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

SWARGA DWAR

 Letter No. 23, Bombay, December 1983

Dear Friends

    After the last letter we kept quiet for some time hoping to give you the good news that we are in possession of the land. But bureaucracy is always longer then expected. The order of the assistant collector was needed, but did not have our intentions and our eagerness. For five months we went up and down to his office praying, requesting, carrying new documents, etc. At last the order came. We paid our dues and now we start planning our steps. The first worry is the next instalment for the land in a year time. The first work will be the construction of the hospice, we will repair and extend an existing building. Sr. Luigina is at present in Italy to speak about the project. We trust in the Lord and in you who are the expression of his goodness, we are only the trustees of both. We hope to be the channels of your goodness towards the poor and the leprosy patients.

    Inspired by the beauty and by the peace of the place we are thinking that beside making a hospice, beside making a centre of rehabilitation, we can make here an ashram: a place where people can come to search for God, to pray, to meditate and to serve. Here we can really practise the Latin Benedictine motto: Ora et labora, pray and work in the service of the needy. Here we can have a search of God not only in prayer and meditation but also in the challenge of human suffering. This will help us to avoid illusion and alienation. It will be a search link to human reality.

    Our ashram, Swarga Dwar, Gate of Heaven, could be also an ecumenical (universal) centre where Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jain, Parsi, can come and search for God with their symbols, their scriptures, their prayers, but all challenged by the suffering of the leprosy patient.

In the Italian language we have an idiom very meaningful. Any suffering human being is popularly called “poor Christ”, quel povero cristo.  Now, if a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim is ready to help that

“poor Christ” that is the leprosy patient, that help will be their first step towards the Christ of history.

I also think that a dialogue will be possible also with those who do not have a religious faith or practice, if they will be willing to help the leprosy patient and to fight for his place in society.

    Now all this reasoning can look like just good words with the danger of forgetting or exploiting the leprosy patient as an icon. It is true. But it can be the most radical rehabilitation if the leprosy  patient find his space as a messenger who has something to tell and to teach us.

You too can help in making it that way.