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December 13, 2019
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The priest-martyrs of Bangladesh's independence war

Catholic priests died helping freedom fighters in their struggle against Pakistan in 1971

Catholics attend a funeral Mass for the reburial of prominent Xaverian missionary priest Father Marino Rigon at St. Paul’s Church in Bagerhat district on Oct. 21, 2018, one year after his death in Italy. Three Catholic priests died during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence, while five priests were awarded special honors for their contributions to the birth of Bangladesh. (ucanews photo)

On March 25, 1971, Pakistan's military launched Operation Searchlight, a genocidal crackdown on Bengalis in East Pakistan, to quell an almost out of control Bengali independence movement.

It was the culmination of a conspiracy hatched by Pakistan's political and military leadership to refuse a transfer of power to the Awami League party, the Bengali rights champion, which won an absolute majority with 160 out of 300 seats in Pakistan's first general election.

As the crackdown started, Awami League leaders, with support from neighboring India, formed the first Bangladesh government in exile, starting a war of independence with Bengali guerrilla fighters at the forefront

Until their surrender to Bangladesh-India joint forces on Dec. 16 that year, Pakistan's military and their local Islamist collaborators committed crimes against humanity including massacres, abduction, torture, rape, sexual slavery, arson and looting.

Officially, the military and their collaborators killed up to three million people and raped about 300,000 women as some 10 million fled to India as refugees.

Due to animosity with India, Hindus in Pakistan were considered agents of India and became a major target during the war. Soldiers destroyed numerous Hindu temples and abused and killed Hindu people including priests, intellectuals, influential persons and ordinary folk.

The military, however, didn't spare minority Christians as they too supported the independence movement, joined freedom-fighting forces and sheltered internally displaced refugees in churches.

More than 2,000 Christians took part as guerrilla fighters during the war and hundreds of Christians were killed in retaliatory attacks by the military, according to Bangladesh Christian Association, the largest Christian rights forum.

Among the prominent Christian martyrs of the independence war were three Catholic priests — American Holy Cross missionary Father William P. Evans, Italian Xaverian missionary Father Mario Veronesi and Father Lucas Marandi, a Santal diocesan priest.

The smiling face

William P. Evans was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1919. He entered Holy Cross Seminary in 1936 and was ordained a priest in 1945. Father Evans arrived in then East Bengal (now Bangladesh) as a missionary in 1946, a year before British partition of India and Pakistan.

He served in various capacities in Catholic parishes and seminaries. He was a popular man among Christians and non-Christians in every place he was stationed because of his simplicity, humor and smiling face. Many called him "holy man."

In 1971, Father Evans served as parish priest of St. Francis Xavier's Church at Golla under Dhaka Archdiocese.

Father Evans supported Bangladesh's independence struggle. He lent a helping hand to internally displaced people and morally backed freedom fighters. Thus, he became a target of Pakistan's military.

On Nov. 13, 1971, Father Evans was on his way to Bakshanagar Mission Center by boat to take Sunday Mass. As the boat was passing a military camp, the commander ordered it to stop. As the boat reached the shore, soldiers beat Father Evans with rifle butts, bayoneted him and finally killed him with two bullets.

His body was thrown into the Ichamati River and recovered several kilometers downstream before being taken to Golla Church. Thousands of Christians, Muslims and Hindus gathered to pay respect to the priest who died for Bangladesh.

Father Evans has been honored in various ways in Bangladesh. Every year, on his death anniversary, hundreds visit his tomb at Golla Church. A road near the church has been named after the priest.

Since 1972, Tribeni Chhatra Kallayan Sangha, a Catholic student organization, has offered the Father William Evans Scholarship to poor, meritorious students, while until 1984 it organized the Father William Evans Memorial Football Tournament. Another youth organization, Shurid Sangha, started a basketball competition in memory of the priest.

Golla Church named the parish hall and a school after the priest, according to Father Stanley Costa, the current parish priest.

"People revere Father Evans as a saint. On his death anniversary, we offer a special Mass and place a floral wreath on his decorated tomb. All through the year, people come and visit his tomb with great respect," Father Costa told ucanews.

A savior of refugees

Mario Veronesi was born in Trento, Italy, in 1912. He joined a Xaverian seminary in 1941 and was ordained a priest in 1945.

Father Veronesi was sent to then East Pakistan in 1952. He was based in the south of the country, working among people displaced by floods, famines and cyclones.

During the 1971 liberation war, Father Veronesi was based in a church in Jessore district and served wounded civilians and supported refugees sheltered in the church compound and a church-run hospital.

On April 4, Palm Sunday, Father Veronesi went out after Mass to visit refugees and two Pakistani soldiers shot him in front of the church gate. He was wearing a Red Cross bracelet and he fell on the ground with his arms stretched out like a crucifix.

The priest was first buried at the Jessore church but reburied at Our Lady of Rosary Church in Shimulia, several kilometers away from Jessore town, beside the tomb of his friend and fellow Xaverian missionary, Father Valerian Cobbe, who was murdered by robbers on Oct. 14, 1974.

"People have great respect for Father Veronesi. On his death anniversary, hundreds of people come to visit his tomb and pay their respects. People collect donations and offer meals to poor people on the day," Father Dominic Halder, parish priest of Our Lady of Rosary Church, told ucanews.

A supporter of freedom fighters

Lucas Marandi was born in 1922 to an ethnic Santal Catholic family. He was ordained a diocesan priest in 1953.

In 1971, Father Lucas was the parish priest of Queen of Fatima Church at Ruhea in Thakurgaon district, covered by Dinajpur Diocese.

Father Lucas supported Bengali freedom fighters by offering food and shelter, and he refused to leave the parish to flee to India, choosing to look after Catholics in the area.

On April 21, 1971, a jeep carrying soldiers arrived at the church compound. Father Lucas was beaten, bayoneted and shot by the soldiers, who left him to die at his residence.

As the soldiers left, locals rushed to save the priest but he died on the way to a hospital. He was buried in the church premises.

"Father Lucas was a brave priest who sacrificed his life for the greater interest of people. He was a great model, which we don't see nowadays," Father Anthony Sen, current parish priest of Queen of Fatima Church, told ucanews.

On Father Lucas' death anniversary, the bishop, priests and Catholics come to pray, while the Catholic Church in Dinajpur named a road, trade school and students' hostel after the martyred priest.

Honors not enough

In 2012, the government awarded the Friends of Bangladesh honor to 61 foreign nationals, including five Catholic priests, for their outstanding contributions to the birth of Bangladesh in 1971.

The priests were American Holy Cross missionary priests William P. Evans, Richard W. Timm and Eugene Homrich and Xaverian missionary priests Marino Rigon and Mario Veronesi. Father Rigon was also awarded the Bangladesh Liberation War honor.

Despite the heroics of Catholic priests during the war, the Christian community has failed to pay tribute to them properly, said Nirmol Rozario, a Catholic and president of Bangladesh Christian Association.

"In 2021, the nation will celebrate 50 years of independence, but sadly we have failed to do proper research on Christian contributions in the war and we didn't make adequate efforts to pay tribute to priests who died for Bangladesh," Rozario told ucanews.

"Due to years of negligence, we have already lost valuable parts of our history, but we need to work more with the Church so that we can preserve what is left."

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