For violence-hit Manipur over 500 Arunachal youth pray fro peace

Margherita: Around 500 youths from across Arunachal Pradesh gathered at the Divine Renewal Retreat Center in Margherita, Assam on Sunday to pray for peace and forgiveness in violence-hit Manipur.

Leading the candle lit prayer for peace, Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao Diocese appealed to the youth to be messengers of peace and forgiveness. “What we have seen in Manipur is no less than what happened in Ukraine. In this tragic moment of pain and uncertainty, we need to unite and spread the message of peace across Manipur. ” said the Bishop, Chairman of the Youth Commission of the North East India Regional Bishops’ Council.
More than 70 lives were lost in the communal violence that broke out in Manipur on May 3. According to reports, over 200 people were seriously injured in the violence and around 30,000 were displaced.

“Victims of any kind of violence are always innocent. We express our solidarity with the affected families and we pray that peace and normalcy return to Manipur soon,” the bishop said. Requested him to extend his hand to help the victims of Manipur clashes.

Addressing the prayer meeting, President of Arunachal Pradesh Catholic Association (APCA), Taw Tebin said, “I appeal to each and every one of you to keep your eyes and ears open to avoid the divisive forces that Planning to divide and polarize our state along ethnic and religious lines.
In the multi-cultural tribal context of Arunachal Pradesh, the APCA president reminded the youth, “In a state like ours where more than 100 tribes live together peacefully, we cannot afford ethnic conflict like Manipur. “It is not enough that we pray for peace. We need to promote peace.”

The unrest in Manipur started when the ethnic tribal people organized a protest march against the possibility of recognizing the non-tribal community as a scheduled tribe.
Recalling her experience of cramped shelters, damage to houses and places of worship and the general sense of uncertainty during the Manipur crisis, Sister Anna Gangmai, a missionary nun from Manipur working in Arunachal Pradesh, said, “ Our families have been left with so much. The uncertainty of our future. We don’t know when things will return to normal.” Her own family has also been displaced during the violence.
More than 60 percent of Manipur’s 3 million population belong to the Hindu-dominated Meitei group, while Christian tribal groups such as the Kuki and Nagas make up the remaining 40 percent.
What began as ethnic violence has taken on an anti-Christian dimension. Considering the selective destruction of property belonging to Christian groups, this violence is indicative of a systematic crime against minority Christians in the state.
According to an official report of the Archdiocese of Imphal, the renovation of St Paul’s Parish and Pastoral Training Center in Imphal will cost around Rs 9 crore.

Junnem Langching, a youth leader from Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, said that the purpose of the prayer meeting is not only to pray for peace in Manipur but to avoid all divisive forces and become a messenger of peace.