Cardinal Gracias: in the face of violence, the Church is building bridges of dialogue
by Nirmala Carvalho
The cardinal archbishop of Mumbai tells AsiaNews of his sadness and concern over the events in Orissa, but recalls the salvation that springs from hope, and emphasises the unique character of the Indian population, who have nothing to do with the extremist fringes.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - "Sadness and concern" over the attacks against Christians in Orissa, but also trust in the traditions of coexistence of the "great Indian nation," have been expressed by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, after the wave of destruction and attacks against churches and persons over Christmas. The cardinal confirms for AsiaNews that he has launched a "week of prayer" for peace and harmony, and that today in Mumbai, Orissa, and New Delhi there will be sit-ins and civilian demonstrations in condemnation of fundamentalist violence.
Cardinal Gracias, who one month ago received the red hat from Benedict XVI, reaffirms that the Church's mission is to create "bridges" of understanding and dialogue, but underscores that the violence in Orissa demonstrates a flagrant lack of vigilance on the part of the government: attacks against Christians, he adds, continue to increase.
Nonetheless, the cardinal insists that "India is a great county . . . [with] a rich tradition of being a multi-religious, multicultural and multilingual society . . . What is most distressing, it the government is turning a blind eye to the situation. It is fundamental that the administration ensure the safety of the people".
In this perspective, the situation "is very discouraging, but especially in this holy season of Christmas, we must not lose hope. And this very special Christmas name, Immanuel, means 'God with us.' Jesus Christ is Immanuel, and ultimately God will TRIUMPH. We must not give into despair, the prophecy of 'saved in hope' is meant for these times, even in difficult times like these, I am convinced without doubt that India is a great country and there is hope for India, this is the time to believe that in Hhope we are saved. My hope is based on the people of India, 99% of our population, is tolerant, compassionate, and [has] nothing to do with these fringe elements."
These attacks, in fact, are the work of "fringe elements [that] perpetrate a culture of violence". These "have to be tackled and must be very firmly shown that this will not be tolerated, and India is a civilized society. We cannot allow these fringe elements to continue their reign of violence as it may generate dangerous complications . . . Now, more than before, the Catholic Church, must strive towards building bridges to harmony through prayer, understanding, and dialogue".
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