ASIA/INDIA - Ecumenical prayer for Pentecost: to bring new hope for India

Monday, 1 June 2020 coronavirus   prayer   ecumenicalism   christianity  

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) - "In these difficult times, while we are fighting Covid-19, we pray for the healing of the sick and for the recovery of our land. As a family of God, we are united in one accord and united in faith in this solemn prayer". This is how Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, (CBCI) espressed himself in a message on the occasion of the great ecumenical prayer that all Christian denominations in India celebrated Pentecost on May 31. All the faithful pledged to bring hope to the nation through prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Christian communities in every corner of the Country, belonging to all denominations and communities , celebrated what was titled "Prayer of Hope".
"Let us raise our voices, our songs and our prayers and ring the church bell to ring the sound of hope in every corner of our country" announced a statement from the Christian Media Forum, sent to Fides, while, at noon, the bells of all the churches rang, as a sign of hope.
The program included prayers for "silent heroes" who fight coronavirus, such as doctors, nurses and health workers. Christians in India also prayed for the police and for all those who, in the midst of the pandemic, continue to work to ensure essential services, Father John Paul, a member of the Christian Media Forum, told Fides. "Everyone who is at the forefront in fighting the virus needs special protection from God", he said. "The feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection, is the day on which the Church was formed and is therefore a very solemn and important day for the community: it is nice to give a sign of unity", he explained.
The central moment of ecumenical prayer, which united the faithful of all confessions on Indian territories, was the simultaneous recitation of the "Our Father" for the nation. The program also ended with the common song of the national anthem, as a sign of full membership of Christians in Motherland India. (SD-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 1/6/2020)


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