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| A rare gesture of religious amity |
By:
Vmalayalee |
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A rare gesture of religious amity was demonstrated by the Malankara Catholic Church at Thiruvalla, a gesture so relevant to the troubled times of today caused by religious disharmony and hatred. The Church broke off from age old tradition and customs to perform a Hindu funeral within the compound of its hospital in deference to the requests made by the relatives of the deceased. The Church bowed to the request of relatives of Dr Brijesh Kumar Singh an orthopaedic surgeon who was one of the oldest serving doctors at its Pushpagiri Medical College at Thiruvalla. Dr Singh died of a sudden cardiac arrest at a hotel in Kochi where he had checked in to board the flight to his native Bihar.
The family members of the doctor wanted to know if a funeral according to Hindu religious rites could be performed. The Malankara Catholic Church under Father Thomas Koodinattukunnu in a rare gesture of religious amity complied to their wish by choosing a vacant place within the hospital compound where the doctor had served for 28 long years and prepared a special pyre where the cremation was conducted by Hindu priests according to full Hindu religious rites. Archbishop Thomas Mar Coorilos, Reverend Father Thomas and a good number of Catholic priests observed the proceedings deferentially and offered their prayers after it was over.
An ecumenical prayer service led by the Bishop was conducted the next day where verses from the Bhagavad-Gita were read and hymns sung along with a reading of the Scripture and Christian songs. After the multi religious funeral services that stood out as a tribute to the long serving doctor and the secular credentials of the Malankara Church were over, the ashes were collected by family members for immersion in the holy rivers of Bihar.
www.vmalayalee.com |
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