The Catholic community in Bangladesh demands protection and justice from the authorities after a fresh incident on a chain of crime, persecution and violence.
Newsroom (04/02/2022 9:25 AM, Gaudium Press) A 91-year-old has been murdered in the village of Padrishbpur, Bangladesh.
Malkam D’Costa, 91, was found dead on the morning of February 2. According to local church reports, D’Costa and five other family members were given narcotics. The surviving members of the D’Costa family are in the hospital.
After the crime, a hundred Catholics organized a demonstration to denounce the chain of murder and violence perpetrated against the Christian community in Padrishbpur. They demand local authorities to protect them and guarantee security, protection and freedom for the Catholic minority in the region.
Rampant Crime, Unpunished
Last year, a woman from the village was drugged and raped while her husband was working a night shift at the Catholic school in the area. The woman accused a Muslim man of the crime, but the accused’s family forced her to drop the charges.
Catholics make up only 1% of the population of the Islamic-majority country (89%). Fr. Anol Terence D’Costa, director of communications for the local diocese of Barisal, said the Catholic community is persecuted because it is a “very vulnerable and less protected” minority.
The priest denounced the fact that violence and crime remain unpunished: “Bangladesh Christians ask for justice, dignity and freedom to practice their religion.” (FM)
With files from Fides Agency
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
