As a part of its time tested localisation strategy ,Church Inc narrows down on an obscure nun from Kerala who is alleged to have performed medically certified "miracles" and Ratzinger wastes no time in canonising her as " Saint Alphonsamma" .It would not be difficult to argue that this is a token gesture in recognition of enormous number of low cost religious foot soldiers that Church Inc has been able to recruit from the central districts of Kerala especially in the context of human resource crisis that its faces in the Christian bastion of Europe .
The fanatical followers of imperialist political ideologies aka Abrahamic religions are completely entitled to believe in evidently manifest irationalities likes "Miracle" ,"Sainthood","Immaculate Conception" but what was despicable was the way in which the self-professed secular mainstream media in India converted this purely private Vatican religious fantasy in to one of those now customary "India Shining " kind of campaigns that we are often bombarded -remember how a non-existent patriotic angle was played up when some out of work Bollywood starlet faked her way to glory in a British TV show or when a football used in a World Cup final was manufactured in Ludhiana or when an American ,born to Indian parents won a municipal election in US
Even more more shocking was seeing the journalist in NDTV/CNN blatantly declaring, without even an iota of skepiticism, that alleged "miracles" of Alphonsa were medically verified .All norms of journalistic properitary was thrown to winds and channels were doubling up as Christian Mouthpieces.A viewer would not be faulted if they believed that it was a gospel broadcasting channel that they were watching rather than a newschannel.That Christist have infiltrated media is clearly evident now -the outrightly biased coverage of the recent attacks on "Churches" was one clear demonstration of this .It should come as no suprise if rags like TOI have sold space to Church groups to propagate their victimhood tales
One vividly remembers that when millions of gullible Indians sincerely believed that Lord Ganesha was drinking milk,the Mainstream media rightfully assembled few eminent scientist in the studio who clearly explained the scientific rationale for that observed phenomenon.But on today's occassion of canonisation of Alphonsa, one could hardly find sceptics/rationalist being invited to the studio to expose the Vatican tricketers and charlatans who manufacture blatant falsehoods like "sainthood" ,"miracle" etc and deceive the masses.
Another aspect of the Indian mindset that this chest thumping and breast beating over the canonisation reflects is the continued servitiude to the erstwhile imperialist and yearning to be rewarded and recognised by the "Whiteman".I dont see much hope here
And about the Indian state,lesser said the better.A huge contingent of Christian Politicians are in Rome on a government sponsored junket to witness this ceremony with Oscar Fernandes predictably getting the honor of leading it ,in stellar recognition of his role for maintaining peace and harmony in Mangalore
India desperately needs its own version of Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris