Pontifical Institute: Fast and Pray for India's Persecuted Christians

"In this hour of sorrow for the Indian Church as a whole, as Italian citizens and Catholics, we want to express through you in prayer, our solidarity and empathy for India's Christians."

MILAN (AsiaNews) - Given the seriousness of reports coming from India, PIME's Cultural and Missionary Activities Centre in Milan will hold a vigil with a public prayer and fasting as a show of empathy to Orissa Christians on September 5, the liturgical feast day for the Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata.

The effort is meant to express empathy for the Indian Catholic Church which is planning a day of fasting and prayer in every diocese across the country. The Vigil will take place at 6 pm near San Francesco Saverio Church, Via Monte Rosa 81, in Milan.

The initiative was announced in a letter that Fr Gian Paolo Gualzetti, director of PIME's Cultural and Missionary Activities Centre in Milan, wrote to Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, major archbishop of Ernakulam-Ankamaly and chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.

"In this hour of sorrow for the Indian Church as a whole, as Italian citizens and Catholics, we want to express through and with you in prayer, our solidarity and empathy for India's Christians."

The vigil of fasting and prayer is meant to follow in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI's remarks. In yesterday's general audience in the Vatican he prayed for Orissa Christians that "the Lord may accompany and sustain them in this time of suffering and give them the strength to continue in the service of love for all."

With the vigil set for the feast day of the Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata, it will be possible to listen to the luminous testimonial that is offered during these difficult hours her sisters are enduring.

"It was painful to see that the people we serve, for whom we are doing good work, can do such things," said Sister Nirmala Joshi, Missionaries of Charity superior, as she commented events in Orissa. "We must never the less forgive and go on with the eyes focused on our mission."

Last but not least the letter offers an opportunity to denounce the silence that has so far accompanied the tragedy of India's Christians (except for Catholic, especially missionary, publications). This is especially so since what is happening in Orissa was expected! In May our review Mondo e Missione published a report with a title that said it all.The report went into great detail to describe the never-ending suffering and threats Christians were enduring months after the tragic events of last Christmas.

In it Archbishop Raphael Cheennah of Bhubaneswar talked about the loneliness his flock had to endure. "Today," he explained, "India is a market that is tempting everyone. There are great economic interests and everyone wants good relations with us. Under the circumstances what happens to minorities is not interesting."

Next September 5, the PIME community will meet for prayers and fasting but they meeting will also be clarion call for Italian political leaders to do more than utter paltry words of solidarity. Further silence might allow Orissa authorities to again prevent the archdiocese of Bhubaneswar from receiving foreign aid to rebuild homes, churches and schools burnt in the December violence. Instead we want Italy to stand up so that this tragedy is not followed again by such callous behaviour.