Inter-religious condolence Meet for Mangalore’s crash victims

(May 27,2010) In southern India’s Karnataka State, the diocese of Mangalore on Wednesday, held an inter-religious gathering and a Requiem Mass to pay homage to those, who died in the recent plane crash at the local airport on May 22. Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza of Mangalore presided over the Mass in which, some 40 priests concelebrated and hundreds of people participated. In his homily, the bishop invited the people to hope in the goodness of God and to trust in Christ, who transcended death.
People of different religions paid tributes to the deceased. Fr Onil D’Souza the director of the NGO Canara Organization for Development and Peace said that praying for the victims of the tragedy, helping and consoling the dear ones is the ‘Universal Human Religion’. Dr Shanhram Shetty of Sanjeevini in his condolence message said: ‘Whatever may the cause of the crash, such a sad event shouldn’t take place anywhere in the world. God has given us a great lesson in the event. It has awakened the human consciousness within us and called us to relate to each other as brothers and sisters.
Mohammed Kunhi a Muslim leader, in his message said: “In spite of all our human efforts to escape and postpone the reality of death, it is inescapable and a lesson that God is the real controller of our lives.
May 22 was a day of unforgettable tragedy. It has taught the lesson that death has no religion.”
The religious leaders placed wreaths on the symbolic grave of 158 victims. People sang hymns and lit candles and prayed as a mark of respect to the victims of Mangalore’s tragedy.