A cathedral and a school in Bangladesh’s capital have been targeted in what appears to be a spate of anti-Catholic violence. Source: Catholic Herald.
During the night of November 7, St Mary’s Cathedral in Dhaka was hit by a crude bomb that exploded outside the church, the centre of Catholic life in the country. St Joseph’s School and College, about five kilometres away, was also attacked with a bomb.
Despite the attack, no injuries were reported. The cathedral, which celebrates a daily 6.30 am Mass, saw about 500 worshippers attend the Saturday morning service in defiance of the terrorists’ attack.
Br Chandan Benedict Gomes, principal of St Joseph’s and a member of the Holy Cross Brothers, said the attack had caused “anxiety” but that “classes were held as usual”.
The violence comes just a month after a bomb was hurled at Bangladesh’s oldest church, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Dhaka, on October 8.
No group has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents. However, a man believed to be associated with the politics of the Awami League, one of Bangladesh’s two main political parties often accused of being sympathetic to Islamist causes, was arrested in connection with the October 8 bombing.
Bangladesh has been embroiled in political turmoil since last year, when student-led protests erupted over a public-sector job quota system. The protests became what is known as the July Revolution, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1400 people.
As a result, the Awami League’s long-time leader, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled the country.
Since August 8, a caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been installed with a mandate to oversee reforms and organise an election, due to take place in April 2026.
The situation for Christians remains particularly volatile, with minority religious communities accusing the government of failing to protect them from attacks.
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Cathedral and church targeted in overnight bomb attack (By Thomas Edwards, Catholic Herald)
