ASIA/INDIA - Catholics: "Close schools in sign of protest against the violence on Christians"

Mumbai (Agenzia Fides) - "We demand the closure of the schools of the Archdiocese of Mumbai on March 25, to protest against the attacks on Christian institutions": this is what Catholics of the state of Maharashtra say, after the last episode in which St. George Catholic Church was targeted by unknown people and the statue of the Saint was damaged. The note sent to Fides by a platform of associations, such as "Catholic Secular Forum", "Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum", "Association of Concerned Catholics" and others, states: "Christian communities have been attacked since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. The statue of the Saint has been damaged and the police have not been able to find the culprits. We presented a document to the Diocesan Council for Education demanding that Catholic schools remain closed on March 25 in order to send a strong message to politics".
Joseph Dias, representative of the CSF, will meet with representatives of the Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI). The NGOs believe that, despite the reassurances of Ministers, at all levels, the attacks against Christian communities continue, giving the impression that "fundamentalists are given the green light". The platform of NGOs called on the Prime Minister of Maharashtra, to increase the safety of places of worship as "there seems to be a sinister plan to disrupt the secular and pluralist fabric of the state". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/03/2015)