Quilon, India, Sep 6, 2011 / 12:14 pm
Masked vandals attacked and desecrated a Catholic church in the Indian state of Kerala on September 4, according to a local bishop who has encouraged the faithful not to retaliate.
"We will act according to the law,” Bishop Stanley Roman of Quilon told Fides news agency. “We have reported the incident to the police, we are confident in the work of the police and hope that they can identify the culprits and bring them to justice as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Bishop Roman has urged parishioners of South Kerala's Church of Our Lady of Vailankanni “not to react, to endure violence and persecution with patience.”
Around 20 men broke into the church on Sunday evening and destroyed its altar, vestments, and confessionals. Local Catholics arrived but did not manage to stop the attackers, who forced the Catholics from the church and escaped.