Church ransacked by masked men in Kerala

A Catholic church in Kerala, southern India, has been ransacked by masked vandals, a local bishop said, denouncing"the growth of... religious extremism" in the country.

Stanley Roman, bishop of the Quilondiocese in Kerala state, told the Fide Catholic news agency that on Sunday 20masked men had entered the small church, forcing the windows and doors.

They proceeded to destroy the altar,the priest's vestments and the small confessional rooms, added the bishop whovisited the damaged church on Monday.

"Some Catholics who live nearbywent to the church because they heard noises, but the criminals threw them out,threatening them, and then they escaped," he added.

He stressed that he was"concerned that, as Christians, we are exposed to the growth of differentreligious extremism, especially that of Hindu but also Muslim background".

The bishop said that the church plansto build a larger church on the site in Kottenkulangara.

"Perhaps this project hasalarmed the Hindu extremist groups that already, indirectly, seek to intimidateus. We have had, in recent years, a growth of these Hindu extremist groups inKerala and we begin to suffer the consequences," he said.

Small Islamic groups are alsoproliferating. "And all this could endanger social peace and religiousidentity that has always characterised Kerala," the Catholic bishopwarned.

Christians make up around 20 per centof the population of largely Hindu Kerala, according to Fides, with Muslimsmaking up another 25 per cent.

The conditions of the Catholicfaithful in India is worrying the Holy See.

Many are from the"untouchables," the low caste who see Christianity as a way ofdemarginalising themselves.

The situation is particularlyalarming in Orissa, where many Christians have been killed, wounded, terrorisedor forced to flee their homes while their churches are burned to the ground.

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