The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Maintain religious amity: Chandy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Maintain religious amity: Chandy

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, SEPT. 12. The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, today said that the Our Lady of Ransom Church in Vallarpadam was the symbol of religious amity and that religious tolerance and respect for everyone's belief was one of the State's great moral strengths. He appealed to everyone that this value should be preserved for the all-around development of the State.

Mr. Chandy was speaking after inaugurating a public meeting to mark the conferring of the status of national pilgrim centre on the Vallarpadam church by the Catholic Church.

He said that he was happy to be part of the celebrations and pointed out that the church was being raised to a great status even as the island was experiencing great changes in development.

The new Goshree bridges and the International Container Transshipment Terminal projects were symbols of the prosperous times to come.

Thousands of people attended a mass that was followed by a procession from both the Vypeen Island and the Ernakulam mainland which converged at the church premises.

The Archbishop of Varappuzha, Daniel Acharuparambil, read out the declaration which raised the church to the status of a national pilgrim centre.

The Archbishop, Sebastian Paul, MP, Dominic Presentation, Minister for Fisheries, K. Babu, K. V. Thomas and Luidi Luis, MLAs, and the Port Trust Chairman, Jacob Thomas, were among those who participated in the public meeting.

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