ASIA/INDIA – “Dalit Liberation Sunday”: The Jubilee of Hope begins at the margins

New Delhi – The “Dalit Liberation Sunday,” which the Catholic Church in India celebrates on November 9 under the auspices of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India , in which the bishops of the Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Rite, is “a sacred moment of remembrance, repentance and renewal, reminding us that God is a Father who loves all his children equally, without distinction of caste, skin color or class,” Capuchin Father Nithiya Sagayam OFM Cap, Secretary of the Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in the Bishops’ Council of Tami Nadu and national coordinator of “Dalit Liberation Sunday”, told Fides. “To call God ‘Father’ means affirming that every person is our brother or sister, precious, equal, and endowed with the same dignity,” he emphasizes. “The Indian Church has chosen the theme ‘The Jubilee of Hope Begins at the Margins’ for this day because we want to remember that God always begins his work of salvation at the margins, with the oppressed.”
The Secretary explains the reasons for the celebration to Fides: “The caste system in India, so deeply rooted in our social structures, continues to distort our relationships, our worship, and our Christian witness. It divides the Body of Christ and silences the cry of the poor. It contradicts the Gospel and denies our equality as baptized Christians and children of God.” For this reason, he notes, “Indian Catholics celebrating ‘Dalit Liberation Sunday’ unite their hands and hearts with all our Dalit brothers and sisters who have lived through generations of pain, struggle, and faith.”
“Their perseverance,” he adds, “reminds us that God hears the cry of the oppressed. Every Eucharist celebrated in every church in India seeks to affirm that the Church is a family, not a hierarchy of privileges; it is a community of disciples who walk together in the spirit of truth and love.” The theme is indeed “an invitation to conversion and courage: to dismantle discrimination, heal divisions, and build a Church that truly reflects the Kingdom of God, where ‘there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus’ .
“If Saint Paul were among us today,” says Capuchin friar Sagayam, “he might add: ‘There are no Dalits and non-Dalits, for you are all one in Christ.’ This is the spiritual truth that the Church must live. And yet, the commission of Judge Renganath Misra documented in 2007 that Dalit Christians continue to face discrimination not only in society but also within the Church itself.”
He cites several examples: “There are incidents of Dalit segregation during church services, with separate seating for them in some churches, especially in rural areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Or there are separate burial plots for Dalits in cemeteries. Sometimes Catholic schools and universities favor students and staff from higher castes, or Dalit students are bullied, neglected, or excluded from leadership positions. The hiring of Dalit teachers or administrative staff is also rare.”
Even within the clergy, there are “very few bishops, provincials, or superiors of religious orders from the Dalit caste. Dalit priests and religious are often transferred to remote or poor parishes, and Dalits are rarely represented on pastoral councils or diocesan bodies.” Furthermore, “caste-based marriage is still practiced and even encouraged in some Catholic families,” and it happens that “Catholic believers from higher castes refuse to share meals, homes, or relationships with Dalit Catholics.”
Fr. Sagayam recalls “the prophetic call of the Church: Indian bishops have promoted the emancipation of Dalits by calling caste discrimination a ‘grave social sin,’ and remind us that 65% of Indian Catholics are Dalits. To celebrate ‘Dalit Liberation Sunday’ without taking action would be hypocrisy. The Church must not only preach liberation, it must also practice it. Every parish, every diocese, and every religious order must ask itself: ‘Who is being excluded here? Whose voice is missing? Whose pain are we ignoring?’”
The Capuchin concludes with a quote from the Apostolic Letter “Dilexi Te,” in which Pope Leo XIV reminds us that faith cannot be separated from love for the poor. He translates it as follows: “Inspired by the Pope’s letter, let us say with courage: Faith must not be separated from love for the Dalits.” Therefore, the “Jubilee of Hope, a time of equality and renewal, begins not in palaces or cathedrals, but on the margins of society, among Dalit Christians and all the oppressed.”
The caste system in India originated as a division of labor in ancient Hindu society and evolved into a strict social hierarchy of Brahmins , Kshatriyas , Vaishyas , Shudras , and finally the Avarna, or “untouchables,” who were later called “Dalits.”
Currently, it is estimated that between 50 and 75% of Indian Christians are Dalits, but this figure is not officially recognized in government data. A 2008 report by the National Commission on Minorities estimated the number of Dalit Christians at 2.4 million, but many experts believe the number is much higher.

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