Janata curfew: M'luru Bishop gives call to ring church bells at 5pm today

Mangaluru: Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to observe Janata Curfew on Sunday, March 22 to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, Mangaluru bishop Dr Peter Paul Saldanha appealed to the members of Diocese to strictly stay at home from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22.

In an open letter, the bishop said that Corona virus crisis has brought a lot of sorrow, fear and anxiety among the people of the whole world. “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to observe Janata Curfew from 7 am to 9 pm on March 22.This implies that we stay indoors during that time. Keeping this in mind, I request that we cancel not only our public liturgical services, as it has been already instructed, but also all private services including the visits to the churches and Blessed Sacrament chapels,” the letter reads.

In response to PM’s appeal to acknowledge the selfless service of medical, nursing, paramedical, airlines and emergency transport personnel by standing in our balconies and clapping for five minutes, the Bishop directed the parish priests to arrange the pealing of the bells in their respective churches and chapels at 5 pm.

“While it is possible at the individual level to applaud by clapping hands, at the institutional level, we can express it by ringing the bells.This will be a humble expression of our gratitude and great appreciation of these brave men and women who render their noble and selfless service in these moments of crisis.

It is our bounden duty to pray for all people of the world, and especially follow special prayers for those who are sick and those who assist them. Let us not forget to intercede between God for those who plan and execute the measures to eradicate the menace of the pandemic. Let us use this God-given opportunity to express the reality of the family as the ‘domestic church’ where we come together in faith, love and prayer. Mangala Jyothi has already sent material to indicate the way we can organize prayer meeting within the family to sanctify the Lord’s Day. Let intense prayer rise before God to protect the whole humanity,” the bishop wrote in his letter.