INDIA'S top soldier has urged his fellow Catholics and other Indian Christians to join fully in the mainstream life of the country.
Speaking at a holy hour prayer meeting organised by the New Delhi archdiocese last week, General Sunith Francis Rodrigues criticised what he called the reluctance of Christians to participate in the Indian community.
The general, a native of the state of Goa who is the first Catholic to head the Indian Army, called for "charismatic" leadership from the Christian community to help steer the country out of its current crisis.
He said that although many Indians are dejected over the
political instability and violence prevailing in the country, foreign observers have expressed optimism about democracy's chance for survival in India.
The army chief also criticised what he said is an overemphasis by Chrisitans on their contribution to Indian education.
"Our social action should not be confined to building factories of education," Rodrigues said. Despite the emphasis, he said, Christian educational institutions have failed to produce dynamic leaders for the country.
His audience was primarily priests and nuns who run some of the most prestigious schools in the Indian capital.