Thiruvananthapuram: A pastoral letter was read in churches of the Latin Archdiocese on Sunday to convince the faithful of the reasons why Vizhinjam ended the anti-port strike. Latin Archdiocese Archbishop Thomas J. Neto came directly and spoke to the believers.
The Archbishop spoke to the faithful after the mass. Believers are of the opinion that the more than hundred days long struggle was ended unilaterally without any definite assurance. With this, the Archbishop came directly to Vizhiinjath, the epicenter of the struggle, and explained the matter.
The strike committee decided that priests should not directly lead the further strikes. The struggle will be led by the believers and lay people. The strike committee has also appointed a special committee to ensure that the promises made by the government are fulfilled.
The archbishop said that the protest has been stopped in the background of the untoward incidents in Vizhinja for two consecutive days and if the assurances given by the government are not met, the protest will be resumed.
The fear of communal conflict in the area led to the end of the strike. He informed that there were some problems affecting the future of the people of Vizhinja and the church leadership considered them. The assurances given by the government convinced the believers through the pastoral letter.