Asian Bishops'
Conference (FABC) is conducting the Aug. 27-Sept. 1 seminar in
Pattaya, southeastern Thailand.
The archbishop, who is based in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra
Pradesh state, 1,400 kilometers (about 870 miles) south of New
Delhi, said the solution to most problems is counseling. The
prelate, who is attending the seminar, added that he would
identify good counselors for his priests.
Bishop Govindu Joji of Nalgonda, also in Andhra Pradesh and
also attending the seminar, told UCA News the problems that
priests in the state face are "more or less the same" as
problems faced by priests elsewhere. But he did not elaborate.
Father Anthoniraj Thumma said many parish priests feel
"lonely," which leads to a "tendency to form interest and even
caste groups." Other senior priests highlighted the same
issue. From Goa, western India, this concern was echoed by
Jesuit Father Braz Faleiro, who has been a priest for more
than 50 years, and Father Saturnino Dias, executive secretary
of the FABC Office of Evangelization. Father Dias said a
priest should have friends "among priests, otherwise he tends
to approach laypersons."
According to Father Y.M. Joseph, a senior priest in Andhra
Pradesh, the formation priests receive is academically and
pastorally insufficient to meet the demands of their ministry.
Candidates should be screened for their motivation, he told
UCA News, adding that he doubts the genuineness of the
vocation of some priests.
For some, priestly ministry ends when money and power
considerations take over, he said, wondering if some people
regard the priesthood as just another career. Father Paul
Thelakkat, official spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Church,
based in Kochi, in southern India's Kerala state, says the new
generation of priests are intellectually weak and not well
informed about social realities.
Many young priests "find it difficult to interact meaningfully
with knowledgeable laypeople," he observed, saying the habit
of reading is also "going down" in seminaries. In his view,
"only below-average students are getting into the seminaries"
today, not the "best minds" as in the past. Father A. Adappoor,
a senior priest in Kerala, told UCA News the fall in standards
is not limited to the clergy. "When the whole social system is
degenerating, it will be reflected in the clergy too," he
remarked.
"Earlier, clerical formation was more intellectually oriented
and demanding. All the textbooks were in Latin. But today the
texts are in English. So anybody who is keen to acquire
knowledge can access it," he said. "It depends on one's
willingness." On the other hand, Father Kandula Charles,
former director of the pastoral center in Hyderabad, sees a
failure to care for priests, even their health needs. In some
cases, he said, they are "treated worse than domestic
workers."
Father Faleiro pointed out that while Goa archdiocese has
improved its health care for priests, it does not have special
rehabilitation facilities for priests who are addicted to
alcohol or who require psychiatric treatment. Stressing that
loneliness is a serious problem, Father Antimo Gomes, a parish
priest in Goa, said that although a priest may be busy all
day, he finds himself isolated in his room at the end of the
day. He and Father Falerio agree that loneliness sometimes
leads priests to turn to alcohol.
Father Falerio, who pioneered several public movements in Goa
in the 1970s, said priests are not intellectually and socially
equipped now to speak out against injustices in society, but
seem to have "withdrawn into a shell." Father Thelakkat also
agreed that in the past, priests were exposed to different
schools of secular thought, theologies and philosophies during
clerical formation. "So many young priests are not aware about
(trends in) secular thought" now, he said. "Today, theological
studies are limited to biblical interpretation."
This limits priests' understanding of the world, he added.
"Lack of reading, communication skills, technological phobia,
and low self-confidence make the priests inferior to
laypeople." |
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Wealthy Indian Consumers
Ring Up More Premium Phones
http://www.ndtvprofit.com/homepage/news.asp?id=292093
August 29, 2007
By Rina Chandran
MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) -
At a charity auction of a limited-edition Nokia Vertu handset
in a Mumbai nightclub last week, the bejewelled mobile phone
went for more than $30,000 after frenzied bidding by movie
stars and businessmen.
Even at its regular price of 380,000 rupees ($9,250), there is
growing demand for the Vertu Ferrari 1947 and other premium
models in India, the world's fastest-growing mobile market.
"The demand for luxury goods is rising, and we are seeing that
reflected in phones, as well," said Rajiv Popley, director of
Popley Group, a premium city jeweller, which sells the range.
"We started last March with five Vertu phones. Today we stock
30 phones in two stores," he said, adding that the most
popular Vertu phones cost about $14,600, with the most
expensive model priced at more than $97,000 in his stores.
Indian mobile operators are signing up almost 7 million new
users a month on average. While most first-time users tend to
buy cheap, basic phones, replacements are frequent and more
pricey.
"What is interesting to note is the misconception that the
majority of people want a $30 or $40 device," said Carolina
Milanesi, research director for technology consultancy
Gartner's mobile device and consumer services group.
"The reality is that people want a bit more than entry-level
products, and the sweet spot seems to be more around $60." |
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Microsoft seeks to boost
philanthropy in India
http://www.ndtvgadgets.com/disclaimer.asp
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Microsoft Corp. will distribute free software to nonprofit
groups to boost charity in India, a company official said
recently. The software donation will be routed through a
technology assistance program that India's NASSCOM Foundation
is offering in partnership with TechSoup, a San
Francisco-based group that partners in charity work with
companies like Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Symantec.
NASSCOM Foundation, the philanthropy arm of the trade body of
technology companies operating in India, introduced the
program - titled BiG Tech.
BiG Tech is a Web-based program that allows nonprofits to
apply for free software online. The foundation will charge a
fee of up to four per cent to the nonprofit groups. Nearly
35,000 nonprofit groups in India will be eligible for such
software donations.
Microsoft sees BiG Tech as another opportunity to push its
India strategy that has often tied business moves with
philanthropy. "We think it is going to make a big impact in
India," said Neelam Dhawan, managing director at Microsoft
India.
Microsoft is a major donor for TechSoup, which runs or
partners similar technology assistance programs across 25
countries outside the United States. In the fiscal year 2008,
TechSoup aims to distribute US$55 million (€40.4 million)
worth of software. The group sees "an extraordinary
opportunity in India," said Mike Yeaton, its global director.
Yeaton said the BiG Tech program also offers an opportunity
for Indian technology companies to channel their charity
through TechSoup to countries in other parts of the world.
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Goan Voice designed and compiled by
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Campal Trade Centre, Next to Military Hospital, Campal,
Panjim, Goa-403001
Tel: +91 832 2420797 Email:
info@goanvoice.ca
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