Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kathmandu (Agenzia Fides) – “Fr. Johnson was a Salesian in his early sixties, a very committed priest, an excellent religious, a person with great compassion for the poor and the marginalized. In the past, at the mission in Nepal, he had worked at the then “Missio Sui Iuris” Apostolic School preparing priest-candidates for the Mission. He was also very involved in village development programmes... beneficiaries of which were mostly non-Christians of the area - among whom were many untouchables of the Hindu community. He was also the principal of recently opened co-ed Don Dosco School of Sirsiya.” These were the words of Monsignor Anthony Sharma, Apostolic Prefect of Nepal, to Agenzia Fides, in recalling Fr. Johnson Moyalan, the Indian Salesian who was killed on July 1 in Nepal.
The sad event, the first of its nature in the history of the small Church of Nepal, has caused discomfort and bitterness in the Catholic community, as well as among the entire population living in the area where the Salesian carried out his missionary activity.
According to the first police reports, implied in the homicide are members of a terrorist group, the Nepal Defence Army, which came to birth soon after the Nepalese parlimentarians gave their approval to the declaration of Nepal as a secular state. The same group claimed responsibility of placing a bomb in the Muslims' masjid in Biratnagar (a place not too far from Sirsia), killing two Muslims. “The group had been threatening Christians and Moslems in East Nepal ever since,” Msgr. Sharma told Fides. “there were some problems between the Christian fundmentalist groups and Hindu communities in some parts of the country. But as far as the Catholic church is concerned, the Hindus have a great esteem for the services the church is doing.” A week prior to the bombing of the masjid mentioned above, two leaders of the NDA had visited [the mission]... to warn the Fathers that they had to cease their activities there,” Msgr. Sharma said. “We had a brief meeting with the religious heads of the Catholic community here in Kathmandu and assigned a person from among us to contact the NDA members with the help of some our Hindu friends. We were assured that they would not in any way harm us or our activities. Hence, we are puzzled by the present tragic event.”
Msgr. Sharma is trying to see the positive side in the midst of such a tragic event for the local Church. “At this painful time, looking at the positive side of the incident, it is generating a lot of sympathy and support for us from non-Christian communities in the country. Thus we seem to be receiving [support] for our presence, activities and efforts.”
The Rector Major of the Salesians, Father Pascual Chavez, has sent a message of condolence to the Salesians in Calcutta, of whose community Fr. Johnson was a member, saying that “I am sure that the Lord will receive this sacrifice, repaying it with abundant blessings.”
The ANS Agency reported that in Nepal there are various clandestine terrorist groups that dedicate themselves to robbery and raiding the land. The Salesian mission in Sirsia itself was recently victim of a burglary. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 3/7/2008)
