by Paolo Affatato
Mumbai – A Church called to carry out its mission in the heart of one of India’s largest, most dynamic and complex megalopolises: this is the daily reality of the Archdiocese of Bombay, a territory where major financial and commercial centres and Bollywood’s entertainment industry exist alongside some of Asia’s largest slums. “In terms of urban complexity, geopolitical importance and pastoral impact, Bombay represents a vital hub for the Catholic Church in India,” Msgr. Stephen Victor Fernandes, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, tells Fides.
The Archdiocese has around 500,000 baptized in a territory inhabited by more than 21 million people. It encompasses the metropolis of Mumbai, its vast suburban area and several neighboring districts in the state of Maharashtra, in west-central India. It is a deeply polarized reality: alongside the wealth of financial and commercial districts are extensive areas marked by extreme poverty, precarious housing and unemployment. The city itself is a linguistic and cultural mosaic: alongside Marathi, the official language of Maharashtra, Hindi, Gujarati, English and numerous other languages are widely spoken.
It is particularly in the outskirts and slums that the Church carries out an essential part of her mission. “The greatest challenge is social inequality and urban poverty,” the Bishop observes, recalling the vast Dharavi slum in the heart of Mumbai, “one of the largest slums in Asia and in the world.” Dharavi is globally known for its extraordinary population density, with an estimated population of around one million people and some 277,000 inhabitants per square kilometre, making it one of the most densely populated areas on the planet.
In this context, “the Catholic community has historically been committed to providing education, healthcare and social services without discrimination based on caste or religion.” “In the poorest neighborhoods,” he explains, “where essential services and infrastructure are often lacking, the Church’s presence also takes shape through Basic Ecclesial Communities: small communities rooted in the fabric of the slums, seeking to be ‘little points of light’, with the Gospel at the centre, in contexts marked by poverty and, at times, crime.”
This widespread presence is reflected in an extensive network of social and educational institutions. Alongside its 124 parishes, Catholic educational structures include 167 schools, 33 colleges, 18 non-formal education centres and 15 institutions for special education. In the healthcare sector, there are nine hospitals and 25 dispensaries and clinics. “Pastoral ministry through schools and hospitals, through education and healthcare, is the backbone of our mission,” Bishop Fernandes stresses.
In the field of education, alongside institutions of considerable national prestige, the Church maintains a strong focus on the outskirts of the city. Major colleges, such as the Jesuit-run St. Xavier’s College and Sophia College for Women, coexist with smaller schools and educational support centres serving the children of daily-wage workers and poorer families. “The aim is to combat school dropout rates and provide opportunities for children and young people living in the most deprived areas, such as Dharavi,” he explains.
The same applies to healthcare. The Archdiocese has centres of medical excellence, as well as a network of dispensaries and clinics reaching suburban and rural areas. “In districts where public services are most lacking, religious congregations, particularly women’s congregations, run local healthcare facilities; mobile clinics bring doctors and basic medicines to slums and villages in tribal communities.” The local Church also runs 12 centres dedicated to the care of people affected by leprosy and AIDS, as well as 20 facilities for the elderly, people with disabilities and the terminally ill.
“The Church was a pioneer in Mumbai in opening care centres for terminal cancer patients, centres for the treatment of leprosy, a scourge that still exists, and homes for people living with AIDS, combating the social stigma that affect these patients,” the Bishop recalls. This tradition of service also includes the witness of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who have developed a significant presence in Mumbai alongside the poor, the sick and people living on the margins of society.
Another area in which the life of the Church finds expression is interreligious dialogue. “We are immersed in a pluralistic society, with a Hindu majority and large Muslim and Buddhist communities,” Msgr. Fernandes explains. In a social and political climate at times influenced by religious nationalism, “the Church seeks to protect the rights and lives of religious minorities, including through discussions on the recent legislation introduced in the state of Maharashtra concerning religious conversions.”
Youth ministry is also of great importance. “Mumbai,” he observes, “is a megalopolis projected towards global modernity, where younger generations are exposed to secularization, consumer culture and intense competition in education and the workplace.” “Many young people tend to drift away from religious practice and ecclesial life, looking outward, towards professional careers and the pursuit of skilled employment,” the Bishop says. The pastoral challenge, therefore, lies “in proposing the values of the Gospel in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment. If the lives of young people are accompanied by Christ, their journey of human and professional growth takes on a different color, a different fullness: it is our task to guide them towards this awareness.”
With particular attention to young people, the Church is also reflecting on her relationship with the new digital media, considering them an important field for evangelization. “Alongside the concrete witness of life and personal relationships, this is another indispensable area: a new pulpit from which to proclaim the Gospel to the humanity of today,” Msgr. Fernandes says.
In this context, the issue of artificial intelligence cannot be ignored. “It is a crucial issue and one that is deeply felt in India. As a professor of ethics, I have had the opportunity to stress what the Pope said in the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas,” Msgr. Fernandes says, raising the fundamental question: “How can we place artificial intelligence at the service of the common good, of life and of the dignity of the human person?” “This is an issue that, in the present and in the future, will concern the mission of the Church in Bombay, in India and throughout the world,” he concludes.
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