Catholics hold ‘peace’ seminar in Nagaland

Kohima – In an effort to encourage the Catholic community of Nagaland to take part in the peace–building process in their insurgency–torn state, two lay Catholic groups jointly hosted a seminar entitled, "Education of peace–building in Naga areas," Christian Today has confirmed.

The seminar, held from June 8–10 in Dimapur, was used as a platform to urge the Catholics to work toward peace in their troubled northeastern region, recognizing their faith commitment to work for harmony and reconciliation.

Nagaland, established as a homeland for the Naga, is one of the "seven sisters," as the states of northeastern India are known. Demands for autonomy or independence by various tribal groups as well as rivalry between and within tribes have fueled tensions and violence in the region for decades.

One of the sources of tension has been a demand by Naga groups for a "greater Nagaland" that would include parts of neighboring Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur states, where Naga also live. This has been scaled back from the demand Naga leaders made from India's independence in 1947 for a separate country including part of Myanmar.

A prominent Naga group, the separatist National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN–IM), is now negotiating with the central government for a solution to their proposal for a "Greater Nagaland," a proposal that all three other states have rejected.

Amid this tension, the Catholic Association of Nagaland and the Naga Catholic Federation of Manipur organized the June seminar to stress that the message of peace can be found in the Bible.

In every conflict situation, the Church believes that "peace is possible," they said in a press release after the seminar. The release asserted that peace building would succeed only if the Naga people are "sincere" and "in the right relationship with God" and with fellow humans.

"Sacrifice is essential for peace to prevail, therefore the Naga society must be ready to accept short–term loss for the sake of obtaining long–term gains," it continued.

People who addressed the seminar stressed the need to promote love, a culture of life, and dialogue and peaceful means to resolve conflicts.

Seminar participants recommended joint programs with Catholic groups from all four states at least once a year. They also suggested the formation of a joint executive team of Catholic Association of Nagaland and Naga Catholic Federation of Manipur to tour the region and spread peace awareness.

"This seminar, perhaps, is the first official program of the Catholic Church in formally addressing the long–standing Naga issue," said Sokho George, president of the Manipur federation.

The Church stands for "truth, justice and peace," said Bishop Jose Mukala of Kohima, in his seminar address. "God should be given a place in all our peace efforts, and at the same time we should respect the right of the other and guard against radicalization of ethnic identity."

According to Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, a search for one's identity was healthy, but he too warned against ethnocentric tendencies. The archbishop pleaded not to sacrifice long–term gains for short–term benefits.

Fr. John Kashipri, a Naga priest from Imphal archdiocese, cautioned that if Catholics failed to make their presence felt "at this juncture," they would feel neglected and passed over by the dominant Protestant Churches "when solution comes for the longstanding Naga problem someday."

According to 2001 census figures, Christians, primarily Baptists, comprise 87 percent of Nagaland's 2 million people, while Catholics make up another 3 percent.