Nepal: Hindus say Christians must leave

Barely a week after several people were killed when militants bombed the Kathmandu Catholic Cathedral, Hindu extremists now want all the one million Christians out of the South Asian country.

But local churches who make up 2.4 per cent of the population have defied the threats saying they will continue with their mission despite the persecution. There are nearly 7,000 Catholics in Nepal.

“Our mission in Nepal will not change,” the churches told the independent Catholic news (ICN) mentioning their call to preach the Gospel and to bear witness to the faith even in times of difficulty.

In their statement, distributed during a public demonstration organized by the Church in Nepal on 31 May, to create awareness among the people on the issue of religious freedom, the extremist Hindu Nepal Defense Army (NDA) also acknowledged responsibility for the cathedral bomb attack.

“We want all the one million Christians out of the country,” their statement said.

The Christian community, with the support of local authorities, has taken security measures, organized guards on their churches and issued an alert to all their communities in the country.

The Church in Nepal is involved in social services, with the poor, the sick, and the marginalized and is generally well-received by the people.

The NDA has, from the beginning, been fighting for the return of the Hindu monarchy. It has already carried out several attacks on Muslims and Christians and last year, Salesian Fr Johnson Moyalan, was killed in the attacks.

They are protesting the arrival of a democratic secular system and the rise to power of ex-Maoist groups after centuries of rule by a Hindu monarch.

Source: CISA