The nun was returning to the convent. The man who stole her bag injured her eye. The episode adds to discrimination and violence against Bangladeshi Christians.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - A nun of the Catechist Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was attacked and injured by a thief. The attack took place in recent days in Sreeghonti, in the diocese of Rajshahi. Sister Scholastica Jopomala Gomes, who teaches at St. Joseph's Haigh College in Bonpara, just six kilometres from the convent to which she was returning, got out of her rickshaw and was walking along the street when a man tried to steal her bag. When the Catholic nun tried to protect herself, the thief punched her and fled with the stolen goods: a mobile phone, a watch and some money.
Fr. Joseph Mistri, a member of the Society of Jesus and parish priest in Bhabanipur, reported that the nun was seriously injured in one eye, so after reporting the incident to the local police, she was transferred to Dhaka, where she will receive better treatment.
Msgr Gervas Rozario, bishop of the diocese of Rajshahi, told AsiaNews that he was sorry for the incident: "I think what happened is very sad. I ask the police to catch the Muslim aggressor to ensure justice".
There are countless attacks against Christians in Bangladesh, especially against religious and missionaries. In 1998, a missionary school in the old city of Dhaka was attacked by a group of Muslims who wanted to take over the church grounds. In 2001, at least 10 Catholics were killed and more than 50 injured when a bomb exploded in the parish of Goplagonj.
In 2015 in Dinajpur, members of the Islamic State shot the Italian PIME missionary, Father Piero Parolari, a doctor, who fortunately recovered. In 2018, Sister Madeline, a nun of the Missionaries of Charity congregation, was stabbed while returning from the bank in Moulovibazar.