A Catholic priest has thanked Muslims who assisted victims of recent floods in the southern Indian state of Kerala after they had sought shelter in his church.
Agenzia Fides reports that Fr Joseph Puthussery visited the Juma mosque at Vechoor where he delivered a speech in the prayer hall thanking more than 250 gathered Muslims for their aid during the crisis.
He reported that after his church – St Antony’s Church in Achinakam – had offered shelter to more 580 people left without homes as a result of the floods in August, he requested the help of the imam.
“After the day’s prayers, Muslim brothers came to the church with a large quantity of food and water”, Puthussery told the Catholic news agency. “Besides food and water, the youth attached to the mosque also arranged for medicines.”
Muslims provided humanitarian assistance to those in the church for several days, he said.
Speaking in the prayer hall, Puthussery said he had “no words to express our gratitude to the Muslim brothers for the generous support they offered during the difficult period”.
“Though the floods have taken away many valuables from us, what it took away first were the walls that we have built to separate each other. It has washed away the arrogance and selfishness from our minds”.
He added that the “fraternal bond must not cease”. “[W]e will have to transmit the values we have rediscovered through this calamity to new generations.”
More than 400 people died in the floods – the worst in a century – with tens of thousands left homeless. The state is now battling an outbreak of ‘rat fever’ in the wake of the floods.
