Raipur: Catholics protest the desecration of Calvary Hill
Only three of the 14 statues that comprise the Way of the Cross were spared. The local faithful held a silent protest to denounce the lack of progress in the investigation. Fr Kishore Ekka, parish priest of Dongargarh. "I could not speak for the pain".
Raipur (AsiaNews) - Christians in Raipur Archdiocese, in the central state of Chhattisgarh, organised a silent protest to denounce the lack of police action against the vandals who desecrated Calvary Hill, a well-known pilgrimage destination for Indian Catholics.
On the morning of 3 July, the parishioners discovered that only three of the 14 statues that make up the Way of the Cross on the way up to the top of the hill had been spared by the vandals.
"I felt deep sorrow at seeing the damage to statues of Jesus and Mary ," Fr Kishore Ekka, parish priest of Dongargarh, told AsiaNews. "I cried at the sight of my Lord massacred, I could not speak for the pain."
"The statues remained intact until 4am on 2 July," the priest added, admitting he knew nothing more about the attack. "We want the police to take immediate action against those responsible," Fr Ekka continued. Five days after the report to the police, no progress had yet been made in the investigation.
"The people courageously participated in the protest along with many religious by walking from the Dongargarh church to the Sub Divisional Magistrate's office, where we submitted a memorandum," the pastor added. Before the demonstration, held on 8 July, the faithful held an hour of prayer.
Calvary Hill was declared a pilgrimage centre by the Archdiocese of Raipur in 2001.
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