The Indian priest Duraisamy Simon Amalorpavadass (1932-1990), theologian, liturgist and spiritual guide, has been recognized as a Servant of God after the Vatican allowed his cause for canonization to be opened, according to UCA News. With this title, the first step on the path to the altars, the Church formally recognizes the beginning of the process concerning one of the most influential and debated figures of the post-conciliar renewal in India. An article published in Matters India on November 2 places the declaration on October 20.
Amalorpavadass was born in Kallery, in Tamil Nadu, and was ordained a priest in 1959 for the archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. He earned a doctorate in Theology in Paris with a thesis titled Destiny of the Church in India Today. In 1967 he founded the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC) in Bangalore, which he directed until the early 1980s and from which he trained bishops, priests, religious and laity in the application of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Promoter of liturgical inculturation
The name of Amalorpavadass is linked to the adaptation of the liturgy and Christian life to Indian culture. He was one of the main voices of that movement, which advocated for a proper rite for India, and participated in the seminar “The Church in India” held in Bangalore in May 1969. At the 1974 Synod of Bishops on evangelization, he served as one of the two special secretaries.
His orientation was not without resistance. According to the English Wikipedia, some Catholics in southern India opposed inculturation and even unsuccessfully took him to court, fearing that the adaptations would threaten the identity of their communities.
The ashram of Mysore and his death
In 1981 he created the Department of Christian Studies at the University of Mysore and, in his later years, founded the Anjali Ashram in that city, a center of Christian spirituality of Indian inspiration from which he accompanied numerous people. He died on May 25, 1990, in a traffic accident while traveling from Mysore to Bangalore, and is buried at the ashram itself.
The author of the Matters India article, Chhotebhai, who presided over the All India Catholic Union between 1990 and 1994, thanks the Archbishop of Pondicherry, Francis Kallist, for taking on the promotion of the cause. The same text calls on the new Bishop of Mysore to promote the restoration of Amalorpavadass’s tomb, which it describes as being in poor condition, and recalls his defense of the formation of lay leaders and participation in the Church.
His brother was Cardinal Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, who presided over the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.