Calling upon people to celebrate Christmas in a low-key manner, Mangalore Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha said on Wednesday that money saved thus should be donated to people hit hard due to COVID-19.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Saldanha said there will be no large gathering at churches in Mangalore Diocese for Christmas. Devotees will be called ward-wise to churches at different time slots during the day. Cultural programmes will be muted, he added.
Expressing his concern over the ongoing agitation by farmers, Mr. Saldanha said farmers generally do not go on agitation. “Authorities should show patient hearing of their concerns and redress it. It’s only with a compassionate attitude that a society can develop,” he said and added that conflict resolution is possible only with loving dialogue.
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Christmas, he said, fosters cultures of dialogue with people from different religious faith and interests. These meetings and dialogues build peace, harmony, friendship and helps to share spiritual and moral experiences in a spirit of truth and love.
Christians in the Mangalore Diocese, he said, helped needy to the tune of ₹1.5 crore during the lockdown. For the New Year, the diocese will focus on uplifting poor by repairing their houses and provide other facilities, he said.