Bangalore: Fr K J Thomas murder: Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Gracias visit Seminary
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Apr 23: Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio and His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) visited the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Malleswaram, whose popular Rector Fr K J Thomas was brutally murdered on April 1, and prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased priest on Tuesday morning.
The Apostolic Nuncio and Cardinal Gracias, , were accompanied by the Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Bernard Moras and other senior priests and officials during the visit to the seminary.
The visiting prelates of the Catholic Church offered a short prayer led by the Apostolic Nuncio and prayed for the speedy investigation to identify the culprits responsible for the gruesome death of the 62-year-old Fr Thomas, who had served the seminary in different capacities during the last several years, including the position of being its Rector for the second term.
Senior police officials, who were present during the visit of the Prelates of the Catholic Church to the seminary, were believed to have apprised them about the progress of the investigation and reportedly assured the visiting dignitaries of cracking the case and nabbing the culprits soon.
Earlier, the visiting prelates went round the seminary, especially the room of the murdered priest and the place where the body was found on April 1 morning.
The visiting dignitaries, who were received by Dr A Rayappan, President of St Peter’s Pontifical Institute, and Fr S Stanislaus, Vice-Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary and other priests.
The seminarians, undergoing training for their priesthood at the seminary and presently on Easter vacation, are expected to return on June 1.
Meanwhile, the Catholic community in Bangalore has organized a prayer meeting and candle-light vigil to pay homage to Fr Thomas at the St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral premises on Tuesday (April 23) evening.
It may be recalled that the Bangalore Archdiocese had offered a solemn requiem Mass at the St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary on April 3 morning and the Federation of Konkani Catholics Association (FKCA) and Karnataka Sarvabhasha Christhara Sangha (KSCS) had offered a requiem Mass at Christ the King Church, adjacent to the St Peter’s Seminary, on April 12 evening.
The leaders and activists of FKCA and KSCS, who had organized a candle light vigil on the road opposite the Church, which is adjoining the seminary and within walking distance from the Yeswanthpur police station, had demanded a CBI probe into the murder as the case involved inter-state ramifications as Fr KJ Thomas was born in Ettumanoor near Kottayam in Kerala and became a priest in the Ootacamund diocese in Tamil Nadu and had most of education and priestly formation as well as service in the St Peter’s Seminary in Bangalore.