2 Catholic Bishops in India Call for Peace on Independence Day after Violence against Christians Rises with 300 Christian Churches and Buildings Destroyed
After Hindu Extremist Mobs Destroyed 300 Church structures in Manipur, India and very 'Serious Religious Persecution' two bishops call for peace. This came around the date of India's Independence on August 15th. India, with 1.4 billion people, is now the world's largest democracy and most populated country.
Manipur means "Land of Jewels" but the state, sometimes known as the "Switzerland of India" has seen some extreme violence. Religious and ethnic clashes between the Hindu majority Meitei community and the tribal Christian Kuki minority over land and influence in the state has left at least 180 people dead and over 500 injured. "If Manipur is burning, India is burning, if Manipur is on fire, India is on fire. If Manipur is divided, India is divided. So today we are not only talking about Manipur, but of India," warned Gaurav Gogoi, a Congress Party member. "The underlying issue here is that the central government, the BJP party led by Prime Minister Modi has not reacted," argued Curry. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi's government of its failure to control the ongoing bloodshed in the state. Speaking to politicians in New Delhi last week, Gandhi urged the BJP government to deploy the Indian army to Manipur.
Gandhi, who recently visited the strife-stricken state, said, "I saw with my own eyes what happened there and what has been done to the people of Manipur. In my 19 years of political life, I have never experienced what I experienced in Manipur." In May, a Hindu mob paraded two Christian women naked. One had been reportedly gang raped. Several videos on social media showed mobs also burning down churches. Fighting erupted in early May when the state government extended land, jobs and other benefits typically reserved for the minority Christians to the Hindus. The decision led to some of the worst fighting between the two biggest tribes in the state. The violence in Manipur has displaced more than 60,000 people internally.
Other areas in India with Christian persecution: The New Delhi-based United Christian Forum says there have been more than 400 incidents against Christians in 22 other Indian states in the first six-months of this year.The U.S. State Department called out India in May for its deteriorating religious freedom and its treatment of Christians and Muslims in particular. Hindus make up nearly 80% of India's population. Muslims are at 14%. Christianity is India's third-largest religion with about 26 million followers, or about 2.3% of the population. In a letter to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, in Manipur State, said “the need is enormous” and “the destruction and loss to communities and the Church is great”. Thousands of people have been displaced after their homes were destroyed in acts of what he called “ethnic cleansing” involving the Meitei and Kuki tribes. ACN reported last month that more than 300 churches and other buildings belonging to Christian organizations had been destroyed during the violent conflict.
Archbishop Lumon wrote that his community has been “cut off from the rest of the world” for the last three months because of an “internet and social media ban imposed by the Government since communal violence erupted in the state”.
He added: “The situation is still grim and tense. So far, no lasting political solutions have been found and the apathy and the silence of the authorities continues.” He said any interventions by the Church “have to go slow and be carefully executed as there are many hurdles and blocks caused by the political turmoil and sporadic violence. Mutual suspicion and animosity is mounting every day.”
Bishop Dominic Savio Fernandes on India's Independence Day wrote a reflection: 'Rise up India'
Archbishop Lumon wrote that his community has been “cut off from the rest of the world” for the last three months because of an “internet and social media ban imposed by the Government since communal violence erupted in the state”.
He added: “The situation is still grim and tense. So far, no lasting political solutions have been found and the apathy and the silence of the authorities continues.” He said any interventions by the Church “have to go slow and be carefully executed as there are many hurdles and blocks caused by the political turmoil and sporadic violence. Mutual suspicion and animosity is mounting every day.”
The archbishop explained that the Catholic Church is providing humanitarian aid, including essential goods, hygiene kits, psychological support, medical help and educational assistance for children.
Archbishop Lumon said: “What we need most is your prayers. The power of prayer can transform the minds of the people who are led by hatred and religious intolerance. We need to pray for our political leaders, our decision makers and men of goodwill that they may initiate amicable solutions. Let there be peace, harmony and common brotherhood and those who have been deprived of their rights and dignity get their justice.”
Bishop Dominic Savio Fernandes on India's Independence Day wrote a reflection: 'Rise up India'
The auxiliary bishop of Mumbai on the day the country celebrates 76 years of new-found freedom after colonial rule (Aug. 15). An anniversary heavily marked this year by the echo of the violence in Manipur. "Under the pretext of defending national interests, ancient long-buried conflicts are being resurrected. May God dwell again in our land so that there may be love and peace again."
India celebrates Independence Day every year on August 15, in memory of the entry into force of the Indian Independence Act in 1947 which ended British colonial rule.
"The recent gut-wrenching scenes of violence in Manipur and the height of depravity exhibited by human beings on their fellow human beings has shaken the collective conscience of most Indians. I say this on the basis of the pained and shocked reactions and responses of people from all walks of life, transcending cultures, religions and continents. The senseless violence, especially those directed against women in many States of India, particularly in Manipur, has exposed the dark underbelly of India and transported it to barbaric times.
India has always been a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious society, where, in the past, people loved their neighbours and lived in peaceful harmony, irrespective of their differences. The India of old was noted for its non-violent ways, its tolerance, its unity in diversity, and for its living together in peaceful harmony with one another.
Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, had put India on the world map as a great country where people from all walks of life lived in fraternal harmony, and experienced peace and tranquility. Of course, there were some aberrations, but people were, generally speaking, loving and law-abiding.
It is, however, unfortunate that in the present India/Bharat, we are beginning to see a great divide on religious and communal lines. There is so much hatred and venom that is being spread, vitiating the harmony that once existed in our great nation. Under the guise of defending national interests, ancient conflicts that were long buried are being raked up anew, thereby creating doubts and confusion in the minds of people and dividing and polarizing society.
We have been hearing, seeing, and reading in the media about horrific crimes that are being unleashed on fellow-citizens by fellow-citizens. This has been seconded and reaffirmed by various fact-finding teams that have visited Manipur in the recent past, including a parliamentary group, comprising of a few Members of Parliament. It is like brother against brother and sister against sister. Love is being replaced by hatred; law-abiding people are now emboldened to take the law in their hands; animals are given preference over human being; the degradation of women has hit a new low; human beings - women and men - are beaten up mercilessly and lynched for the religion they practice; financial development is preferred over human development; Fake News has replaced Truth!
Our great country India, the land of the Mahatma, cannot be allowed to go the way it is going. It is the duty of every peace-loving, law-abiding and loving Indian to rise above our differences and to work towards re-instilling love, tolerance and sensitivity in the heart of every Indian, beginning with ourselves. Let us uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution.
* auxiliary bishop of Mumbai
Sources: UCAN - ACN - and (Nirmala Carvalho collaborated from Asia News - CBN
India celebrates Independence Day every year on August 15, in memory of the entry into force of the Indian Independence Act in 1947 which ended British colonial rule.
"The recent gut-wrenching scenes of violence in Manipur and the height of depravity exhibited by human beings on their fellow human beings has shaken the collective conscience of most Indians. I say this on the basis of the pained and shocked reactions and responses of people from all walks of life, transcending cultures, religions and continents. The senseless violence, especially those directed against women in many States of India, particularly in Manipur, has exposed the dark underbelly of India and transported it to barbaric times.
India has always been a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious society, where, in the past, people loved their neighbours and lived in peaceful harmony, irrespective of their differences. The India of old was noted for its non-violent ways, its tolerance, its unity in diversity, and for its living together in peaceful harmony with one another.
Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation, had put India on the world map as a great country where people from all walks of life lived in fraternal harmony, and experienced peace and tranquility. Of course, there were some aberrations, but people were, generally speaking, loving and law-abiding.
It is, however, unfortunate that in the present India/Bharat, we are beginning to see a great divide on religious and communal lines. There is so much hatred and venom that is being spread, vitiating the harmony that once existed in our great nation. Under the guise of defending national interests, ancient conflicts that were long buried are being raked up anew, thereby creating doubts and confusion in the minds of people and dividing and polarizing society.
We have been hearing, seeing, and reading in the media about horrific crimes that are being unleashed on fellow-citizens by fellow-citizens. This has been seconded and reaffirmed by various fact-finding teams that have visited Manipur in the recent past, including a parliamentary group, comprising of a few Members of Parliament. It is like brother against brother and sister against sister. Love is being replaced by hatred; law-abiding people are now emboldened to take the law in their hands; animals are given preference over human being; the degradation of women has hit a new low; human beings - women and men - are beaten up mercilessly and lynched for the religion they practice; financial development is preferred over human development; Fake News has replaced Truth!
Our great country India, the land of the Mahatma, cannot be allowed to go the way it is going. It is the duty of every peace-loving, law-abiding and loving Indian to rise above our differences and to work towards re-instilling love, tolerance and sensitivity in the heart of every Indian, beginning with ourselves. Let us uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution.
There is no point in building temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras, etc., if there is no love in our heart, for God dwells in our hearts - where there is LOVE there is GOD. Let God dwell in our land once again. Let there be Love and Peace in India once again.
So, RISE INDIA and thy billions lead and follow the path of Love, so as to be a light to all the nations of the world. Let us follow the Gandhian path of love, non-violence, equality, respect for all human beings, self-sacrifice, justice, peace and fraternity. Let us be law-abiding citizens of this country and reject hatred and replace it with love; substitute vengeance with forgiveness and self-centeredness with other-centeredness.
* auxiliary bishop of Mumbai
Sources: UCAN - ACN - and (Nirmala Carvalho collaborated from Asia News - CBN
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