Four hundred people died in clashes between Hindus and Muslims, when a train carrying Hindus to build a temple in Ayodhya was burned by Muslim extremists. In the past, Hindus had destroyed a mosque in Ayodhya.
The archbishop said that the Indian government is duty-bound to stop the World Hindu Council (VHP) from performing a symbolic religious ceremony in Ayodhya.
Archbishop Concessao said the Christians in Ayodhya have been praying for peace. The VHP had decided it would ignore a Supreme Court decision and go ahead with its plan for «puja» at the undisputed site in Ayodhya.
Archbishop Concessao, the newly elected first vice president of the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of India, said that VHP should follow the court´s verdict and avoid communal tension in the country.
