"The Catholics and the Church of Bangladesh are very happy about Pope
Francis. Ours is a minority community in a Muslim country and the Pope's words
about a poor Church for the poor, supports us in our ministry and
in our lives as Christians". These are the words of Msgr.Sebastian Tudu, Bishop of Dinajpur, who spoke to AsiaNews about reaction to the election of Pope Francis, in the middle Year of Faith and which has inspired and continues to inspire Catholics of Bangladesh, just 0.1% of a population that is 89.5% Muslim. The prelate has been leading the Diocese of Dinajpur since 2012 and was the first ethnic Santal priest to become bishop.
"Pope Francis - says the bishop - spoke directly of the Church: it is the center of our lives, and the Church means the people, not just the structure. The Holy Father spoke often of our ministry as priests, nuns and religious, encouraging us to be closer to the people, to take care of them, love them. I think these are very important things, because it means going back to the real needs of the Church, at this historic moment. "
The election of Pope Francis and the Year of Faith in progress represent a double blessing as well as a source of inspiration for the Catholics of Bangladesh. "The proclamation of the Year of Faith - recalls the bishop - gave new vitality to the people. In the Diocese of Dinajpur we are organizing various pastoral activities, and in the coming months will build two new parishes and will open two new centers." One of these will be entrusted to the Sisters of Shanti Rani, the diocesan congregation; they have sprung to life. "These nuclei - he explains - and all are dedicated to serve the many villages that are part of our diocese."
Accepting the invitation to the New Evangelization launched by Benedict XVI in the Year of Faith, Msgr. Tudu has also launched a program to promote vocations. "We are working on several levels - he said - and we have also thought of ad hoc projects for priests and nuns. They are like 'refresher courses', to raise awareness about the meaning of their vocation and to help them understand the ministry to which they were called. Pope Francis himself has reminded priests of the importance of pastoral work and going out to meet the people, and even as a bishop I feel I have to be closer to them, so that I can build a more solid relationship with my people. "
For the past three months Bangladesh is the scene of constant strikes (hartal) promoted by supporters of the Islamist party, which often result in vandalism and violence of various kinds, especially against the Hindu community. However, thus far the Catholics do not seem to have encountered any problems.
"Being a minority - notes the bishop - is always a challenge. We Catholics have always been here, so in a sense 'it is normal' for us to be here. Nevertheless, the situation is quite good: we live in harmony with other communities, we have good relations with Hindus and Muslims, they often want to work with us and help us solve problems. " It is clear, he adds, "there are special cases of tension, even for us in the Church, but they can not be taken as a general rule."
In Bangladesh, Islam is considered to be the state religion, but the Constitution does not provide for Shari'a (Islamic law) and guarantees the freedom of worship. However, it is still difficult to speak of conversions in the country, particularly from Islam to another religion. With the exception of tribal people, there are no official figures on the number of baptisms carried out each year.
Bishop Tudu tries to explain the situation: "In general, I would say that the situation in Bangladesh is better than in other areas, such as Pakistan. We are a minority, but we are not totally abandoned. Yet this country was born from a partition, which had the goal of creating a Hindu state [India, ed] and an Islamic state [East and West Pakistan, ed.] Even when we became independent and the Awami League came to the fore, the party that proclaims and defends democratic religious freedom, the basic objective has always been the same: to be an Islamic state. "