KOCHI: Churches of various Christian denominations in Kerala, led by their vicars and supreme heads, prayed for divine intervention on Sunday to ease tensions and end the conflict between India and Pakistan. Prayers were also offered for the safety of Indian soldiers on the front line.
The Malankara Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan and Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, offered prayers for the country and for the soldiers. The parishioners also prayed that peace be restored without further escalation.
“For us living in the southern tip of India, the war may be just news. However, there is a large community in India’s border villages whose life and livelihood are in crisis. Many soldiers, including those from Kerala, are on the battlefield. Their families are worried. It is the commitment of every Indian to work for the country. However, we should realise that wars and riots are always a threat to society’s existence,” the Catholicos said in a communique to the laity.
Jacobite Church members too offered special prayers on Sunday. Catholicos Baselios Joseph I, in a message to the laity, said, “War and riots are challenges to humanity. This is the time to pray for the country. Our prayer should be that we are not dragged into war and that peace is restored. May God strengthen the country’s rulers to lead India to security and peace with diplomatic excellence at this crucial juncture.”
He said this was the time “for us to face this adverse situation with unity, beyond party, religious and political factions, along with the country.”
“We should pray with one heart that the clouds of unrest be lifted and the blue sky of peace spread, and that lasting peace be established in the country as soon as possible,” he said.