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The priest's selection as chief convener is 'a great honor to the Catholic Church in India,' remarked Bishop Thomas Dabre of Poona (Pune), an expert on Indian religions.

GORAKHPUR, India (Catholic Online) - The 14th World Sanskrit Conference, held from 1 to 5 September, and hosted this time by Kyoto University in Japan, deliberated on a variety of issues related to the classic Sanskrit and Prakrit literatures.

Fr Noel Sheth, a Jesuit priest from Pune’s India-based Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion, was the only Indian delegate chosen to be the chief convener of a section (History of Religion) of the 14th World Sanskrit Conference. There were altogether 15 subject sections of the conference. About 500 delegates from across the world participated in the conference, which is organised every three years.

Fr Sheth, a former rector of the Pune-based Papal Seminary founded by Pope Leo XIII and the former president of Pune’s Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, is a reputed scholar in Sanskrit and Pali. He holds a doctorate in Sanskrit from Harvard University. He has studied many languages four of which are classical languages: Sanskrit, Pali, Latin and Greek.

Commenting on Prof Sheth’s chairing the section on the History of Religion, Dr. Joydeep Bagchee (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow University of Essen-Duisburg, Essen), said, “Particularly interesting were Fr. Sheth's own presentation, in which he demonstrated his remarkable knowledge of the Bhagavata Purana and almost all the major commentaries on it.” “Among all the sections,” added Dr Bagchee, “History of Religion was able to engender a true dialogue, where differences between Indian and Western traditions were laid aside and where a mutual concern for that one truth came to the fore. It was characterized by its openness to different approaches and traditions, and by some of the liveliest debates during the sessions.” Dr. Vishwa Adluri (Program in Religion Hunter College, New York) in his adulating yet scholarly remark praised the Indian Jesuit for his astonishing depth and command in the Hermeneutic Methods and Techniques of Sanskrit Commentators on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. He said, “Not only did Fr. Sheth demonstrate the diversity of the beliefs, philosophical sympathies and interpretive skills of these commentators, he was able to portray them as human, intelligent and unified in their attempt to receive the wisdom of the Purāṇa. In a highly competitive and often contentious academic environment, Fr. Sheth demonstrated how textual exegesis can both define humans in their specificity, as well as unite them in a larger purpose.”

Tokunaga, a Buddhist and chairperson of the conference's organizing committee, added that the priest's "deep insight" into Indian culture helped promote better understanding between Hinduism and other religions.

The priest's selection as chief convener is "a great honor to the Catholic Church in India," remarked Bishop Thomas Dabre of Poona (Pune), an expert on Indian religions.

Father Sheth's scholarship in Sanskrit symbolizes the Catholic Church's commitment to preserve authentic Indian ancient culture, tradition and heritage, the prelate said.

Sanskrit provided Father Sheth a gateway to understand Hindu culture, the way of life and thought that helped him promote interfaith dialogue and intercultural relations, Bishop Dabre continued.

Mohan Dhadphale, former head of the Sanskrit department at Fergusson College in Pune, revealed that Father Sheth had convinced him Christianity is an Eastern religion, not a Western one as propagated by some Hindu radicals. "Therefore, the study of Sanskrit helps scholars such as Father Sheth to promote an enriching interfaith dialogue," said Dhadphale, who attended the Kyoto meet.

Father Sheth remarked that his work as convener had given him the opportunity to demonstrate that the Catholic Church is "very much engaged" in preserving ancient Indian culture, tradition and heritage.

He noted that in India, Sanskrit and Prakrit are considered the preserve of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. "Christians in India are often considered as foreigners who are not in the mainstream of Indian life and culture," he explained. On the contrary, his selection dispels that notion and convinces people that the Church "is very much in the mainstream of Indian life."

The Church in India is deeply grateful to Father Sheth for his academic commitment and excellence and for presenting her right image in the forum of other religions leading to dialogue and mutual respect.

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Father Santhosh Sebastian serves as the Chancellor of the Diocese of Gorakhpur.