Archbishop Dias urges worshippers to dress modestly in church

Miniskirts, shorts and spaghetti straps are being shown the door at Roman Catholic churches in Mumbai after the city's archbishop urged parishioners to dress modestly.

"The dress code in the church requires our special attention," said Archbishop Cardinal Ivan Dias in a June 9 message published in The Examiner, a weekly Catholic newsletter. "I earnestly exhort the lay faithful to come to church functions attired in a way that shows their respect for the sacred place they are worshipping in."

Mumbai is home to some 500,000 Roman Catholics and is arguably the center of Indian fashion. But in recent years, the increasingly casual, skimpy outfits that young people wear have raised a few churchgoers' eyebrows.

In his message, titled 'Dress code for religious functions', Dias noted how people used to really dress up for church, comparing Sunday mass today to a 'fashion parade'.

He said that these days people veered to the other extreme. "Wearing attire which is considered casual and unbecoming of the sacred dignity of the church and the members of its congregation," he said.

Homemaker Alice Fernandes, 68, supported Dias, saying casual clothes, or a lack thereof, were an unwelcome distraction for worshippers.

"People wear shorts, strappy outfits, sleeveless T-shirts and backless dresses to church," she said. "So many don't concentrate on God, but admire the outfits."

Saying she had no problem with such garments outside the church, Fernandes recalled female parishioners in the 1950s covering their head with veils as a mark of respect. "Now all that is gone."

Dolphy D'souza, president of the Bombay Catholic Forum, was quick to point out that Dias had not issued an order, but guidance.

"It's a message to the people that sanctity must be maintained," said D'souza. "It's mainly because the younger lot experiment."

Since the mid-1990s, some city colleges have banned miniskirts, plunging necklines and shorts on campus.

Last month, University of Bombay authorities said they planned to ban shorts, tight tops and miniskirts in all city colleges. The proposal has not yet been implemented.