Catholic Church Bombing

Heidi and I were shocked last Saturday when we heard that a bomb exploded at the Church of the Assumption in our neighborhood here in Kathmandu. It happened just a few minutes after the beginning of Saturday Mass. Three people were killed and thirteen others were injured. A small, fundamentalist Hindu group, called the Nepal Defense Army, has taken responsibility for the bombing. Although reports of violence in Nepal have been increasing in the past few months, for the most part, this violence has not been of a sectarian nature. As small minority religious groups, both Christians and Muslims have faced opposition in Nepal, but this opposition has rarely resulted in violent attacks during worship services. Actually, the most similar event in recent years, the bombing of a mosque, was done by this same group. Many have hoped that the declaration of Nepal as a secular state would result in greater tolerance among different faith groups. Within hours of the bombing, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim leaders arrived at the church to offer their support.

This latest violent event hit particularly close to home for us. The Catholic church is about a five minute walk from our house. We occasionally attend the Sunday Mass, which is conducted in English. We have heard reports of other bombs being detonated around Kathmandu, but they are usually used as a tactic to draw attention to a particular cause- designed more to scare than to do any lasting damage. This incident was different. It seems that it was intentionally set off near the beginning of the church service, at a time when many people would be in the building. The pressure cooker bomb was filled with nails and other shrapnel; obviously intended to kill and seriously injure people. Personally, we are not sure how to react to this news, and I think we are both surprised by the fact that even though this feels close to home, it hasn't really affected us.

This event reminds us of the fact that, in many parts of the world including our own country, religion is used as a platform to perpetrate acts of hatred and intolerance. One of the partners that MCC supports here in Nepal is the Inter-Religious Council Nepal, a group of religious leaders who are attempting to build bridges between the different faith communities. It's encouraging to know that although there are those who use religion to destroy, there are many more who are using their religious values to create, build and sustain.