Check atrocities against Christians -- Pope urges India

Check atrocities against Christians -- Pope urges India
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 28: Pope John Paul II on Wednesday called on India and Indonesia to put an end to violence against the Christian community in the two countries.

Talking at a traditional speech before tens of thousands of people in Saint Peter's square in the Vatican, the Pope said his appeal comes two days after he asked Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to work for "religious freedom" in his country.

Christian leaders have been saying that acts of violence against the Christians, who make up less than 2.5 percent of India's population, has been on the rise since the Vajpayee Government came to power in 1998.

Reports from India were "alarming after many attacks were reported lately against Christian communities and other minorities", the Pope said. These were "the most serious, according to the country's bishops, since the country's independence."

"I make another urgent appeal for this atrocious violence to stop," John Paul II said adding, "I hope that the perpetrators or masterminds realize that death and destruction in the name of religion, or the manipulation of religion to satisfy one's own interests are not possible."

The head of the Roman Catholic Church called on local authorities to "act decisively", adding that hatred must be rejected and religious harmony be restored.

Talking about the unrest in Indonesia, the Pope said: "The wave of ethnic and religious unrest which has troubled Maluku islands since January 1999 unfortunately has not subsided."

Repeated attacks by Muslim extremists against Christian villages was claiming many victims and massive damage, he added.

Some 4,000 people have been killed in 18 months of clashes between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia's eastern Maluku islands. Indonesian Human Rights Minister Hasballah Saad that a state of civil emergency there could be upgraded to martial law if the security situation continued to deteriorate.

After Jakarta imposed civil emergency on Monday, authorities introduced a night curfew, ordered the surrender of weapons by civilians and banned unauthorised gatherings of 10 people or more.