2015-02-05 01:30:00

Attacks on Catholic Churches in Indian capital


Catholics in India, particularly in the capital, are feeling unsafe and worried following a rise in attacks on church properties under the jurisdiction the Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi.  At least five Catholic churches in and around Delhi have reported various attacks in two months, including suspected arson, burglary, vandalism and stone-throwing.  The latest vandalism took place in the wee hours Monday morning at St. Alphonsa’s Church in Vasant Kunj, in south-west Delhi, where a parish employee found the church’s front door broken open, a ciborium and monstrance missing, and sacred hosts strewn about.   The episodes have caught the attention of human rights advocates, who have been alert to any new pressure on religious freedom in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in elections last May.  But Church leaders say that the authorities have not taken the attacks seriously enough.  To know more about these episodes we spoke to Fr. Savarimuthu Sankar, the spokesperson of Delhi Archdiocese.  Talking to us on his mobile phone from the Indian capital, he first explained the episode of Feb. 2.  Listen:

 








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