Maoist Revolutionaries Attack Church School

Thursday, October 19, 2000

    Maoist revolutionaries have forced the closing of a Nepalese Catholic school, Compass Direct News Service reported. Guerillas, who control large portions of the countryside, attacked St. Joseph's Roman Catholic School in Gorkha Sept 11, Compass reported.
  The rebels insisted that they be represented on the school board and when school authorities refused to meet their demands, dozens of Maoist rioters threw stones at the building, according to Compass. School officials estimate that St. Joseph's will not be able to reopen for at least a year while the damage is repaired.
  Maoist extremists often target foreign-run schools and churches to extort money. St. Joseph's is one of several Nepalese schools run by priests from India." Foreign groups are "really asking for it" when they not only fund, but also staff, any institution in Nepal, an unnamed source told Compass Direct.
  Nepal's growing community of 400,000 Christians includes a few thousand Roman Catholics, the news service said. In addition to persecution from Maoist guerillas, they often are oppressed by the Hindu establishment, which controls the country's administration, according to Compass.

--Used by permission of Religion Today