THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (UCAN) -- The Catholic Church in the southern Indian state of Kerala dedicated Jan. 1 as an anti-terrorism day, holding special midnight liturgies and prayers.

"During the midnight Masses, we offered special prayer for peace, and some parishes took a pledge denouncing terrorism," Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council, told UCA News. Catholics in many parishes also prayed on New Year's Eve for people who died to protect the country from terrorist attacks, he added.

Father Alathara said the dedication came against the backdrop of increasing terrorist attacks across the country. The worst incident was the Nov. 26-29 attack on Mumbai, India's business capital, in which 173 people including some foreigners were killed.

The priest said the Church considers fighting terrorism a duty, since any disturbance in the country affects everyone. "To fight terrorism, we need the cooperation of all, irrespective of religion and caste," he asserted.

Joy Sebastian, a Catholic in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital, said people in his parish pledged during the midnight Mass to oppose ideologies that beget terrorism, and to work for peace and progress.

His Latin-rite Trivandrum archdiocese is based in the city, 2,815 kilometers south of New Delhi. The archdiocese retains the city's former name.

Sebastian, 29, said he found the special prayers relevant and timely. He told UCA News the Mumbai attacks proved that violence can happen anywhere in India. "Only God can protect us. As a Catholic, it's my duty to pray for peace."

Vinni Ajith, a Hindu who attended midnight Mass for the first time with her Catholic tenant, also appreciated the prayers and anti-terrorism pledge. "I spent the New Year hour in a holy place. I have never prayed for the country or for peace. It was very meaningful," she told UCA News.

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