Latin Catholic Church wants PM Modi to visit Ockhi hit areas

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Archdiocese of the Catholic Church vented its ire against the Centre for poor rescue operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi. A pastoral letter by the Archbishop that was read out in churches under the archdiocese on Sunday wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state in the wake of the natural calamity. One of the demands raised in the pastoral letter was to establish a Union fisheries ministry. The letter also pointed out that laity of the church would take part in the day and night agitation to be held in front of the Raj Bhavan from Monday.

The church wanted the Centre to put in place a permanent mechanism to predict such calamities. The pastoral letter also sought the intervention of the Central government to announce the Ockhi cyclone as a national disaster. All the parishes under the church also observed Sunday as prayer day for those who died or missing in the Okchi cyclone. The decision to observe Sunday as prayer day was based on the call given by Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI) which wanted the Church in India to offer special prayers during Sunday Mass on the December 10. The CBCI had also urged those willing to offer financial and material support to get in touch with the dioceses of the coastal regions in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. 

The Latin Catholic Church has alleged apathy on the part of the government in rescuing fishermen who went missing following the Ockhi cyclone. They had also alleged that government machinery had been ineffective. Archbishop M. Soosa Pakiam had earlier made it clear that though it was not the right time for agitations, it is the sentiment of the fishermen that is being expressed through the protests. The church was also of the opinion that fishermen were not properly warned about the cyclone.