Father Thomas Rajmanikam from St. Joseph parish of Indore Diocese and his parishioners serve food to residents of an enclave of people affected with Hansen’s disease Nov. 19 to mark World Day of the Poor. (Photo supplied)
The first World Day of the Poor instituted by Pope Francis has helped put poverty on center stage of Catholic life in India.
Communities have made long-term commitments to share resources with those in need and to pray for them.
Leaders of India’s three ritual Catholic churches — Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara and Latin rites — followed a papal exhortation to express solidarity with those who are impoverished.
Pope Francis in 2016 instituted the World Day of the Poor, which this year fell on Sunday Nov. 19.
All 34 dioceses of the Eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church observed the day, church spokesperson Father Jimmy Poochakkat told ucanews.com.
Parishioners went into the streets to give away money, food packages and clothes, he added.
The smaller Syro-Malankara Church with 14 dioceses has also undertaken a series of charitable activities, said church spokesman Father Bovas Mathew Meloottu.
"As far as we are concerned charity is an on-going process," Father Meloottu said. "Church members are very generously contributing for the purpose of charity."
Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, head of the Latin rite bishops’ conference, asked parishes to help make the world "more Christ-like."
"Pope Francis has ceaselessly been reminding us about special care for the poor," the cardinal said.
He invited all parishes to have at least one program for the poor.
Father Thomas Rajmanikam, priest at the St. Joseph Parish in the Nanda Nagar area of Indore Diocese in Madhya Pradesh, said parishioners baked a local delicacy for distribution to victims of Hansen’s disease, formerly known as leprosy.