Bishops welcome India sending delegation for canonization

On Nov 23, six people will be elevated as saints by the Pope who will conduct the ceremony.

New Delhi:  The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) has welcomed government's decision to send an official delegation to the Vatican for the canonization of two Indians next Sunday.

The government decision comes as a response to the request made by Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, president of the bishops' conference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CBCI said in a note on Monday.

The Church official wanted an official India delegation for the canonization of Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Blessed Euphrasia Eluvathinkal, two holy people lived in Kerala in the last century.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, an Orthodox Christian from Kerala, is leading the delegation, the bishops' noted. The other two in the delegation are TDP parliamentarian P Raveendra Babu and parliamentarian Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland Peoples Front.

Babu is a Hindu. Neiphiu, a three-time Nagaland Chief Minister, is a Protestant Christian.

"The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India appreciates this kind gesture from the part of the government and thanks the Prime Minister for taking this initiative," the note said.

Some sections of the media said the bishops were unhappy that no catholic is included in the delegation. But bishops' spokesperson Father Joseph Chinnayyan denied such reports.

"The religion of the delegation members does not worry the bishops. It is government's freedom to chose the delegation members," he told ucan. The bishops are happy that the government responded positively to the request, he said.