Watch: All faiths come together to ring church bell after 50 years in Srinagar
All faiths come together to ring church bell after 50 years in Srinagar
According to church officials, the church and its belfry were damaged in the attack by protesters demonstrating against the Mideast war. ?
For the first time in five decades, a church bell rang on Sunday at the largest Catholic church located on Srinagar's M ARoad by representatives of Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs.
The British-era church, built in 1896, had lost its original bell in a fire sparked by an arson attack in June 1976. According to church officials, the church and its belfry were damaged in the attack by protesters demonstrating against the Mideast war.
He said the bell was not installed all these years because "the community didn't have enough resources to order a new bell after its damage. Around 30 Christian families living in Srinagar donated for the new bell."
The event was a shining example of communal harmony as Church invited everyone for ringing the bell; Representatives of every religion made their presence in the event.
"We want to send out a message at the national, international and local levels that we are one here and we love and accept each other as we are," the parish priest father Roy Matthews told media.