Bangalore (AsiaNews/CBCI) On June 9, more than 5,000 faithful from all faiths converged on the newly-rebuilt shrine of the Infant Jesus in Bangalore.
The Apostolic Nuncio in India, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, inaugurated the imposing structure and blessed it in the presence of over 200 priests and six bishops.
The papal representative said in his homily, which was translated in Kannada and Tamil, that the new structure was a "testimony and monument of faith" and "God's manifestation of love for his people."
Mgr Quintana then spoke about forgiveness as the essence of the Christian religion.
The shrine, which is a point of reference for people of various faiths, was rebuilt so that it could accommodate over 3,500 people inside alone.
The shrine, which started off as a tent church set up by Fr. L. Peter, saw its first parish feast day celebrated on January 17, 1978.
In 2000, the Archdiocese of Bangalore decided to build a new church. Work began in 2002 under the guidance of the then Archbishop Ignatius Pinto and the co-ordination and supervision of the then Vicar General Monsignor Thomas Jebamalai.
The parish today has over 13,000 members.
The interior of the church is designed so that people seated at any point in the church, including the balcony, can see the altar.
An attractively carved sculpture of the Last Supper adorns the frontal base of the altar.
