After 50 years, bell rings at Kashmir’s 120-year-old church

Oct 30, 2017

SRINAGAR: For the first time in five decades, a church bell rang on Sunday at the largest Catholic church in the main city of India’s portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

Members of Srinagar’s tiny Christian community assembled at the 120-year-old Holy Family Catholic Church and celebrated the installation of the new bell, weighing 105 kilograms (231 pounds).

The church lost its original bell 50 years ago in an arson attack.

According to church officials, the church and its belfry were damaged in the attack by protesters demonstrating against the 1967 Mideast war.

The bell was badly damaged and rendered useless in the incident, said Sydney Rath, a local Christian member of the church. He said the bell was not installed all these years because “the community didn’t have enough resources to order a new bell after its damage.” He said one of the roughly 30 Christian families living in Srinagar donated the bell.

People from other faiths, including Muslims and Hindus, also participated in the event on Sunday.

Fr Roy Matthews, parish priest, said the interfaith ceremony reflected the traditional “composite culture” of Kashmir.

“So the message is loud and clear that we all are one, no matter whatever faith, persuasion you have, but basically we are all human beings,” Fr Matthews said. “This is a message that every religion should make known to the world today because of the divisions and violence in the name of religion.”--Ucanindia.Com