Carlo Torriani

SWARGA DWAR

The conversion of a catholic missionary

presented by

Card. Simon Pimenta

PIME Publications, PIME Regional House, Eluru - 534 0-07, A.P., India

INTERNATIONAL LEPROSY CONGRESS

Letter No. 24, April 1984

 Dear Friends

    The XII International Leprosy Congress was held for the first time in India in New Delhi. It has been a very important event for all the people who work for leprosy control: doctor, scientists and missionaries. It was proper that such an event should take place in India sine in our country there one quarter of all the leprosy patients of the world.

At the Congress also Indira Gandhi and Mother Teresa of Calcutta participated. Indira Gandhi, in the inaugural address, thanked all the missionaries of different denominations since they had been the first and they are still a good number to take care of leprosy patients. Mother Teresa explained that Christians and her Sisters take care of leprosy patients to do like Jesus did and because they see Jesus in any suffering man. But it is nice to see also honest and committed Hindu people doing the same, Let us remember Manohar Diwan at Wardha and Baba Ampte at Anandvan and now many other ordinary people like the majority of the staff of Lok Seva Sangam. We also have Mislims and Buddhists in the staff. Mahatma Gandhi also was keeping a leprosy patient in his ashram and massaging him personally, in spite of the opposition of the community. We must take notice that “The Spirit of the Lord overtakes us” as the Gospel says. The goodness and compassion of Jesus is spreading in the world and we are the witnesses.

Isn’t it a reason of joy to see that the cross had become the symbol of solidarity and compassion all over the world with the Red Cross? Also the logo of the International Leprosy Association is St. George fighting the dragon, a Christian symbol of fighting the evil accepted in all the nations. But after all they are only symbols and every religion has its own. Like St.George fighting the dragon or Rama slaying Ravana, they are all mythological symbols. What matters is the reality behind them and the Spirit which is at work in every culture and “blows wherever it wants”. This was very clear at the congress: one thousand four hundred highly qualified persons, coming from every part of the world, from different cultures and religions, working together to find the way to combat leprosy and giving each other the “good news” that “leprosy patients are cleaned”

Jesus, to the disciples of John the Baptist  who were asking him whether he was the Messiah, gave the same “good news”. “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard….leprosy patients are cleaned” (Luke 7:22).

We also have good news about the project Swarga Dwar, Taloja. Unbelievable: eight months after the schedule, we took possession of the land. It will be too long to tell you all the problems and complications we went through. The past is past, let us rejoice in our achievement. With your generous help we are confident, we will overcome all the future difficulties. How many names and faces come now to my mind. How to thank all of you?

The same day we signed the documents and took possession of the land, as a good omen, we could read in the readings of the Mass of the day, our programmatic quotation: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the key stone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see.” (Marc:12,10). Jesus is THE rejected stone; the leprosy patients are rejected by society. We are in a good company!! The day after at the first Mass celebrated on the land of Swarga Dwar we were four: two Christians, a Hindu and a Muslim: the ecumenical ashram is started. By the way Taloja is a Muslim village, but the nearest village, Rohinjan, is Hindu. To find a Christian we must walk miles.

Another good news: a convent of Benedictine Cloister nuns in Piacenza, Italy, are praying for us and they want to help Swarga Dwar. We are lucky.