The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) expressed its condolences for the tragic death of at least 30 Hindu pilgrims and more than 60 wounded in a human avalanche on January 29 in the city of Prayagraj (Allahabad), in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The “Kumbhmela” (which means “Festival of Sacred Cántrao”) is the largest concentration of people in India. It is celebrated every 12 years and attracts millions of faithful in Prayagraj to pray and immerse themselves in the sacred waters of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, together with the mythical Saraswati River, all considered sacred in Hinduism.
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According to the organizers, this year’s festival is expected to last six weeks and began in mid -January, attract 400 million Hindus to Prayagraj, about 550 kilometers south of New Delhi.
“Es desgarrador presenciar tal tragedia durante un evento sagrado que atrae a millones de devotos”, declaró el presidente de la CCBI, Cardenal Filipe Neri, en la sesión inaugural de la asamblea de obispos el 30 de enero. The Catholic event is attended by 204 prelates of 132 Latin rite dioceses in India.
“In this moment of mourning, the bishops of India join in prayer for the souls of the deceased and their loved ones. That God grants strength to afflicted families, healing to the injured and eternal rest to those who have left,” Neri added.
It is not the first time that a similar tragedy occurs in the kumbhmela. More than 800 pilgrims died trampled or drowned in 1954, while 42 people lost their lives in a human avalanche at the Allahabad train station in 2013.
On January 30, during a morning mass, Cardinal Anthony Poola of Hyderabad especially requested for the victims of Avalacha.
The Annual CCBI Assembly is celebrated for the first time in the eastern state of Odisha, at the Xavier de los Jesuitas University in Bhubaneswar, the state capital.
The local diocese helps the police in response to the crisis
Fr. Babu Francis, director of Social Services of the Diocese of Allahabad, where the tragic incident occurred, he informed ACI that, responding to a petition from the Government, he has made available his four educational institutions close to the area of confluence of the “bathroom Sacred “so that the police can rest.
“Many of the service agents have come from distant places and cannot afford to go and return to this busy area. So we have accessed the government’s application,” Francis told ACI.
On the other hand, the CCBI Assembly also commemorated the “Mártires Day” on January 30. Archbishop Leopoldo Tirelli, Apostolic Nuncio in India, placed a garland in a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of the occasion.
The “martyrs’ day” in India commemorates the date on which Mahatma Gandhi, known as the “father of the nation”, was killed in 1948.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Anto Akkara
Anto Akkara is a journalist who writes from Bangalore, India. It is the usual correspondent for the National Catholic Register. In addition to his work as an international reporter, Akkara has written books and produced documentaries that narrate the stories of Kandhamal’s martyrs. He has been awarded the San Tito Brandsma journalism award.