More than 200 Christians gather in front of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi on Aug. 17, holding candles, singing hymns and praying to protest the denial of the burial of a Catholic woman by Baptist villagers. (ucanews.com photo)
Christians in India are protesting the "inhuman behavior" of some villagers from northeastern Manipur state for refusing the burial of a woman who left the Baptist Church to become a Catholic.
More than 200 Christians from various denominations gathered in front of the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi Aug. 17, holding candles, singing hymns and praying. They condemned the incident in a statement and sought help from the government to bury the woman who died Aug. 7.
Leingangching villagers in Manipur state denied permission to bury the woman because the village council had ex-communicated her family about seven years ago for leaving the Baptist Church and becoming Catholic.
Rita Haorei, the deceased is still not buried, according to Father Vialo Francis of Imphal Archdiocese, based in Manipur.
Father Francis told ucanews.com that the predominantly Baptist village refused permission to five families, including that of Haorei, to become Catholic saying the village constitution holds that it "shall be a Baptist village."
However, they quietly became Catholic despite facing attack and not being allowed to cultivate their agricultural land.
Manipur is a Christian strong-hold state. More than 40 percent of its 2.73 million people are Christians, mostly Baptists. Some pockets are almost entirely Christian. The Ukhrul district where Haorei hails from is 95 percent Christian.
The village authority in Leingangching has reportedly said that refusal to bury the woman originates in a dispute relating to land.
However, the protesters in a statement said, "this is inhuman behavior and a gross violation of basic human rights — that is not only condemnable but has shamed and tarnished the image of all Christians."
Thomas Thailu, a leader of the Manipur community living in New Delhi, told ucanews.com that local custom dictates that people be buried in their native village. "Even if people die in far off cities, we try to bring the dead to their village so they will be given a decent burial. That has been the practice for years," Thailu said.
"In the case of Leingangching, the village cemetery is controlled by Baptists and they will not allow the body to be buried there even though Christians of all denomination can share in the cemetery," he said.
Rev. Raja Peter Chiru, president of the Manipur Baptist Convention, an umbrella body of some 40 Baptist Church denominations, told ucanews.com that the issue was "surely blown out of proportion."
"The incident is condemnable. And we did condemn it at the convention level discussions," he said adding that the convention will "do all within its capacity" to persuade the villagers to allow the burial.
"The basis of the problem comes from a slogan — one village, one denomination — that some tribal groups follow. I do not approve of it. It is a condemnable slogan," Rev. Chiru said.
He said the issue gives a wrong impression that Baptists are against Catholics. "It is utterly wrong. We maintain very friendly relations," he said adding that the problem will soon be sorted out after discussions with Catholic Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal.