Masked vandals attacked and desecrated a Catholic church in the Indian state of Kerala on September 4, according to a local bishop who has encouraged the faithful not to retaliate.
"We will act according to the law,” Bishop Stanley Roman of Quilon told Fides news agency. “We have reported the incident to the police, we are confident in the work of the police and hope that they can identify the culprits and bring them to justice as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Bishop Roman has urged parishioners of South Kerala's Church of Our Lady of Vailankanni “not to react, to endure violence and persecution with patience.”
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Kerala is demographically unique among Indian states, with Christians – who represent less than 2.5 percent of India's overall population – making up more than 20 percent of its local population. Muslims account for another quarter of the people, while the remaining majority are Hindus.
Bishop Roman says the churches in Kerala “will continue our pastoral work, (spreading) the message of Christ through the joyful witness of the Gospel and serving others.”
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| Bishop Stanley Roman of Quilon, India |
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