By Matters India Reporter
Baruipur: Unidentified persons have vandalized the images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother Teresa kept at two grottoes of a parish under the Baruipur diocese in West Bengal state.
“Two of the images had been removed from the grottoes and made into small pieces. Efforts were made to other statues around but the culprits could not succeed to do so,” says a message of Bishop Shyamal Bose of Baruipur to his priests and religious.
The November 28 letter says the grottoes are situated on the side of a road to Morapai presbytery from Sadashivpur village. The grottoes belong to Morapai parish.
Bishop Bose says no damage was done to the statues in the parish church or those in the front of the church.
The priests of the parish learned about the vandalism at 6 am on November 28, who in turn informed the village council chief and the local police stations and they came within half an hour, the bishop’s letter says. The grottos are under the jurisdiction of two village councils.
As news spread, people started gathering at the church.
Officers in charge of Usti and Madirabazar police stations came to the parish around 8 am along with local legislator.
Bishop Bose too reached the place along with his vicar general Father Kanuj Roy and spoke to the police officers and others. The bishop said he found some 300 people at the church and told them to main peace and tranquility.
The prelate appreciated the steps taken by the administration and added that he has confidence that the authorities would do the needful.
“They have assured us to arrest the culprits at the earliest and they will replace all the images immediately,” the bishop’s letter says.
He said the local legislator Gisasuddin Molla promised to install powerful lights in five locations around the church and convents.
Catholics must introspect; is it necessary to put up statues outside church compound? In doing so, they are exposing these icons of Catholic faith to be the unfortunate case in point to prove how right was Prophet Isiah when he said that these statues cannot escape on their own from fire and have to be carried away to safety by humans. Please do not play into the hands of vandals and fanatics by installing statues outside the locked church compound.
Christian god has prohibited images and statues. So it could have happened through divine intervention!
Satanic attack
This is is the present possibly of ruling dispensation .
O God, give honest wisdom to those who have done this wrong..