An archbishop in north-east India, who has seen his diocese at the centre of a wave of deadly attacks, has issued an urgent appeal for prayers “to transform the minds of the people who are led by hatred and religious violence”.
In a letter to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal, Manipur State, said “the need is enormous” and “the destruction and loss to communities and the Church is great”.
Thousands of people have been displaced after their homes were destroyed in acts of what he called “ethnic cleansing” involving the Meitei and Kuki tribes.
ACN reported last month that more than 300 churches and other buildings belonging to Christian organisations had been destroyed during the violent conflict.
Archbishop Lumon wrote that his community has been “cut off from the rest of the world” for the last three months because of an “internet and social media ban imposed by the government since communal violence erupted in the state”.
He added: “The situation is still grim and tense. So far, no lasting political solutions have been found and the apathy and the silence of the authorities continues.”
This story was originally published in catholicherald.co.uk. Read the full story here