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	INTERNATIONAL DOMINICAN COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE

TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DOMINICAN FAMILY
In the wake of the recent violence unleashed in the Kandhamal District of Orissa, after the killing of Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati and his four associates in the Ashram, which the Pope and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) have condemned, there have been unwarranted attacks on Christians and their houses and institutions in the same district and neighbouring areas.

We express our deep anguish at the tragic events and pray for the deceased and their bereaved families, We are concerned about the safety of the innocent who are helpless victims of this unchecked violence. There have been attacks in the past on Christians as  happened on Christmas Eve 2007. The Christians of Kandhamal have yet to recover from that attack. As many as 50,000 people are hiding in forests or have taken refuge in camps to escape the rampaging mob. Most of the more than one hundred churches destroyed remain in ruins, and burnt houses are witnesses to the violence.

We appeal to the Central and State Governments to take all possible measures required to maintain order and peace in all the affected areas and to prevent further attacks on Christians and other innocent people.

As a mark of true solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters and as a protest against all acts of communal violence, we urge you, brothers and sisters, to observe Sunday, 7 September 2008, as a Day of Prayer and Fasting. We thus can join together with all the Churches in India on 7 September when all the dioceses, parish communities and all Church institutions/ organizations will hold prayer services and memorial gatherings on this day, highlighting the need for solidarity with all the victims and support for all our missionaries in India, who are facing most trying and difficult times for the sake of the Gospel.

Let us fervently pray that in our days righteousness may flourish and peace abound throughout our country and the whole world.

In solidarity,
            
Toni Harris OP     and    Prakash Lohale OP
General Co-promoters for Justice and Peace

Convento di Santa Sabina - Piazza P. d'Illiria, 1-00153 Rome (Italy)

Tel. 06 57940656 - Fax 06 5750675

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