Remy Denis

Remy Denis is an Indian mathematician who was elected president of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) in September 2008, succeeding John Dayal.[1] He was reelected at the annual general meeting of the AICU held in Mangalore in September 2010.

Remy Denis
President, All India Catholic Union
Assumed office
2008
Preceded byJohn Dayal
Personal details
NationalityIndian
ProfessionProfessor of Mathematics

Denis holds M.Sc. Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees, and was a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Gorakhpur University in Uttar Pradesh.[2] In the 1980s, Denis was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Minorities Commission.[3]

Denis has taken a somewhat radical position in saying that the clergy should confine itself to ministering to the spiritual needs of the people. Administration of the material goods of the church should be left entirely to the laity.[4] At a seminar in Goa in August 2009, former Union minister Eduardo Faleiro said that church property should be brought under the ambit of state laws, as was the case with other religions. This was endorsed by Denis and other liberals. However John Dayal, representing the conservatives in the AICU, opposed any change. He said that the "Christian situation" was radically and materially different from that of the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religions, and existing laws were sufficient.[5]

In February 2012 the AICU announced that it had started planning for a Laity Synod, to be held later in the year. This would be the first time such an event had been arranged in India. It would give the lay members an opportunity to think about their role in the church and the future of the church.[6] According to Denis "The Second Vatican Council called for the empowerment of the laity. But after 50 years, there is not much to show". It was hoped that the synod would help find ways for the laity to become more involved in management of the financial and temporal affairs of the church.[7]

References
  1. "Current Office Bearers". All India Catholic Union. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  2. "All India Catholic Union ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 2011" (PDF). AICU. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  3. National Council of Churches review. Vol. 109. National Christian Council of India. 1989. p. 102.
  4. Averthanus L. D’Souza (3 November 2009). "Modern Pastoral Challenges". Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  5. Devika Sequeira (5 August 2009). "Conservatives oppose call for Church assets reforms". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  6. "Catholic Union to announce dates of first Laity Synod soon". The Times of India. 5 February 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  7. ANTO AKKARA (24 May 2011). "India's Catholics plan first synod for lay people". Anglican Journal. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
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