One way in which the freedom of religion or belief in a country can be measured is whether minorities are permitted to carry out their own rituals during key ‘rites of passage’ such as birth, marriage and death. One of the world’s fastest-growing Christian communities is that in Nepal. Between the censuses of 2001 and 2011 its Christian population more than doubled from 180,000 to 375,699.
Nepal’s new Constitution, introduced in 2015, recognizes the freedom of religion or belief but, as this video report by Vishal Arora shows, death in a Christian family in Nepal brings not only sorrow but also a gruelling struggle to find land for burial. As local residents object to any burial in their vicinity, churches in Kathmandu and surrounding areas have bought 130,000 square feet of land on a secluded mountain to build a cemetery.
“The biggest challenge is the road that leads to this cemetery,” says Joshua Magrati, Joint Secretary of the recently built Rest Cemetery in Makwanpur district, about 30 miles from Kathmandu, the national capital. “It’s about two miles from the main road. We have spent about 2.5 million Nepali rupees and yet it’s far from being complete. However, we have already buried two bodies here.”
Only a 4×4 vehicle can reach the cemetery, but few can afford it. Many will have to trek for one and a half hours on the steep, makeshift road, carrying the body.
“We chose this place because of two reasons. One, we wanted a place that was really far from any human habitation, as opposition comes mainly from local communities near a Christian graveyard,” explains Parshuram Sunchuri, a board member of the cemetery. “Two, the nearer the land to the city, the more expensive it is.”
“There is no other Christian cemetery near Kathmandu,” says Ang Dawa Sherpa, the cemetery’s General Secretary. “There is one in Pokhara, and one in Chitawan. They are far from here.”
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No women for foot-washing ritual: Syro-Malabar church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church will stick to the traditional practice of performing foot-washing on Maundy Thursday on men only with the Vatican exempting it from its decree allowing participation of women in the ritual.
Head of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal George Alencherry has issued a circular stating that the Church wished to keep the Eastern tradition and the ritual will be performed only on men.
The ritual is said to have been performed by Jesus as one of His last acts on Earth to His disciples before He was crucified to signify an act of humility.
Last year, Pope Francis had issued a decree changing the way that the Maundy Thursday foot-washing was performed in the Church and said it should no longer be limited to men.
The Vatican decree did not go down well with the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, which comes under the Eastern rites. It sought clarification from the congregation for the Eastern churches in Vatican when the issue came up for a debate. “It was clarified that the decree is meant for the Latin Church only. Both the Decree and the letter of the Holy Father, which prompted it, mention specifically only ‘Roman Missal’.”
“Thus, this change does not concern the liturgical practices in the Eastern Churches,” the circular said.
The Synod of Bishops in the Syro-Malabar Church has decided that the church will wash the feet of only 12 men following the age-old liturgical tradition as the Vatican has exempted Eastern churches, it said. Last year, the Syro-Malabar Church did not follow the Papal decree that women should be included in the foot-washing ceremony.