Sri Lanka Blast: Churches in Bangalore instruct security measures to parishioners

BENGALURU: Due to the blasts in Sri Lanka on the 21st of April (Easter Sunday), security measures in churches across Bengaluru have been prioritized. The parishioners of the Roman Catholic churches have been instructed to avoid carrying backpacks to mass.

Rev Peter Machado, the Archbishop of Bangalore, issued instructions to all the churches in Bangalore archdiocese to take extra precautions and increase the vigilance and safety awareness among the parishioners. The measures are precautionary by considering the recent happenings and do not relate to any actual threats. The move should not create panic or cause in avoiding mass in church, he added.

Bishop PK Samuel, CSI Karnataka Central Diocese, in a letter to churches, had said: "In order to ensure safety of congregation members, security personnel deployed in churches should be increased. Strict instructions should be given to security agencies to monitor persons entering and exiting the premises."

"Officials stickers may be issued for vehicles belonging to church members," he added.

Text messages were sent by Johnson V, pastor in-charge, Bethel AG Church International Worship Centre to the members that there was no security threat. Nevertheless, in consultation with the police, the security has been increased with frisking, posting police gunman, installing CCTV cameras.