Missionary bishops and other missionaries from the Syro-Malabar Church working in Northeast India have decided to pray for Peace and Unity in their Mother Church and urge especially other missionaries of the same background to do the same.

They have also decided to make an earnest appeal to every section of the Syro-Malabar Church, Hierarchy, clergy, religious and faithful to forget all differences, whatever they be, and sincerely work for peace and Unity among the children of St Thomas.

They said they were proud of the heritage of the Great Apostle of India, their common Father, and of the immense contribution the sons and daughters of this Church had made to the growth of God’s Kingdom, especially in recent years. They said, they also rejoiced at the recent recognition that their Church had received at the World level.

However, they said, they were greatly pained at the recent incidents that have threatened the Unity of the Church which they love so much, and whose missio-nary zeal they would like to see growing daily.

“Human needs are growing and Christian anxieties are multiplying over the face of the earth,” Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati said.

“This is not the time to allow little differences to divide us and make our work ineffective.” He foresees common enemies taking advantage of their lack of Unity. The decision to make this humble appeal was made in Guwahati in a gathering of bishops, priests, and religious at the service of Ecumenism in Northeast India after they had reflected on July 12, under the guidance of Fr Gilbert Aranha, the CBCI Secretary of the Office for Ecumenism, on the causes of historical divisions in the Church.

They were very emphatic that they did not want to be judge-mental with regard to anything about which there are differences of opinion.