A Response to the Critics of My Political Involvement as a Priest.  

1. Spiritual Integrity of the Priesthood

 

I have no doubt whatsoever that the priesthood is a sacred calling and for that matter all other callings are sacred as well. Yet, there may be a conflict between us as regards the understanding as to what sacredness is.  Some tend to think that what is sacred is only those activities done inside the four wall of the Church and anything done with people to promote their wellbeing outside the Church is less holy or not sacred at all.

 

2. Misalignment with Christ-Centered Mission

 

What is worldly and what is unworldly? Is working for justice, human rights, worldly and not sacred? How should one understand the last judgment in Mathew 25, where Jesus speaks of people who are hungry, thirsty, naked and those imprisoned and the entry into His Kingdom is guaranteed only to those who served the needs of such people.

 

Also, one can observe many other instances in the gospel, where Jesus asks his followers to do justice. I shall quote here two instances from Mathew.

• “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [justice], for they shall be filled.” (Mt 5:6)
• “Blessed are the merciful… the peacemakers… those persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” (Mt 5:7–10)

Let me also mention here one of the first sermons of Jesus. What did Jesus mean when he said in Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news”. Also, in Matthew 4:17 – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

He meant that people ought to change their behaviour radically. He called them to turn away from acts of injustices, sin, selfishness and oppression of others.

3.Neglect of Theological Teaching and Pastoral Care

 

I am sad to note that many Christians believe in myths and are ignorant of the core teachings of Jesus. Their faith is not based on the teachings found in the bible.

The fault is not with the faithful but their teachers, priests and bishops. They preached about and promoted pious devotions while neglecting “kingdom values”.

5. Rejection of Political Allegiance

 

I have lived 50 years of my priesthood but did not engage myself in party politics until 2018. My role has been always struggling against inhuman economic policies which oppressed the poor and against the imposition of a model of development which caused displacement of people and violation of their rights.    

Moreover, the period we passed was an extreme situation, where people were forced to undergo immense suffering due to the corrupt practices of the ruling elite in the name of development and defending of the rights of the majority community. The end result of the process was a total collapse of the national economy.   

In such a situation, keeping silence or praying alone was not enough to meet the situation but demanded action against such a regime.  The circumstances led me to oppose the previous regime and bring the NPP to power. Yet at any moment I did not consider NPP my God.    

I did not also take this step to seek personal privileges or high places for myself, but only to defeat the evil forces which dominated during the recent past. Had I done so, that would have been an act against the values of His Kingdom and the sacredness of the priesthood.