Mission World - August 2021- The latest saint of modern India’s poor

The death of Fr Stan Swamy, a prisoner of the state who died of COVID-19 in a hospital in Mumbai, India, on August 5, is being mourned across the country by politicians, religious leaders, social advocates and most especially the voiceless tribal peoples and those at the bottom of economic pile.

The Jesuit priest was described by the Indian Express as a tribal rights advocate who worked for over three decades promoting access to land for the poor, labour rights and the equitable use of natural resources. The main thrust of his lifetime’s work was the establishment of a Tribes Advisory Council with members chosen solely from among the indigenous people of the sub-continent.

There was outcry when he was arrested on October 8, 2020 on charges of conspiring with Maoists to murder political leaders. Fr Swamy consistently denied the charges believing that the real reason for his arrest was a petition he had filed with the High Court demanding a speedy and fair trial for all prisoners facing charges. He had also publicly attacked the government over policies he believed weighed heavily in favour of big corporations and the rich and powerful.

Fr Swamy said in a statement at the time of his arrest, “This, I believe, is the main reason why the state is keen to put me out of the way. The most feasible way is to implicate me in serious cases and stall the judicial process to give justice to the poor…”

Born in 1937 in Tamil Nadu, Fr Swamy’s life is being described as one of relentless advocacy for human rights and his fate as an institutionalised maiming of a voice raised on behalf of the poor. In his lifetime he studied in both the Philippines and Belgium, gaining a doctorate in social studies in order to equip himself for his lifelong vocation of opposing arbitrary acquisition of land by corporate and state interests. His big push was for the oppressed of the nation to have a constitutionally recognised voice to defend their rights in their own chosen way.

Indian media are accusing the state of conspiring to bring about Fr Swamy’s death. Charles Cardinal Bo, the president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences said in a statement, “His last month of custody on a hospital bed… is the most heart-wrenching tragedy of an innocent man persecuted for doing good.”

From the earliest months of his detention his appeals for bail were rejected, although no charge against him was ever proven. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease his health deteriorated quickly and for some months he was even denied a straw for drinking, although his shaking hands could no longer hold a cup without spilling the contents. Reluctantly, the government allowed his transfer to hospital shortly before he died.

Cardinal Bo described his legacy as being set free by his death, adding that it has inspired thousands in every part of India and the world. “His mission will never succumb to evil,” the cardinal said.

Comparing Fr Swamy with Mahatma Gandhi, who was arrested under British sedition laws, Cardinal Bo described him as the latest saint of modern India’s poor. “He has redefined his priesthood, extending his altar to the streets and hills of those obnoxious corners of injustice, breaking the bread of good news of human dignity and justice, especially among the indigenous people.”

The cardinal described him as shining a damning light on injustice that is becoming a norm in the world. “Tribals and indigenous people are expendable to corporate interests and their political leaders,” he said.

Columban Fr Robert McCulloch is the Rector of Collegio San Colombano, Rome.

Mission Intention for August 2021

Let us pray for the Church, that She may receive from the Holy Spirit the grace and strength to reform herself in the light of the Gospel.

We ask your prayers:

The prayers of our readers are requested for the repose of the souls of friends and benefactors of the Missionary Society of St Columban who died recently and for the spiritual and the temporal welfare of all our readers, their families and friends.

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