Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - There is nothing left only ruins. On 5 December about 150 Hindu extremists razed to the ground the Church of Divine Mercy in the Delhi area, still under construction, provoking shock and sadness among the local Catholic community. The church was being built with all the necessary permission and the work, supervised by the parish priest Fr. Alphonse D’Cruz, was progressing swiftly. The complex was to include rooms for pastoral and charity activities.
On 5 December about 7am a gang of about 150 extremists forced the workers to leave and then set to work to destroy the building and the machinery. Eyewitnesses say the mob shouted anti-Christian slogans and said they would "not tolerate Christian proselytising”. When they had finished they warned the builders that if work started again, there would be another attack.
The Catholic community in Delhi was deeply saddened by the episode and surprised since Catholics are held in high esteem here and there is little Hindu extremism in this region. “This was certainly an isolated incident- local Church sources told Fides- but nevertheless it was totally unmotivated and a cause for concern”. The police are investigating the case. There is a Hindu temple not far from the building site and some say the extremists might have convinced Hindus there to join the attack. “We hope the police will identify the culprits and bring them to justice. The Catholic Church in India respect the law and extremists must not be allowed to violate constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms ”, Fides sources conclude.
A recent report presented to the Indian authorities no less than 464 cases of violence against Christians or Christian property have been reported in the past 20 months. This is due to growing religious extremism mainly in the states of Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, but not near the capital. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 11/12/2007 righe 27 parole 270)
