Inter-religious Condolence Meet for Crash Victims Held

NEW DELHI, May 27, 2010, 10:00 Hrs (CBCI News):

The diocese of Mangalore organised, May 26, an inter-religious gathering and a Requiem Mass to pay homage to those who died in the recent plane crash. Mangalore Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza presided over the Mass in which some 40 priests concelebrated and hundreds of people participated. In his homily the bishop invited the people to hope in the goodness of God and to trust in Christ who transcended death.

People of different religions paid tributes to the deceased. Dr Shanhram Shetty of Sanjeevini in his condolence message said: ‘Whatever may the cause of the crash, such sad event shouldn’t take place anywhere in the world. In spite of that, God has given us a great lesson in the event. We have shown our human concerns after the event without being labelled and differentiated with any type of religion or caste or creed. We have become one to help, console and pray for the victims and the relatives.’

Fr Onil D’Souza the director of the NGO Canara Organization for Development and Peace (CODP) said: ‘Praying for the victims of the tragedy, helping and consoling the dear ones is the ‘Universal Human Religion’. Filling the family members and relatives with words of comfort and confidence is the real ‘Dharma’.

Mohammed Kunhi a Muslim leader, in his message said: ‘In spite of all our human efforts to escape and postpone the reality of death, it is inescapable nd a lesson that God is the real controller of our lives. No language or words in the world would be sufficient to comfort the dear ones of the crash victims. Only faith in God would do that. May 22 was a day of unforgettable tragedy and it was also a day of human relationship, a day of light with lasting lessons for generations. It has taught the lesson that death has no religion, caste and creed. It has awakened the human consciousness within us and called us to improve and correct our lives, relate to each other as brothers and sisters, to live a good and just life in the years to come.’

Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza in his presidential address noted that the whole world had expressed solidarity with the people who suffered on account of the air crash. The religious leaders placed wreaths on the symbolic grave of 158 victims. People sang hymns and lit candles and prayed as a mark of respect to the victims of the tragedy.

Fr Francis Rodrigues, Raknno