Catholics in Mumbai, India, have condemned vandalism and desecration of a roadside statue of Jesus Christ, while calling for strict action against the perpetrators and protection of all places of worship in the city. Source: UCA News.
Unidentified offenders vandalised the statue at the city’s Parel suburb on June 7. The incident sparked outrage among local Catholics and officials from Bombay Archdiocese, the nation’s largest Catholic jurisdiction.
“This insane act has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of our parishioners, who gathered around this statue, located on the roadside outside the church, for prayers and veneration,” Fr Francis Noronha, parish priest of Holy Cross Church in Parel, said.
Fr Nigel Barrett, spokesperson of the Bombay Archdiocese, expressed concern over the incident.
“The Archdiocese of Bombay wishes to place on record its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the recent acts of deliberate vandalism against sacred Christian sites within the city of Mumbai,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said these are not isolated acts of mischief, but “targeted attacks on the religious sentiments of an entire community and a direct assault on the spirit of peaceful coexistence that has long defined this great city.”
The latest incident came less than a month after a roadside cross near the 16th-century St John the Baptist Church in the Mumbai suburb of Andheri East was vandalised twice on May 14 and 15. This prompted police to intervene and secure the protection of about 15 roadside crosses in the area.
Freestanding statues and crosses at roadsides, junctions, seafronts, or public squares are a common sight in Mumbai and are associated with the Catholic communities descended from the Portuguese era in the 16th century.
Bombay Archdiocese demanded a thorough investigation and urged police to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It also urged the government to treat these acts with the seriousness they deserve under the law and to ensure the safety and protection of all places of worship across the state.
“We wish to make it clear that the Catholic community of Mumbai will not be intimidated and our faith is not diminished by the breaking of stone and concrete,” its statement said, adding that “We will continue to pray, to serve, and to stand in solidarity with all people of goodwill.”
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Jesus statue vandalism sparks uproar in India’s Mumbai (UCA News)
