Play blot on clergy, says Archbishop Thumma Bala

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Archbishop Rev. Thumma Bala met Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday and implored him to stop the staging of the play Agnes of God in the city. He told the CM that the play was a misinterpretation of the religious beliefs of the Catholic Christian community. The Church was against the play because it had a wrongful portrayal of the clergy, who were committed to a life of celibacy, he said. Mr Rao asked officials to find out about the content of the play.

Rev. Bala submitted a representation to the TS CM and the police commissioner, stating, “The religious sentiments of the Catholics/Christians have been gravely hurt by a highly objectionable play. Our objection to the play begins with the title itself, which is an adulterated version of the Latin phrase Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), referring to Lord Jesus Christ and his birth through Mother Mary’s immaculate conception. There is no control over the content of the play, which can be changed with every performances or location. The publicity material of Agnes of God is also highly objectionable.”

The play has been a matter of discussion within the Catholic Christian community including the Catholic Bishop Council of India and the conclusion has been that it hurts the sentiments. The play is about a nun who gives birth to a child. She is believed to have killed the child, who is found with the umbilical cord. To hide the truth, the nun and the mother superior claim the birth to be a miracle, an immaculate conception, just like Jesus Christ. A psychiatrist is called and she hypnotises the nun to know the truth.