Kolkata Church holds an Inter-denominational Prayer for Peace in Manipur

The Catholic Church arranged an Inter-denominational Prayer for Peace in Manipur at Missionaries of Charity headquarters in Kolkata on behalf of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) Commission for Ecumenism on June 27.

Manipur has been going through almost two months of unprecedented violence, the longest ever in India, resulting in the reported loss of more than 120 innocent lives and the displacement of more than 60,000 Manipuris from their homes. Many of these people are staying in makeshift refugee camps, and several could have fled the state.

The Peace Prayer was held in the hall where the tomb of St. Teresa of Calcutta is to invoke God’s grace and immediate peace in Manipur without casting aspersions on either the Meiteis or the Kukis, the two central fighting communities. 

Both have lost their near and dear ones and suffered a huge loss of properties and all-important documents. So, all prayed fervently and in one voice for the peace of Christ to dawn on all Manipuri, irrespective of whichever tribal (reportedly 34) communities they belonged to.

At the request of Father Francis Sunil Rosario, organizer, and Regional Secretary for Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission- Bengal, Father Baptist Pais (from Bangalore) - National Executive Secretary, of the Commission for Ecumenism, CCBI, led the prayer service. 

He summed up the current situation in Manipur with a famous quote by Charles Caleb Colton: "Power intoxicates the best hearts as wine does the best heads. No one (man or woman) is wise enough or good enough to be trusted with unlimited power."

He said this is the prevalent pattern in several parts of the world, where a handful of leaders are shamelessly seizing all power for themselves, including maiming important institutions meant to keep checks and balances. He said it is also happening in India, and Manipur is just a test case of a deviously planned, sinister political play.

Rev. Asis Sarkar of Kalinga Baptist Church, Rev. Patrick Joseph of Assembly of God Church, and Rev. Rathin Chatterjee from New Life Ministries also prayed and read relevant passages on suffering and deliverance from the Gospel.  

They took turns sharing their thoughts on the violence and displacement from their roots in Manipur. One of the pastors said that he firmly believes that more than 200 churches that have been razed to the ground, will one day be rebuilt in Manipur. He added that the precious blood shed to defend Christ would never go in vain.

While expressing his deep grief for Manipur's suffering and rudderless people, Father Rosario said there are so many conflicting Andersons of the Manipur mayhem that it sometimes becomes quite perplexing to separate the grain from the chaff.

He also took the harmonium and sang in Bengali,  "Dhanya Jaara Atmatay Dinoheen, kaaron swargo-rajya taaderi.... Dhanya Jaara shoke koray, kaaron taara shantona paabay," means Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:3-10).

Lay persons from various parts of Kolkata and Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny of Lavinia House, Sisters from Missionaries of Charity, FMA sisters from Auxilium Convent, Barasat, and Sisters of Charity from Beadon Street, Kolkata, attended the Prayer Meet. Rev. Father George A. Gomes from Bangladesh was also present.

Alexis Badal Gomes, a professional from the Hospitality Sector, a faculty member in several Hotel Management Institutes in Kolkata, and also a great singer, said that the lives laid down by Christ’s faithful in Manipur would spring forth manifold and the Church in Manipur would spread again.  

However, he said that prayer and petitions to God with folded hands in armchair conferences would not suffice.  Christian leaders must have the courage to visit Manipur to experience firsthand the suffering of their fellow beings and do whatever they can to alleviate their agony.  

The talks and prayers were interspersed with devotional songs. Saswati Basu Mullick and her group sang the Bengali songs, and the girls from Lavinia House of St. Joseph of Cluny took up the English hymns.

The Ecumenical Prayer session ended with the song "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace." Lavinia House girls were at their best when they took up this favorite song of St. Teresa of Calcutta, where "peace" is the keyword.

"Let’s hope peace returns to Manipur very soon," said Father Rosario, Regional Secretary for Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission, Bengal, who organized the whole program. - Isaac Gomes