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On October 1st, two Catholic priests were attacked and beaten in western India in the early morning. UCA News reported that about 12 men with sticks forcibly entered Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Tumdegi, a small village in the state of Jharkhand, around 2:30 am. Attacks on five Catholic priests and their institutions over the past three months in Jharkhand are thought to be part of a series of pre-planned assaults by vested interest groups, Church leaders allege.
After assaulting them, the attackers stole cash from the Church, leaving parish priest Father Thomas Soreng and Father Emmanuel Baghwar, seriously injured. They were admitted to a clinic for treatment.
Father Peter Barla, a former member of the India chapter of Signis, a global Catholic media organization, said the attack was pre-planned.
The priest said that over the past few years, some groups who are ‘not comfortable’ with the Church’s work in the region have attempted to disturb Christians in various ways.
“It’s part of a pattern to persecute and prevent our institutions from carrying out missionary work. These politically-backed groups do not tolerate any other religion,” Father Peter said.
The local Catholic community has strongly condemned the violence, appealing for prompt administrative action to identify and arrest the perpetrators, strengthen church security, and provide medical and psychological support to the victims. Please pray for persecuted Christians.
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