Media Release

Mangaluru, Apr 26: A Shraddhanjali (tribute) ceremony was held at the church hall in memory of the Catholic Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis, and the martyrs who lost their lives in the terrorist attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 25.

Speaking at the event, the chief guest, M G Hegde, said, "The essence of all religions is the same. Those who understand this essence can never become extremists. Pope Francis understood the essence of all religions and spoke about Narayana Guru at the interfaith conferences. Both desired world peace."

Fr Sylvester D’Costa, the parish priest of Kelarai Church, in his presidential address, said, "Pope Francis was the true embodiment of Jesus Christ. He showed concern for the poor and suffering, responded to the pain of the downtrodden, delivered messages of peace to war-torn countries, called for the protection of nature through his encyclical 'Laudato Si', and lived his life as a guiding light and an inspiration for us."

He also led the prayer rituals for the soul of Pope Francis.

In front of the church, distinguished personalities and people of all faiths from the locality gathered. They lit candles and offered prayers for those who died in Pahalgam.

The event was organized by Santosh D’Costa, vice president of the Church Administration Committee.

On the stage were Sridhar, president of the gram panchayat, Celine D'Mello, secretary of the Church Administration Committee, A M Sheikh Haidar, president of Bittupade Mosque, and Fr Roshan Fernandes.

At the beginning of the event, a short documentary on the life of Pope Francis was presented by Irene Rego.

Fr Sylvester D’Costa read out and conveyed the message from the president of the Mangalore Catholic diocese, stating: "We strongly condemn the incident in Kashmir. The government must ensure the perpetrators are given the severest punishment. We pray for eternal peace to the departed souls and offer condolences to their families."

All the people from different faiths who had gathered joined in offering prayers for the peace of the departed souls.