Referring to the bloody ethnic conflict that persists in the state of Manipur, bordering Myanmar, Bishop Girelli, who previously served as Nuncio to Indonesia, Jerusalem and Palestine, said: “To build peace, the need of the hour is to address the root cause (of the conflict) and develop a culture of peace that touches the conscience of the people.
Since May 2023, Manipur has witnessed a prolonged violent clash between the Meitei majority, almost all Hindus, and the Kuki minority, almost all Christians, which has left more than 200 dead. More than 50,000 Kukis and more than 10,000 Meiteis have been expelled from their respective minority areas due to latent violence.
As a “concrete suggestion” for the Church, Bishop Girelli pointed out that “given the proximity of the general elections, all Christians with the right to vote should be motivated to exercise it, since it is an important duty.”