Dalit Catholics Challenge Casteism in the Church
Soosaimanickam Brito (39), from Trichy, still remembers the humiliation of standing outside his own church, forbidden from entering the festival grounds. “They won’t even let us touch the statue,” he says. “We are not allowed to lift the flag during religious festivals. We are forced to stand outside while they conduct the celebrations inside the church.”
Brito is not alone. Across India, Dalit Catholics—who make up nearly 65% of the country’s Catholic population—are facing caste-based discrimination within their places of worship. Despite contributing to the Church for generations, they remain on the margins, excluded from key rituals, leadership positions, and decision-making bodies.
Caste discrimination within the Church is not a new phenomenon. Despite Catholic teachings emphasizing equality, caste-based divisions have remained deeply entrenched in Indian Christian communities for centuries. Many Dalit Christians converted to escape the rigid Hindu caste system but found that social discrimination followed them into their new faith. Over time, dominant caste Christians retained control over Church leadership, property, and religious functions, systematically marginalizing Dalit Catholics.
A glaring example of this systemic discrimination is the lack of Dalit bishops in India. Although Dalits make up a majority of Catholics, they are vastly underrepresented in leadership roles, with only around 12 Dalit bishops across the country. The higher echelons of the Church hierarchy continue to be dominated by upper-caste Christians, creating barriers for Dalits who seek positions of influence within the institution.
Fight for Inclusion in Worship
The discrimination extends beyond religious ceremonies and into the financial structure of the Church. “The parish priest collects money from us for every function, but we don’t get any receipts,” Brito explained. “If we question it, we face backlash. Meanwhile, the upper-caste Catholics pay far less and still get full participation.”
During a recent festival in his parish, Dalits were once again barred from fully participating. “The police were sent even before we could get our court order. Every year, we go through this struggle, and nothing changes,” he added.
Exclusion is not limited to festivals. Many Dalit Catholics are denied burial rights in Church cemeteries, and forced to hold funeral services outside or in segregated areas. Others face separate seating arrangements during mass, reinforcing social hierarchies that go against the very teachings of Christianity.
The exclusion of Dalits from religious functions has been a persistent issue in multiple dioceses across India. In some cases, it has even led to legal battles. In 2015, the Madras High Court ruling mandated that Dalit Catholics be included in parish activities such as flag-hoisting, festival dramas, and communal meals. However, Joshua, who was part of the legal fight, says implementation has been slow and deliberately obstructed.
“The bishop belongs to the dominant caste, so he has no real interest in enforcing this ruling,” Joshua said. “We had almost 25 rounds of discussions with the previous bishop before we went to court. Even after the ruling, they tried to sideline us. They said if we wanted to participate, we should organize our own separate events. That is not equality.”
Even after the court ruling, Dalit Catholics were systematically excluded. “When we insisted on one joint supper for all Catholics, the upper-caste group refused. They proposed two separate meals—one for them, one for us. That is segregation, not unity,” Joshua added.
The Church’s Legal Battle Over Dalit Rights
Beyond ecclesiastical discrimination, Dalit Christians in India also face legal and political exclusion. Unlike Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist Dalits, Christian and Muslim Dalits are denied Scheduled Caste (SC) status, which prevents them from accessing government reservations in education and employment.
Advocate Franklin Caesar Thomas, a legal expert and activist, has been at the forefront of the fight to overturn this exclusion. “In 2004, we filed a civil rights petition in the Supreme Court, arguing that denying SC status to Dalit Christians violates fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15, 16, and 21 of the Indian Constitution,” he explained.
A government commission led by Justice Ranganath Mishra later recommended delinking caste status from religion, but successive governments failed to act. “Even when we presented extensive socio-educational data proving that Dalit Christians face untouchability and social exclusion, the BJP-led government responded negatively, arguing that Christianity does not recognize caste,” Franklin said.
Despite multiple petitions and mounting evidence, the case has remained pending for nearly two decades. In 2022, the government formed another commission under former Chief Justice Balakrishnan, which activists believe is a deliberate attempt to delay action. “The Church should have been more vocal in supporting this case, but their response has been lukewarm at best,” Franklin added.
The Vatican’s Silence on Caste Discrimination
Many Dalit activists had hoped that the Vatican would take a stronger stance on caste-based discrimination during recent Church gatherings. While the Catholic Church has openly condemned racial discrimination in other parts of the world, it has remained relatively silent on the caste issue in India.
The Synod on Synodality, which aimed to address global concerns within the Church, provided a potential platform to discuss casteism. However, Dalit Christian activists say their concerns were overshadowed by broader discussions on governance and inclusivity. “There were discussions, but no commitments,” said Joshua. “We raised our concerns, but the bishops avoided taking a strong stand. This was a chance for the Indian Catholic hierarchy to acknowledge and address casteism, but they failed.”
Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the need for inclusion and justice within the Church, but in India, change has been slow. While some progressive priests and bishops have supported Dalit Christian rights, they remain in the minority. “The Church preaches equality but does not practice it when it comes to Dalit Catholics,” Franklin said.
Dalit Christian activists argue that caste-based discrimination must be acknowledged and addressed at all levels of the Church hierarchy. Some have called for direct intervention from the Vatican to ensure that Dalit Catholics are given equal rights and representation. Others have suggested creating a separate Dalit Catholic diocese to give the community greater autonomy.
As Dalit Catholics continue to fight for equal participation in religious and civic life, legal battles and grassroots activism remain their primary tools. Despite decades of struggle, leaders like Brito and Joshua refuse to give up.
“We will not stop until we are treated as equals,” Brito said. “If the Church does not listen to us, we will take our fight beyond the Synod, beyond the courts. We are not asking for special treatment, just basic dignity.”
Immaculate Damasus is a writer based in Bengaluru who writes at the intersection of behavioural sciences and gender.
