A set of guidelines has been sent to all parishes under the archdiocese of Calcutta for the peace march for Manipur scheduled for Sunday evening.
“There will be no slogans during the march. Only rosary prayers and singing of devotional songs and hymns on peace, love and brotherhood is allowed,” the guidelines say.
The archbishop of Kolkata, Reverend Thomas D’Souza, will lead the peace march, which will be joined by priests and religious sisters and brothers, among others.
Parish priests expect the laity to turn up in large numbers.
The guidelines remind the people why the peace procession is being organised in the city.
“The purpose of this peace march is to express solidarity with suffering people of Manipur and to pray for peace, harmony, and love in Manipur and elsewhere across our beloved nation, India,” the document says.
The north-eastern state has been engulfed in ethnic violence.
The march will start from Don Bosco Park Circus and end at Mother Teresa’s statue near Allen Park on Park Street.
The archbishop had called for the peace procession last Saturday and sent a circular to all 22 parishes under his archdiocese.
“I request all our priests, religious men and women as well as laity from all city parishes, including Howrah Parish, to take part in this procession-cum-rally in large numbers,” was the message from the archbishop.
The three-page guidelines issued on Thursday contain a list of slogans in English, Bengali and Hindi that rallyists can write on placards and carry.
Some of them are: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Manipur”; “There is no path to peace, peace is the path”; “Where there is hatred, let us sow love.”
“We have selected slogans that are relevant to the situation, are biblical and have got values. We have sent the guidelines and expect each participant in the march to follow those,” said Father Dominic Gomes, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Calcutta.
“The peace procession is important because our own brothers and sisters are suffering. We have to stand close to the people in Manipur who are unjustly suffering. We cannot go to Manipur but we should pray for them irrespective of their faith or belief. This is not happening in some faraway place but in our own country.... As a human gesture we can at least be generous in prayer,” said Father Basil Mandi, parish priest, Church of Christ the King in Park Circus.
The guidelines ask all participants to assemble at Don Bosco Park Circus by 4.30pm. The procession is to begin at 5pm.
“All should strictly abide with the traffic rules and follow the instructions of the volunteers along the peace march route,” the guidelines say.
Rallyists are requested to carry a candle each, which will be lit at the culmination point of the march.
The march will end with a short programme that will include singing of hymns and a message from the archbishop.