The Pope’s Caritas: Evocative of a Hindu’s Karuna

Last updated on: October 12, 2015 at 8:52 pm by Padma Kuppa

The Pope’s Caritas: Evocative of a Hindu’s Karuna 2015-10-12T20:52:18-04:00 Padma Kuppa

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on the Pope in America: Implications, Collaborations, Challenges. Read other perspectives here.

A child of immigrants, I grew up with a Catholic “uncle” – a foreign student from Southern India like my parents. He and my father were colleagues in the English department at a university in New York. “Uncle Ralph,” my father would always say, “is a ‘small c’ catholic” – and to this day, I have not seen otherwise: he is as the definition says: including a wide variety of things; all-embracing. From when he was a graduate student to now, as an English professor at a community college in Long Island, he has largely shaped my understanding of and experiences with “big C” Catholics. When my children and I discuss characters in the classic movies of their childhood – it is always Ralph Thaatha (grandfather in Telugu) who is the one that reminds us of Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan Kenobi: that larger than life figure, full of wisdom and philosophy – a pluralistic philosophy that reminds us of our own Hindu spirituality. So on the cusp of Pope Francis’s visit to the United States, who also seems to represent that same kind of “small c” Catholicism, I have hope that Pope Francis will bring that same kind of pluralism that Uncle Ralph embodies, to all Americans – Hindus, Catholics, and people of all faiths or none.

Pope Francis is creating a new image, painting a new story for the Roman Catholic Church – one that many in the Hindu community in America and elsewhere can appreciate. This Pope recently “asked forgiveness for the ‘many grave sins’ committed against native peoples of Latin America during colonial times,” in stark contrast to his predecessor, Pope John Paul, who concluded his visit to India less than 20 years ago with a call for Crusade in Asia on the important Hindu holy day of Diwali. The Hindus who objected were not only ignored, they were further demeaned as “Hindu fundamentalists” or “radicals” who were blocking religious freedom – instead of being acknowledged for their very palpable concern that India’s civilizational history has been undermined by centuries of conversion and colonization. Pope Francis, as the head of the Catholic Church, where “Catholic” is also defined by the universal scope of the Church and its underpinnings of strong evangelism, can continue to address the issues of ethical conversion and religious freedom, thereby promoting pluralism all over the world.

We at the Hindu American Foundation were hopeful when Pope Francis was first ushered into his role, and look forward to continuing the dialogue on issues that are critical to our times. His recent encyclical on the environment energized young leaders the world over, including SriVani Ganti, Director at the Hindu American Foundation, fellow Hindu American activist Sunitha Viswanath, and those in the UK at the Bhumi Project. Getting other Christians to accept the reality of climate change, and building a common strategy out of the diversity of our faith traditions – this is universal scope that Pope Francis can champion.

Pope Francis’s visit comes at a time when there are many things to champion in this country – addressing the challenge of climate change, racial equality, reducing poverty and economic disparity, promoting religious freedom while respecting religious diversity… the list goes on. It will be curious to see if his address to the US Congress – bringing religion into politics – can help the assuage the fierce debates we are having over religion in the public square. As a religious leader of the largest Christian denomination in the world, perhaps he can provide words of wisdom to not only members of the Roman Catholic Church, but to our political leaders. His recent letter on the issue of abortion addresses one of the most hot-button issues in the political and theological arenas in a compassionate way – something our politicians also need to do.

The Pope’s caritas is evocative of a Hindu’s karuna (akin to love and compassion*)*; his path of social justice is akin to the path of dharma. This Pope, more than any other that I have seen or read of, provides the inspiration that maybe it is possible for a person of faith to bring one’s whole self into the political realm, and that a holistic, compassionate theology can liberate us from debilitating differences in political ideology, especially if its foundation is fear mongering. In the early 20th century, it was the Catholics who were at the forefront, facing down fears and phobias of the Other: President Kennedy and this Pope are symbolic of how we have overcome. Today, it is South Asian immigrants like myself who have to deal with phobia.. Islamophobia, Hinduphobia, and so on. Perhaps we too will overcome – and maybe in less than a century!

Previous Post

September 10, 2015

India's Latest Census: Hindus, Christians & Confusion

Next Post

September 24, 2015 A Hindu Prayer for Everyone: Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category acttochange Advocacy african american American Apocalyspse Autism Belief bhagavad gita Bhumi Project Bullying caste caste report Catholic Climate Change conversion Creation Story development dfn Dharma Diversity and Inclusion Divine Feminine Draupadi Education Environment EquityInEducation ethics evangelism Evil faith in the public square genocide God Goddess guru Hijab Hindu Hindu American Hindu American Foundation Hindu practices Holidays Holocaust human rights human trafficking identity India Indian American interfaith Internship Jewish Justice Kashmiri Hindus LGBT LGBT Rights Mahabharata Martin Luther King Jr Celebration meditation MLK Muslim National Day of Prayer NoDAPL Pakistani Hindu Peace Advocacy pluralism Prayer predatory proselytization Religious Freedom SacredSites Sari science self-realization Social Action spock Telugu Truth TSOG Uncategorized Urban monk Vegetarian Vote

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the tax collector that Jesus called to follow Him?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Levi Matthew Nicodemus Zacchaeus