ASIA/INDIA - Blasphemous graffiti and drawings of Christ and the Pope

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – A new episode of blasphemous caricatures and drawings of Jesus Christ and the Pope is causing more unrest in North East India, after the publication some months ago of a blasphemous drawing of Christ on a schoolbook (see Fides 22/2/2010). The State in question is Meghalaya and the city is its capital Shillong. According to local sources, blasphemous graffiti and drawings of Christ and the Pope were found on Saturday 19 June on the walls of government buildings, public square and schools and various parts of the city. In Don Bosco Square, beneath the statue of the Saint who founded the Salesians, a large community in this city, there was a drawing of a crucifix which at the top instead of the inscription INRI bore the figure of 92 m Rupees (about 1.7 million Euro). This was a reference to the embezzlement of funds on the part of the government in favour Don Bosco Youth Centre: the institute is said to have received a supply of zinc roofing which should have gone to rural houses. A virulent polemic involved the Don Bosco Technical Institute and St. Anthony College. Caricatures on the walls of the schools showed the Pope in the guise of a "wanted" criminal, with the words "arrest this man". The caricatures did not spare the Megahlaya state governor, R. S. Mooshahary, accused of “a dishonest and corrupt person”.
The offensive drawings were soon removed by the local police. The Salesians lodged a complaint against “ a deliberate and malicious act aimed to offend the religious feelings of believers and insult their religion ”. The local Church, through the Archbishop of Shillong, Mgr. Dominic Jala, condemned such acts and expressed “concern for this sign of intolerance towards the Catholic Church ”.
Fr. Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, commented to Fides: “Such abominable acts aim to spark disorder and unrest in society. However, the Christian community in Meghalaya will react peacefully, asking for justice to take its course. In the seven states of North east India, Christians amount to a total 15% of the population, a large presence therefore. However in the North East there are some groups, mainly Hindu extremists, which are hostile to Christian communities. This is their way of expressing animosity towards us. These situation are unpleasant. In such cases the Church moves according to law, never responding to provocation or falling into the snare, which is what the extremists want in order to start a spiral of violence and then take advantage of it”.
In February 2010, a similar case was in the news, when a community of Catholic sisters in Shillong noticed a blasphemous drawing on a school book. The Religious complained to the authorities with a letter expressing sadness and disappointment for this display of disrespect for Christian religious symbols. Similar episodes registered in the state of Punjab, caused unrest and violence. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 21/06/2010)