A bishop in an isolated Indian region, whose flock has grown at an astonishing pace from 900 Catholics in 1979 to more than 90,000 today, says the work was done by God and it is only his job to listen.
Bishop George Palliparambil of Miao, in the Indian Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, Tibet, Bhutan and Burma, has managed to deal with military chiefs, hazardous terrain and warring tribes in bringing the message of the Church to its scenic valleys.
The state lies under “restricted access” classification by the Indian army due to its proximity to its regional rival China, and in the late 1970s it was practically inaccessible other than by air. When asked how he had managed to preside over such a phenomenal growth in Catholics – who now make up 20 per cent of the region’s population – the 64-year-old bishop told the Catholic News Agency: “God did it.”
Originally from the southern state of Kerala, Bishop Palliparambil, known affectionately as Bishop George, set up a school for tribal children who had migrated south from Miao in the early 1970s.
As students returned to Arunachal Pradesh, literate and more healthy, and speaking of their Christian mentor, opposing tribal elders called a truce and sent a message south with their children.
Bishop Palliparambil remembers the message: “Dear Father George, please come to us and tell us more about this God Jesus, who has done so much for our children.” After that, he made the treacherous journey north in 1979, to an area filled with soldiers and dwindling hill tribes that received precious few visitors.
On top of that, priests were banned in the region, as was preaching. On Christmas Day in 1980, as he walked from village to village spreading the Gospel, he was arrested and held in a police station for 18 hours.
However, news of the arrest spread back to the village and several hundred men came armed with swords, demanding the police “give back their Father”. After that he was released and in the 40-odd years since, Bishop Palliparambil has woven himself into the region, increasing his parish day by day.
On the website of the Christopher Missions Foundation, which supports the Church’s work in the Himalayas, he describes the changes he has seen. “My greatest joy is to see how the Church has grown and that we have a very committed and well-informed laity. But the Church that I behold today is a thousand times stronger than what I could have imagined in 1980. To see the happy young men and women who openly speak out not for the Church but as the Church, just gives me joy, a sense of fulfilment and maximum satisfaction.”
In a YouTube clip posted after he won a human rights award, Bishop Palliparambil said: “It has been my joy to work in this very remote easternmost corner of India with the people belonging to various tribes. I accept it in all humility on their behalf.”
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