Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kathmandu (Fides Service) - While the country is living a general strike and there are rumours that government-rebels negotiations are about to resume, the small Catholic community in Nepal carries on with its pastoral activity amidst difficulties and hopes. Rev. Pius Perumana, pro-Prefect of the Apostolic Prefecture of Nepal, told Fides about the situation and the plans of this small community of 7,500 souls. Rev. Pius lives in the village of Godavari, a few km from the capital Kathmandu, where a newly opened Pastoral Centre organises a variety of activities. The kingdom of Nepal has a population of 27 million people, 75% Hindu, 8.2% Buddhist, 3.9% Muslim and 2.5% Christians of various denominations.
Tell us about the situation of the Church in Nepal?
In Nepal no one is allowed to preach or evangelise it is against the Constitution which declares Hinduism the state religion. We are free to practice our faith ourselves and we may teach catechism, but only within church premises. Conversion is a crime punished with three years of prison and expulsion from the country. If a person asks to become a Catholic we go to India for the baptism because we do not want to break the law. Our pastoral work is mainly education since the government allowed Catholic schools to re-open. Our schools teach the state curriculum which does not include religion.
When did the Good News reach Nepal?
The first missionaries came here in the 17th and 18th century. But the Church was born with the arrival of American Jesuit Father Marshall Moran in 1951 who came from Patna in India to open a Nepal branch of St. Xavier’s School. The school had officially recognition and began its service of education. Gradually the local community began to grow. In 1983, when the government of Kathmandu asked to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See, the territory was detached from the Indian diocese of Patna and the Nepal Missio sui iuris was created and entrusted to teh care of the Jesuits. In 1996 it was raised to the rank of Prefecture Apostolic with the first Nepal’s first Catholic priest Rev. Anthony Sharma SJ as first Prefect Apostolic.
What difficulties do you meet in pastoral activity?
A major difficulty is that the Church is not officially recognised by the government and this means we have trouble with bureaucracy and any requests we make must be made in the name of a person rather than an institution. The papal Nuncio, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, who resides in India, and our Prefect has asked for the question to be discussed by parliament but this is not very likely, although the Catholic community is held in high esteem. Even the king himself, King Gaynendra was educated at a Catholic school where he was a pupil of Mgr. Anthony Sharma.
How is the Catholic community structured?
We have 5 parishes and 2 “quasi-parishes” (this is the name of a community of Catholics which for some special reason is not yet a parish Code of Canon Law n. 516) which have multi-functional halls for liturgy and pastoral activities. We have 11 diocesan priests, 38 religious priests, 118 Sisters, 4 major seminarians and 10 minors, all Nepalese from tribal areas.
With its 23 schools the local Church educates a good number of the country’s children most of the pupils are non Christians and poor children’s fees are paid by grants coming from abroad. The people are very grateful for this service and show their appreciation. For example when our school in Gorkha was damaged in an attack on 12 September immediately the local villagers offered to help repair the building.
Another important service is that of the local Caritas, recognised by the government as an NGO. Caritas operates in 45 district mainly assisting refugees expelled from Bhutan mostly for religious reasons. It also runs programmes for development in remote areas, promotion of women, co-operatives for farmers, small businesses with the collaboration of local NGOs.
Does the local church community feel the affects of the Maoist rebellion?
No, the fighting does not affect our community and life continues as usual. Our goal is to promote development and wellbeing for all the people of Nepal. But there is this situation of conflict with the Maoists for which there appears to be no immediate solution. The Maoists have about 15,000 troops and with their promises of more social justice and prosperity they won good popular support. But in the last 10 years 9,000 have been killed, a high price for the nation. Tourism has collapsed, the economy is at a standstill, unless peace is restored there can be no future for Nepal. Of course in these past few years since the Maoists started taking hostages and killing people they have lost support, people are tired of violence. Peace is still a long way off because both sides want to win and so they fight. The government of Nepal is backed by the United States, Britain and India. The Maoists rely mainly on the help of guerrillas in Indian states and are kept well supplied with smuggled arms.
How does the Church act in this situation?
The Church has always asked for peace and worked for peace, but both sides refuse any medication. Sometimes Maoists attack our schools not for religious reasons but because of the Indian staff which they would like to see expelled because of India’s support to the Nepalese government. However, we are not afraid and we continue our mission with total trust in God.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/9/2004 lines 85 words 834)
