ASIA/NEPAL - A vigil to announce the new Bishop and pray for reconciliation

Friday, 2 May 2014

Kathmandu (Agenzia Fides) - With a solemn prayer vigil and an intense and shared adoration of the Eucharist, the Catholic Church in Nepal presented yesterday, May 1st, the new Bishop Paul Simick, former pastor of the Cathedral of Darjeeling, appointed by the Pope as Vicar Apostolic of Nepal (see Fides 25/04/2014). As reported to Fides, about a hundred Catholic faithful gathered in prayer yesterday in the St. Mary Assumption Church, in the capital Katmandu. At the end of the vigil, the Church announced to the nation the new Vicar Apostolic, who succeeds Mgr. Anthony Sharma. In the coming weeks the new Vicar will take office and will have the possibility to directly examine and gain understanting of all the reality of the Church in Nepal.
The prayer vigil is also an opportunity to pray for reconciliation and for the common good of the country.
The three main political parties agreed to form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which will examine the crimes and human rights violations that occurred during the years of the insurgency. But, according to human rights activists, "the current project has many gaps and will allow the majority of the perpetrators of serious crimes to obtain amnesty". "It is a serious problem that affects justice for the victims" and that could adversely affect national reconciliation. This is why Christians in Nepal continue to pray that this process goes forward in transparency and with the perspective of promoting genuine peace. Meanwhile, after a long period of procrastination, the political parties have scheduled the completion of the writing of the Constitution by January of 2015. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 02/05/2014)


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