Catholic bishops’ body expresses shock at persecution of Christians in Manipur, calls for dialogue
Archbishop of Thrissur says the Catholic Church is very much concerned about the people of Manipur irrespective of which tribe or community they belong to.
Violence erupted in Manipur between the Kuki tribe and the majority Meitei community on May 3 following a tribal solidarity march called by All Tribal Students' Union Manipur against a High Court order passed last month by a single judge, directing the state government to grant ST status to the Meiteis. (Express Photo) The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) on Saturday said it was deeply saddened and shocked to note the resurgence in persecution of Christians in Manipur.
In a statement, CBCI president Mar Andrews Thazhath, who is the Archbishop of Thrissur in Kerala, said the Catholic Church is very much concerned about the people of Manipur irrespective of which tribe or community they belong to. “I am requesting all bishops to spread the message to have special prayer services in parishes and religious institutions for peace in the state of Manipur and for warring parties to enter into dialogue and rebuild Manipur into the peace-loving state that it was.’’
The CBCI chief said three churches and a number of houses in the region have been set on fire, and people have been forced to flee. The situation still remains tense even though the Army and Central forces have brought things under control.
The archbishop said counter-mobilisation by some Meitei groups against a demonstration by Kukis, in which a Kuki war memorial was burnt down, the state police reacting to massive gatherings of Kukis in some districts and growing anxiety among the two communities about each other in the recent past are some of the factors which resulted in the violence that Manipur had faced in the recent days.
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