Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Fides Service) - The Catholic Church in India has voiced deep sadness and firm disapproval after the attack on India’s most famous Hindu shrine in Varanasi in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. “The Church condemns this attack at the heart of the Hindu religion. We condemn all forms of violence and killing of innocents people. We call on the government to guarantee peace and security for all citizens and for all the religious communities of India. We pray for the victims and their families and appeal to all men and women of good will to work to make violence cease and peace triumph” said Fr. Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Indian Bishops’ Conference on the telephone yesterday after three bomb exploded in the holy city of Varanasi. Varanasi, also known as Benares, is about 670km (415 miles) south-east of Delhi. It is the religious capital of Hinduism and is usually packed with Indian pilgrims and foreign tourists. At least 23 people were killed and 68 injured in the three bomb blasts : one explosion devastated the Sankat Mochan Hindu Temple dedicated to the Hindu god Hanuman where hundreds of worshippers were praying. The other two explosions were at the train station: one hit a carriage of the Shiv Ganga Express about to depart for New Delhi and the other bomb had been placed in the station waiting room. The investigators have not yet identified the perpetrators thought to be Islamic extremists. All Indian states are now on the alert for fear of more violence among militants of different religious communities.
“We call on all believers not to fall into the trap laid by fundamentalist groups. We reject all form of revenge which only sheds more blood, and we appeal for calm, common sense and social harmony”, the spokesman said.
In agreement with him the ecumenical group All India Christian Council and the All India Catholic Union denounced the attack “these attacks only cause suffering to ordinary people and hinder the process of reconciliation. This violence serves the cause of fundamentalist groups and religious extremists who want to create more tension and division among different religious communities. They want to divert national attention away from development and the fight against poverty”.
The local government in Uttar Pradesh also called on the people not to react but to let the security forces do their job, and the local internal minister called an emergency meeting. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, 700 km from Benares called on the people to maintain ‘peace and calm’. (Agenzia Fides 8/3/2006 righe 26 parole 262)
