All-faith Prayer for Slain Sister Valsa John

November 22, 2011: Hundreds of People from all faiths along with their religious leaders gatheredon Monday in Kolkata for an inter-faith prayer to pay homage to slain Sister Valsa John and her self-sacrifice and to condemn her brutal murder. The prayer meet called under the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and Catholic Religious of India (CRI) Inter-Faith forum was held at Allen Park on Mother Teresa Sarani in Kolkata.

After a brief presentation of the life and martyrdom of Sr Valsa John by the director of Udayani Social Action Forum Jesuit Father Irudaya Jothi, representatives of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian community lit a lamp in front of a large picture of Sister Valsa. Hundreds of people who participated at the prayer meet lit their candles from it as mark of solidarity and homage.

Besides reading from sacred scriptures and singing bhajans, the religious leaders prayed for justice and peace to reign in all situations where the poor are oppressed and the social activists are crushed or silenced.

Coadjutor archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta offered prayers for the slain Sister Valsa as well as for all other social activists who fell victim to mindless violence.
He said, “the brutal murder of Sr Valsa John who served the poor Santals for over a decade is highly condemnable and insisted that, “life is sacred and no one has the right to take it.”