By Matters India Reporter

New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has expressed its grief at the havoc wrecked by a severe dust storm that ravaged parts of northern India.

“The Catholic Church condoles the death of our brothers and sisters who were caught unaware as nature’s fury took hold of large parts of North India. We express our solidarity with the injured and the suffering,” says a press note the CBCI headquarters in New Delhi issued on May 5, a day after more than 150 people were killed, hundreds wounded and thousands left homeless in the storm that hit mainly Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh states.

India’s Meteorological department has noted that the storm was the worst to hit the region in the past 20 years. The met officials have also warned possibility of more bad weather in the next few days.

The CBCI press release said the Catholic Church has already initiated its social action wing, Caritas India, to bring succor to the affected people. The agency is focusing mainly on the districts of Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Jaipur in Rajasthan.

“We appreciate the efforts being put in by the government and its agencies to provide immediate help and relief to the affected and extend our hand of partnership to the government,” said the press release jointly signed by CBCI secretary general Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas and Caritas Executive Director Father Paul Moonjely.

The two Church officials expressed the Indian bishops’ “ardent desire” to work with the government and like-minded agencies to provide relief and help to the suffering people.

They also drew attention to Pope Francis’s call to seriously reflect on the issue of climate that causes natural disasters.

The CBCI note quoted experts to explain that the extraordinary dust and thunderstorms are connected to the rapid rate of desertification in several Indian states.

The federal environment ministry says a quarter of the country’s land has undergone desertification, but independent experts put the figure much higher.

“Increasing desertification would mean more intense and damaging dust storms. Environmentalists have predicted that droughts will become more severe in this part of South Asia with climatic changes,” the Church officials say.