Stop Killing and Start Loving, Sister Nirmala's Appeal to Insurgent State

Agartala, Tripura – Sister Nirmala Joshi, head of the Missionaries of Charity that was founded by Mother Teresa, has appealed to the people to foster peace through small acts of love.

The 70–year–old nun, in her call for peace in the troubled north–east state, said that little acts of love, compassion and kindness would lay the foundation for regional and global peace efforts.

"Works of love are works of peace," said Sr. Nirmala, remembering the acts of love and charity of Mother Teresa.

"Stop killing and start loving," Sister Nirmala told those gathered. “Violence can never bring a meaningful solution to the problems,” she said in a message to those resorting to bloodshed to achieve their demands.
Tripura is among those insurgent states in the North Eastern region that face fighting among tribal groups as well as secessionist struggles. Tribal groups resent the influx of outsiders, mainly from Bangladesh, which almost surrounds the state, and violent clashes kill hundreds of people.

Though she termed her visit "private," Sister Nirmala, who is visiting Tripura for the first time, used the occasion to encourage people to become sensitive to the needs of the poorest of the poor and come to the aid of the marginalized and the downtrodden.

Quoting the Bible, she told the people that God comes to them in the form of the hungry, the abandoned, the unloved and the homeless. "We must pray for eyes that can see and hearts that can respond in love to the needs of others," she exhorted.

Sister Nirmala, whose religious name means "immaculate," maintained that love has a "tremendous" power to "touch hearts and generate peace."

Later, during the press conference, Sister Nirmala clarified the aim of the Missionaries of Charity, saying, "We are not called to eradicate poverty, but we are called to love and serve the poor."

Missionaries of Charity nuns run two institutions in Tripura –– Nirmala Shishu Bhavan in Agartala and a rehabilitation center for leprosy patients in Kumarghat. Mother Teresa founded both. Sister Nirmala took over as the head of the congregation in 1997, a few months before Mother Teresa passed away.

Sister Nirmala expressed her gratitude to the people of the state for all the cooperation and help extended by them in support of the sisters’ works.

Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala called Sister Nirmala's visit a blessing to the state and praised her nuns' "admirable and selfless service."
The congregation, Missionaries of Charity, that has over 4,400 nuns in 703 houses working in over 127 countries, has its headquarters in Kolkata.

(Courtesy AsiaNews/UCANN)