Bangalore: His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India on Monday deeply mourned the death of Fr Stan Swamy.
In a statement Cardinal Gracias expressed, “We are deeply saddened at the passing away of Dr Stan Swamy. We give thanks to God for Fr. Stan’s life and commitment to the poor indigenous people and their struggles. We are happy that Fr Stan received the best medical attention at Holy Family Hospital, Bandra and passed away with dignity.”
“Fr. Stan’s arrest was very painful. Under the Indian criminal law, one is innocent until proved guilty. Fr. Stan’s case did not even come up for hearing. We were eagerly waiting for the case to be taken up and the truth to come out,” he urged.
Speaking about Fr Stan’s work, he said, “Fr Stan worked tirelessly for the under-privileged and downtrodden, giving them a sense of dignity and upliftment. I witnessed his dedication to the exploited tribals. This work had its own challenges, but Fr. Stan worked single-mindedly for the poor.”
“I do hope that the truth will come out soon and his name will be cleared of all criminal conspiracy. We pray that God reward him for his good work. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.
Ranchi Archbishop Felix Toppo SJ and Auxilary
too grieved the death of Fr Stan.
In their joint statement, they said that Fr Stan was a champion of tribal rights, a fighter for justice and a symbol of courage. Fr. Stan’s situation is a sad reflection on those who got the innocent man arrested.
“The ‘caged parrot’ now sings in heaven but the blood is on our hands. May the hand of God bring justice to all innocent victims of insensitivity, vindictiveness and injustice,” they said.
“Fr Stan, you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you’ve kept the faith. The Lord will reward you the crown of righteousness,” they added.
Human rights, reconciliation and peace activist and writer Fr Cedric Prakash, too paid rich tributes to Fr Stan. “Dear Fr Stan, We say “goodbye” to your pilgrimage on earth! You are without doubt a martyr for the sake of Justice and Peace. You lived your life fully in the committed and selfless service of the least of our sisters and brothers. Your departure will not go in vain! There will be many more Stans who will now rise up. You will never die! You will live forever!”
The United Christian Forum of North East India, its Leaders along with the entire Christian Community of NEI wish to express its deep pain and anguish at the sad demise of Fr. Stan Swamy.
“As we express my deepest condolences to the family members, friends, lawyers, well-wishers and all those who stood by Stan and prayed for him during this moment of trial and suffering, we also pledge to recommits ourselves to take forward the legacy of Fr. Stan Swamy and to work for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation,” said Allen Brooks, spokesperson of UCFNEI.
An online condolence meeting has been organised on Monday at 6.30-8.30 pm via Zoom and YouTube. Further details are mentioned below.
