Apostolic Vicar of Nepal: our hope is our people

“We have 63 political parties here in Nepal, 63 parties and it is almost impossible to find any form of unity between them. Our political class are too concerned with nagging on to their seats and not enough with the common good of the nation”, says Bishop Anthony Sharma, S.J., Apostolic Vicar of Nepal.

Nepal’s Constituent Assembly (CA) has not yet finalised a new constitution, as required under the terms of the peace process that ended the country’s ten-year civil war. The deadline for the agreement of a new constitution is May 28.


Without an extension of the CA or a new constitution, the country will have no legal framework or government after 28 May. However, more than one party has said that it will veto the extension of this constitutional deadline.

Many sections of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement are yet to be agreed in detail and implemented. In particular there is as yet no accord on the controversial issue of the integration of up to 8,000 Maoist soldiers into a new national army, which is an essential component for the completion of the peace process.

Bringing the reality of this political mess back down to earth, Bishop Sharma says; “The people who are suffering most are those who depend on a daily wages. Nepal is dependent on its tourist industry, but with all the black outs, strikes and shutdowns, tourists are becoming increasingly disenchanted”.

Yet despite the obvious obstacles the Apostolic Vicar concludes: “Our hope is our people, and they are always hopeful, I pray that their hope is realised”. Listen: