The Voice of the suffering in Asia

“But despite this, I know that God is on my side, and I am comforted by His presence. I have the Bible on my phone, and I read it when I am afraid, especially Psalms 23 and 121. And I pray constantly."

“We are not going to give up the fight for equality, justice and fraternity. We hope that Hindus and Christians will soon become more tolerant of each other and that the readiness to use violence will decline throughout the country."

"Muslims believe that converting one person to Islam earns them eternal life. If an initial effort fails, people turn to kidnapping. Kidnappings and forced marriages are most common in rural areas, where people have little education."

He believes there is a religious aspect to the kidnappings, particularly as the girls are Hindu or Christian. Yet, the archbishop did not believe it was the only explanation. “It is lust. They think ‘she is pretty and I want her.’ It is a crime and it has a possible religious component too.”

“I quickly noticed that something was seriously wrong. Though the matchmaker had told me that my husband was a Christian, I never saw him praying or reading the Bible. He didn’t provide money for meals, and he often beat me. He even confessed that he had only pretended to be Christian in order to get me to marry him."

To provide for their needs, the Archdiocese of Colombo has set up a team of 40 certified trauma therapists. They provide psychological care for grieving, injured and other severely traumatized people.