Easter festivity on Sunday morning gave way to shock, disbelief and fear amongst the Christian community here in the Capital with news of serial blasts in Sri Lanka.
“Coming as it does just days after fire accident at Notre Dane Catherdral in Paris, the blasts makes this Easter celebrations a very solemn and sad one. Our small community here is shaken by the news coming in from across the world and we would like to condemn every act of terror,” said Kishore Lakra, member of the Scared Heart Catherdal at Gol Dak Khana who was attending the Easter Mass when the news broke.
“It fills us with fear and we are forced to think about what it means for Christians across the world,” he added.
Prayers for victims
Churches across the city prayed for the victims of the blasts and peace in the world during the morning mass. “News of the blasts started to come in while we were still celebrating mass and we join people across the country in remembering victims of terror attacks all over the world,” said a senior religious who did not wish to be named.
“It is hard to believe that in Sri Lanka where the Christians are a small minority we would hear of eight blasts and many of them in churches and also on a day that is so dear to the community. Terror is any form and as a result of any action or reaction should not be tolerated,” said Shaini Peter from Dilshad Garden.
‘Unacceptable’
“According to reports, most victims were killed in three churches where worshippers were attending Easter Sunday services. The first explosion was reported in a church located in the Capital. The other blasts followed within half an hour. This is just unacceptable,” she added.
Not just people from the Christian community, many who were in the church this morning to be part of the Easter celebration added that they were extremely shocked by the magnitude of terror that they are witnessing so close to India.
Narendra Arora, who is a resident of Punjabi Bagh but makes it a point to visit Scared Heart Cathedral on Easter and Christmas, said: “I have studied in a missionary school and am deeply attached to the philosophy of Christianity. Christians in India are a small community of people who are associated with education and healthcare sector. So when a terror attack of this level is reported so close, it makes us wonder where we will stop. We can only hope and pray that there is an end to these attacks.”
