Arunachal Catholics respond to Pope’s prayer appeal

By Felix Anthony

Miao, March 25, 2020: Christians in a remote corner of the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on March 25 responded to Pope Francis’ universal prayer appeal.

In the wake of the pandemic coronavirus outbreak, the Pope had appealed Catholics over the world to pray the ‘Our Father’ on March 25, which coincided with the feast of the Annunciation.

Responding to the prayer appeal, every family in Miao Diocese in Arunachal Pradesh prayed the Lord’s Prayer at 4:30pm, corresponding to 12 Noon in Rome.

People across the eight districts in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar and China, joined the universal prayer event. Kamlung Mosang, a cabinet minister in the state, who visited the Carmelite Sisters in Changlang District to request them to make mask for the patients in the isolation wards in Miao, joined the nuns to pray for the whole world.

“I am happy to join the Sisters in this universal prayer appeal of Pope Francis. With the daily increase in the number of positive cases of the deadly Covid19, prayer seems to be the only solution. We raise our eyes and open arms and pray that there will soon be respite from the pandemic disease,” said the Minister for Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs and Urban Development.

The Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao had appealed to the whole diocese to join the Pope in praying together the ‘Our Father,’ the Angelus and Divine Mercy chaplet for relief during this critical time.

“I know all our churches are closed and our country is lockdown for the next three weeks. Let us spend this time to engage ourselves usefully by reading the Bible and reflecting on the deep lessons this deadly virus can teach us. I invite everyone to pray at home to participate spiritually with the Holy Father in praying for the world,” read a note from the Salesian prelate.

People gathered in their families and prayed the Lord’s Prayer in their own dialects. Some families recorded their prayer and shared it on social media platforms. The social communication wing of the diocese has made a collection of these videos and shared in its social media page to encourage others to pray during this distressing time.