Request you to please circulate this to all thru goanet. Quote : > >Wonder if you'll hv read this from elsewhere. On Sunday, the priest > >who came to celebrate the Infant Jesus feast mass in our church also > >drew our attention to this incident. Seems there are priests whom he > >knows work in this place called Jhabua. How sad such things are > >happening in the country.. > >Let us pray for these priests, brothers and sisters that God give them > >the courage to face this situation with wisdom and strength.. > > > >01/17/04 10:44AM > >Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2004 1:13 PM > >Subject: harassments towards Christians in the BJP ruled State of > Madhya > > > >Pradesh > > > >Dear Sisters / Brothers, > > > >Speaking of a CORPORATE COMMITMENT to work for justice and > >empowerment of women I hereby come to you with some facts related to > >what has > >been happening in our State (with the full knowledge and sanction from > >our BJP Government at the Center and State) since a few days. > > > >A few days back a large group (in thousands) of Hindu fundamentalists > >have come into Madhya Pradesh from the nearby Gujarat State to harass, > >loot and injure priests, religious and christians of all denominations. > >They began by breaking up the prayer meeting of one religious Christian > >group in the last week of December 2003, burning up the houses of some > >Christians and wounding the men folk. They did not finish with that. > Two > >days back a very large group appeared again with threats and > >attacks on Christians, forcing them to sign that they (the tribal > >Christians) will > >re-convert to Hinduism....though tribals were never ever Hindus. > >They falsely planted the blame of the rape and murder of a 9 year old > >tribal child on the Christian Missionaries and under that pretext > >entered the School and Church premises and beat up the Catholic > priests > >there (as well as those who were travelling on the roads anywhere near > >that place). They have done a lot of damage to the Cathedral and other > >buildings and locked up the Missionaries of Charity nuns inside their > >convent , while they shifted other nuns and the poor tribal boarding > >children to "so-called safer places". and put under lock up some 15 > >priests .. with the coast all clear they are continuing their > >vandalism. They are shouting that missionaries should go back to > >foreign countries... and that they will erect a temple on the site of > >the Cathedral etc.All this happened while all the bishops of the > >country were at their national C.B.C.I meeting in the southern State > >of Kerala. The bishops are on their way back to their dioceses. All > this > >vandalism and > >religious threat is happening in the Diocese of Jhabua, close to > >Indore, > >Madhya Pradesh, India. Early this morning some of our sisters working > >in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh went for an audience with the > >Chief Minister, Ms. > >Uma Bharati, the newly elected BJP leader in the State.They waited for > >2 long hours but they were not granted the time nor the opportunity to > >do so. This was not a special meeting (with prior appointment) but > >the usual morning audience open for everyone. The honorable Chief > >Minister did not meet them. It is important to state that Ms Uma > Bharati > >receives full support from Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani and she is a > >fundamentalist hindu herself. Matters are getting from bad to worse. > > > >I am in Bombay attending to some work> I am leaving for Bhopal tonight. > >We have two communties of our sisters in the very sensitive areas of > >Jhabua and I am most concerned about them and the Christians and > >priests there. > > > >I can keep you updated on further developments after I reach there. But > >in the meantime if it is possible please give ample publicity to what > >is happening here in India. Maybe the Bush Government and other leaders > >of the world can do something. I do not have all the email ID's with me > >right now to disseminate this information widely, but I do hope you > >will be able to approach your governments to put pressure on the > >Vajpayee Government.... to put a stop to some uncalled for violation > of > >human rights. Thanking you in anticipation and trusting in the Lord > and > >your support to protect the lives and rights of the christians here in > >our State of > >Madhya Pradesh. > > > >Sr.Frances Regis (Provincial Superior) > > > >Dear All, > >Lets pls earnestly pray.
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