Nepal
Nepali Christians join prayer for peace following communal clashes
Prayers and rallies came as Hindu-Muslim clashes broke out in several districts since July 26
Updated: July 31, 2026 01:01 PM GMT
Muslim students read verses from the holy Koran on the tenth day of Ashura, during the Islamic month of Muharram in Kathmandu on July 29, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Methema/AFP)
Christians across Nepal have joined interfaith prayers and peace initiatives as leaders appealed for calm following deadly clashes between Hindus and Muslims that have spread across several districts in the Himalayan nation
Prayer services, peace gatherings and interfaith events were held on July 31 in Kathmandu, Lumbini and other locations after violence in the southern Madhesh region left at least three people dead and dozens injured, according to police
The unrest began on July 26 in Dewanganj Rural Municipality in Sunsari district after some Muslims objected to loud music played by Hindu devotees during the annual Bolbam pilgrimage, a sacred journey in which worshippers carry water from a holy river to Shiva temples
The violence later spread to at least four other districts bordering India, prompting authorities to deploy hundreds of security personnel to restore order
Let’s pray for our government, the prime minister, local administrations and faith leaders so they may have the wisdom to resolve the issues and maintain peace and harmony, Protestant pastor Bhab Ghale, national coordinator of the United National Nepali Church Council, told UCA News after a prayer service in Kathmandu
At another gathering in the capital, members of Nepal Isai Mandali, one of the country’s oldest evangelical congregations, prayed for reconciliation
We have faith in God, and we must accommodate one another in faith and practice for the good of our nation, Christian leader and social activist Bidur Adhikari told UCA News
In Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, Buddhist monks, nuns and representatives of other faiths gathered to pray for peace and light lamps as a symbol of harmony
Father Silas Bogati, administrator of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nepal, said Christians were committed to promoting dialogue and coexistence
We believe religion should be a force for peace. Instead of fighting each other in the name of religion, we should fight hunger and poverty, he told UCA News
Prime Minister Balendra Shah appealed for calm in a televised address on July 30, promising a fair investigation and vowing that those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice
Nepal became a secular republic in 2008 following the abolition of its Hindu monarchy
Although more than 80 percent of its nearly 30 million people identify as Hindu, the country is home to sizeable Buddhist, Muslim and Christian minorities, making interreligious harmony a cornerstone of its social fabric
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