Celina Das, a Catholic, holds the photo of her missing son, Elvin, at the gates of the mortuary at Safdarjang hospital in New Delhi, India, Oct. 30. The woman's relatives could not identify the body of her missing son among the three dozen dismembered and charred bodies kept in the mortuary for identification after blasts in the Indian capital Oct. 29 killed 59 people and injured more than 200. (CNS photo by Anto Akkara)--------------------------------------------
Indian bishops pray for victims, condemn violenceNEW DELHI (AsiaNews) – The Indian Bishops’ Conference assured “families deprived of precious lives” of “solidarity and most profound prayer” after three bombs killed 61 people here on Oct. 29.
Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, president of the Indian Bishops’ Conference (CBCI) said: “We pray that God may grant peace to those departed souls and give strength to all those who bear serious losses.
“Acts of violence can, by no means, be a solution to grievances of any kind. On the contrary violence will only further aggravate the situation and create more disorder and chaos in society.”
CBCI spokesman, Babu Joseph, said, “the terror and fear in the people can be felt. The streets are deserted, there is hardly any traffic on the roads. No one would have guessed that the Festival of Lights (Diwali) is just a day away. The lights have gone out for most people. I visited Sarojini Nagar, one of the stricken areas, and I witnessed tragedy, death, and sorrow. I also visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to express solidarity with relatives of the victims.”
John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union, said, “the pope has spoken for all of us in describing terrorism as a sin and a scourge of the present times. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent children, women and men. That the Delhi bombs went off during the festive season in crowded market places speaks of the macabre cynicism in the heart and minds of those who put them there.
“The Christian community abhors violence and condemns the massacre of innocents in the name of ideology or religion or politics. We pray for the victims, the survivors and for the bereaved families who must live with this terrible loss all their lives.”
Saudi Arabia today joined the unanimous chorus of global condemnation: “These criminal acts show once again that there is need for joint efforts by the international community to eradicate terrorism”.