THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN) -- Bishops of three rites in Kerala have jointly urged authorities to arrest the killers of a priest who was a native of their southern Indian state.
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| Father Thomas Pandipally, 37, a Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) priest who was murdered Aug. 16-17 night. |
The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) issued a statement on Aug. 18 expressing "shock and anguish" over the killing of Father Thomas Pandipally, 37, who was a parish priest in Andhra Pradesh, another southern India state.
The priest's mutilated body was found on Aug. 17 alongside a deserted road near Yellareddy, the small town where he had been working. He was a member of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), a congregation that began in Kerala.
The KCBC is a forum of bishops of Kerala's 29 dioceses belonging to the Latin, Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara rites, which constitute the Catholic Church in India. Its statement conveys shock and anguish over the brutal murder and asks the Andhra Pradesh government to arrest the killers soon.
The KCBC statement expresses solidarity with Father Pandipally's "bereaved family" and his congregation in their "moments of agony and pain."
The statement was signed by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparambil of Verapoly (Latin), KCBC's president, as well as by Archbishop Bishop Joshua Ignathios of Mavelikara (Syro-Malankara), the vice president, and Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur (Syro-Malabar), the secretary.
Father Pandipally was born in Palai, a Syro-Malabar diocese in Kerala that has contributed thousands of vocations to Church mission.
Palai was also the native diocese of Father Johnson Prakash Moyalan, a Salesian priest who was killed in Nepal this past July 1.
Father Stephen Alathara, KCBC's deputy secretary, told UCA News on Aug. 19 it is "most unfortunate" that Christian missioners are being targeted in the country. According to the Latin-rite priest, Father Pandipally has become "the latest victim" in a series of violent attacks on missioners.
The KCBC's statement calls on the federal and state governments to protect missioners who work for "the marginalized and poor in the country."
Father Jose Panthaplamthottiyil, CMI's prior general, told UCA News the deceased priest was "a dedicated and committed priest who always took the lead in helping people. His untimely death is a shock to me and the congregation."
The prior general said he would attend the funeral service on Aug. 20 in Bellampalli, a town in Andhra Pradesh where CMI's Chanda province is based. CMI has organized prayer services for the murdered priest in all its houses.
Syro-Malabar Church spokesperson Father Paul Thelakat also expressed shock over the "brutal murder." When he spoke with UCA News on Aug. 18, he noted an increase in violence against Christians in the country, and said, "The trend shows religious intolerance of a section of people."
An ecumenical group in Andhra Pradesh also condemned the murder. According to Father Anthoniraj Thumma, a Catholic priest serving as secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Federation of Churches, Father Pandipally was killed in an area that has "a history of antisocial and communal disturbances."
Father Thumma noted in a statement issued on Aug. 18 that vested interests have filed false cases and protested against priests and nuns to drive them from the area. "The very presence of Christians and missionaries is being resisted alleging they convert to Christianity and destroy Hinduism," he said.
The statement issued by the ecumenical group also asserts that profit-driven private groups that manage schools and hospitals regard Christian institutions as a threat. It also points out that the previous priest-principal of the school where Father Pandipally had worked "was implicated in a false case."
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August 24, 2008 at 10:45 pm
RIP Father. Your death will not go waste. You are a matyr and our prayers are always with your family. All who knew you here miss you and are deeply hurt y your untimely death. God save your killers.
August 22, 2008 at 5:06 am
I together with my family deeply regret the untimely death of fr.Thomas,my confrere
August 22, 2008 at 1:06 am
This news is good but I feel it is promoting the "Rite War" between the Catholic Churches in Kerla. This fact is being too much highlighted. The expressions like "Latin-rite priest - pokesperson' , 'Syro-Malabar priest - spokesperson. These adjectives adds division to the Church in India. So why don't we avoid such expressions. The news was very simple that the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council Asked for an enquiry into the murder of a catholic priests. Why complecate and confuse simple people with extraordinary adjectives.
August 21, 2008 at 8:56 pm
It is so sad and hearbreaking to read that a young priest of 37, who dedicated his life to serve our Lord Jesus and the poorest of the
poor was tortured and killed. He died as a martyr, and every drop of his blood and every moment of the severe pain he has sufferd
for Jesus Christ will bring thousands of people to Christian faith in that area, because Christianity is the only religion being grown
through persecution. The Christian religion is the only religion with a gospel of redemption and a risen saviour. One day, he will raise
from the dead and Jesus will honour him with a special crown of glory for his pains. At this time of great pain to his own family and
the family of God around the world, who are going through this unexpected tragedy, only Jesus Christ can give the heavenly peace. " O death, where is they sting? O grave, where is thy victory" 1 Cor 15:55.