The Catholic bishops of India and Pakistan are appealing for peace and dialogue as tensions and armed exchanges between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalate. Indian Cardinal His Eminence Oswald Gracias and Pakistani Archbishop His Grace Joseph Arshad are urging for peace as fears of a war loom large with the escalation of tensions between the two nations. Tensions between the south-Asian neighbours have surged dramatically since a suicide car bomb attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed Islamist militant group on Feb. 14 in India-administered Kashmir that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.
As reported by Vatican news, Indian Cardinal His Eminence Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, remarked that “We pray and work for peace between India and Pakistan. We call on the rulers to choose the path of dialogue, the situation today is very delicate and we must not make false or hurried steps. We condemn any act of terrorism against Indian forces. But we say ‘no’ to any war option: we must work for a peaceful solution, in favour of South Asia and will be meaningful for the whole world.”
Pakistani Archbishop His Grace Joseph Arshad, the Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi urged leaders of both nations “to resume peace talks and resolve all issues through dialogue”.
