Marginalisation of God leads to contempt of humans: Card. Gracias
January 08, 2013: The rape in New Delhi is an "example of the malaise of India" and
reflects a "contempt for women" expressed in various forms: selective abortions, female
foeticide, discrimination and exclusion from education and work, said Card Oswald
Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Bishops' Conference of India.
In
his view, this is the result of the "marginalisation of God" in human life, which
calls for a radical change in the country.
Meanwhile the trial of five of the
six men accused of rape and murder in the case of a 23-year-old New Delhi woman will
be held behind closed doors. The judge made the decision on Monday after the preliminary
hearing was disrupted by a mob and lawyers had a verbal row after one offered to represent
the five defendants. The lawyers' association in Saket District had in fact refused
to defend the accused.
Ever since the attack took place, public reactions
have been increasingly turning violent. This is in stark contrast to what the victim's
friend said. As the only witness to the incident, he told TV station Zee News that
at the time of the attack passersby were callous and indifferent to their plight.
Speaking
about the attack, the young man said that, after they were eventually dumped naked
on the side of the road, cars and two-wheelers drove by, but "no one stopped to help
us".
It took police about 30 minutes to arrive. When they showed up, officers
argued about jurisdiction and over lifting the woman into the ambulance, "failing
to give us something to cover" themselves.