Attacks on Christians 'beyond tolerance'
Sakal Times Reporters Name | CAMIL PARKHE | Thursday, 19 March 2015 AT 03:32 PM IST
Many new hospitals providing more high-tech facilities to patients have sprung up in Shriramapur and nearby areas but the 200-bedded German Hospital continues to be a special hospital for the local populace. German or European nuns are now replaced by Indian nuns but the special treatment and service offered to the patients at very nominal cost continues to be the specialty of this hospital even today.
Nityaseva Hospital at Shevgaon also run by Medical Mission of Secular Institute nuns offers medical services to the rural populace in Shevgaon taluka of Ahmednagar district. German Hospital and Nityaseva Hospital are a few of the several institutions including hospitals, schools, training centres and hostels run of the Christian priests and nuns in Ahmednagar district. These Christian religious personnel render service to the Hindu-dominated society, irrespective of the caste, religion or economic status of the patients. It is the same scenario at the national level as well.
The Christian religious people have been serving in educational, health, social work and other sectors, seeing Jesus Christ in those people to whom they serve. They do not serve with an ulterior motive of converting the people among whom they work although the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would like to insist otherwise.
This untiring and selfless service of these priests and nuns to local people comes to my mind while reading the news related to the recent assault on nuns in West Bengal and the sudden spate in the number of attacks on the Christian community in the country. These Christian religious men and women have been working in various parts of the country for the past many decades and have never experienced any kinds of hostility.
On Sunday, I attended a meeting of Christians convened by Bishop Thomas Dabre in Pune to discuss the situation faced by the Christians in the country. There were many nuns and women and one could notice the tension and sense of insecurity felt by the gathered people. Expressing his anguish over the rape of the septuagenarian nun, bishop Dabre said that the situation in the country for the Christians was 'beyond tolerance'. Indeed very harsh words to be uttered by a Church official but they only expressed his strong feelings over the current situation.
Christians in the country are certainly experiencing tension, insecurity and indignation due to the present situation. This is because the response of the authorities to the attacks on their community has been too late and too little. The attacks on the Christians seem to have some connection to the change of power in the country. In the past, it was mainly the Muslim community which was made target for violence and attacks by the fundamentalist organisations. This is for the first time that the Christian community as a whole is being threatened.
India has been a secular country; the Constitution permits the citizens to live as per their religious values and customs without encroaching on others' similar rights. Breaking his long silence over the attacks against Christians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a month back assured to take steps to prevent the ongoing hate campaign against the community. Unfortunately things have not changed despite his warning to the trouble makers. There is furore among the members of the Christian community all over the country. The government needs to act urgently to prevent further damages to the secular and multi-religious fabric of the country.
German Hospital in Shrirampur is one of the oldest hospitals in Ahmednagar district. Although named as St Luke's Hospital, it is popularly known as German Hospital. This is because it was founded by German Jesuit priest Fr Ivo Meyer with the help of five German nuns belonging to the Medical Mission of Secular Institute congregation in 1952. As a young boy, I had watched Fr Meyer serving as Shrirampur parish priest, travelling in his jeep to visit villages in his parish.Years later I realised that Fr Meyer had baptised me as an infant on July 18 and also christened me as Camil as according to the Christian liturgical calendar that day was the feast of St Camil or St Camillus de Lellis.
