Mahatma Gandhi and Nationalist India as Seen by the Catholic Church, 1920–1948

With the approaching end of colonialism and the increasing awareness of “other” non-European civilizations, the Vatican Church faced the question of redefining the universal vocation of Catholicism. The India debate among Catholic circles during the period under review shows the interplay between old definitions and prejudices, as voiced by prominent representatives of the Vatican establishment, particularly the intellectual Jesuits, and the ideas and suggestions brought forth by a new generation of missionaries endowed with first-hand experience of Indian society. The acrimonious attitude of Catholic “official” commentators towards India and Mahatma Gandhi, who was seen as the most eminent representative both of India’s freedom movement and of her ancient religious tradition, was largely due to the fact that the defence of Catholicism against modern atheism and materialism had almost assumed the character of an ideological commitment. Moreover, there was evident and, at times, surprising misinformation on all things Indian. The satyagraha campaigns were seen through British eyes, while the various forms of India’s socio-religious tradition were mostly evaluated on the basis of a schematic comparison of philosophies and theories. Even the undeniable influence of Christianity on Gandhi’s moral and religious ideals was overlooked by many authors, whose main preoccupation was a general indictment of the “backward Hindu mentality”. A more positive image was projected by some India-returned missionaries, who took up the positive legacy of the early centuries of Catholic presence in India. In the period under review, however, their views failed to influence the upper hierarchy in its defensive attitude towards whatever was non-Christian. The position of the Vatican establishment was bound to change only after World War II.