NEW DELHI, March 25 -- I raise this question mainly in the backdrop of the recent installations of bishops and an Archbishop in some of the north Indian dioceses, especially in the tribal belt. It is indeed an eye-sore when I see the clergy wearing Roman paraphernalia.

In this context, my mind spontaneously goes back to my past experience working in the tribal areas of Jharkhand. The late Bishop George Saupin SJ, the first bishop of the Daltonganj diocese in Jharkhand, groomed, mentored and ordained me. I had the privilege of being his only secretary during his tenure as the bishop of Daltonganj.

He always lived what he preached. As the first bishop of the Daltonganj diocese, he started living in a rented building in Daltonganj town. La...