ASIA/INDIA - Cardinal Gracias: "It is time for peace between India and Pakistan"

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "It is time for peace. It is time to put an end to old resentments. We wholeheartedly call for peace in Kashmir. We hope for a complete and definitive agreement, which would be important not only for India and Pakistan, but also for peace in the world," Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop Emeritus of Mumbai, one of the cardinals present at the pre-conclave and the Mass at the beginning of the pontificate of Leo XIV in Rome, told Fides. The Cardinal recalled Pope Leo's words at his first Regina Coeli, "I was happy to hear that there was a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and I hope that through the coming negotiations we might soon come to a lasting accord." Cardinal Gracias explained the relationship he hopes to establish between the two nations: "We are brothers and sisters, we share the same culture, traditions, thoughts, and feelings. This makes it all the more important to sit down and look each other in the eye to try to resolve, through dialogue, the conflict in the Kashmir region, which we have suffered since independence," he stated. "It is an ancient territorial dispute that has caused wars, pain, and suffering. Many years have passed, and today political leaders should have the courage to seek peace, a just and lasting peace. We must put aside hatred, resentment and find an agreement for the good of our peoples and all humanity," he said.
According to the cardinal, "a new war between the two nuclear powers could indeed have catastrophic consequences for the world." For this reason, it is "in the interest of the international community to propose and organize mediation," which "seems necessary at this time and can involve major powers such as the United States and China or be led by international institutions such as the UN." However, the Indian cardinal emphasizes that "diplomatic efforts understood by the parties as neutral are urgently needed."
In the Kashmir conflict, the cardinal stated, there is also "a religious factor" that has played a role from the beginning. "Kashmir is a Muslim majority region and India is a nation with a Hindu majority, a factor that has played a role in the historical, social, and political processes of the conflict. But it is up to political leaders today to overcome religious nationalist tendencies and promote peace with realism. This is our desire." "And why not," he concludes, "the Holy See, as a 'third' actor, could also be among those facilitating dialogue and mediation at the religious level." (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 19/5/2025)

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