Learning from the past is essential to prevent further atrocities like the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the Archbishop of Canterbury said, following his visit to the memorial site in India this week.
Archbishop Justin Welby has been travelling around key sites in India for the past 10 days at the invitation of the Churches of North and South India.
He was pictured lying prostrate in front of the memorial commemorating 100 years since the tragedy, when thousands of unarmed Indians of many different faiths were shot by British troops in 1919.
He said: “Coming here arouses a sense of profound shame at what happened in this place. It is one of a number of deep stains on British history. The pain and grief that has transcended the generations since must never be dismissed or denied… We have a great responsibility to not just lament this horrific massacre, but most importantly to learn from it in a way that changes our actions … The past must be learned from so nothing like this ever happens again.”
The visit to the Massacre site in Amritsar came towards the end of his trip, which began in Kerala, where he prayed with Christians from the Church of South India.
Speaking after his visit to Kerala he said: “I’ve been praying with Indian Christians today. It’s an extraordinary reminder that every time this happens, that despite national differences, different languages, all sorts of differences of history and culture, that when we come to Jesus Christ we are united.”
The Archbishop, who was joined on the visit by his wife Caroline Welby, said the purpose of his visit was prayer, pilgrimage and pastoral concern and that he was visiting as a religious leader to pray with Christians, to learn about Christianity in India and to share their experiences. On his fourth day in the country he spent time with the Church of South India’s Sisters Order and Women’s Fellowship in Bengaluru and said he had been inspired by their devotion and their “vital work among poor, oppressed and marginalised women and children.”
The second half of the trip took the Archbishop to Kolkata where he was hosted by the Church of North India and welcomed by the Moderator of the Church of North India, Dr Prem Chand Singh and the Bishop of Kolkata, Paritosh Canning. Archbishop Justin said he had been moved and inspired to see how the Churches of South and North India were a powerful force for good in wider society.
At St Paul’s Cathedral in Kolkata, the Archbishop was taken to the cathedral’s Friendship Centre who reach out to those in need from any faith or background. He said the centre was another example of the Church of North India’s commitment to those suffering from trauma, grief or other struggles. “The centre offers that simple, precious and rare gift: a safe space to be listened to and prayed for,” he said. “The world needs more of these places.”
I wonder why he’s lying on the ground? And why does he think that “this” might happen again? Surely the British left India some time ago. Has he not heard? The danger now is very different. Today I read “Hindu radicals demand death for organizers of Christian film screening”. I read of the hostility of the BJP towards Christianity. This man lying pointlessly on the ground is supposed to be a global Christian leader who might be expected to stand up for the persecuted church.
Agreed. The man is a misguided person
Awaits Paul Sounds expected castigation….
Oh, it will happen again and again and again. We can be sure of that. Surely we hear and see this happening every day and most of the time we have no idea what government or organisation is really behind it. All we know is the cure which was precisely what, if this report is accurate, was missing.
My God, my God …
We could be tempted to justify this by noting the Archbishop was being sensitive to non-Christians in his plea, but that is precisely where Christ is to be preached.
Just what in the past is he hoping we can learn from? Some different actions by other evil men? As Christians we do not look to the past but only to Christ as our example — an example that is ever before us and always in the future. It is that promise for the future that changes everything for this world.
Let’ss hope that while lying there the Archbishop was repenting of everything in his life that would possibly lead to him orchestrating similar carnage. That would be fitting, even in public.