RANCHI: With Christmas barely three weeks away, Ranchi archbishop Felix Toppo SJ on Wednesday said that despite ongoing investigations by government agencies into church finances and a general feeling of fear in the aftermath of the arrest of a nun and a female staff of the Missionaries of Charity home in Ranchi early this year, Christians throughout the state will celebrate the festival with usual fervour and gaiety.Toppo, installed as the Ranchi archbishop on August 6, will be celebrating his first Christmas as head of the Roman Catholic Church in Jharkhand . Prior to his elevation, he was serving the church as the Bishop of Jamshedpur since June 1997."We are not afraid. History has it that followers of Jesus and all those who believed in Him as the son of God, have faced persecution. We too are ready to face persecution. Now, we are praying more than ever for the good of the country and the state of Jharkhand," Toppo told TOI in an exclusive interview."Despite the good work being done by us, there is a general feeling of fear within the church and the Christian community. The arrest of a priest in June this year on charges of abetting the gang rape of five women in Khunti, the arrest of a nun of Nirmal Hriday, the Missionaries of Charity-run shelter home in Ranchi in July, on charges of missing new borns, followed by a nationwide investigation on church finances by multiple agencies, have instilled fear in us," he said."Yet, we shall celebrate the coming of God on this earth on December 25 with complete piety and devotion. We believe God had sent his son on this earth with a new message of hope, love, peace and strength. We will rejoice on His coming to this earth again and again," he stressed.Toppo, however, conceded that following his elevation, in August this year, from a Bishop of the Jamshedpur diocese to that of an archbishop with administrative control of eight dioceses of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Khunti, Gumla, Simdega, Hazaribag, Dumka and Daltonganj, Christmas this year will be a lot different."In Jamshedpur, the celebrations are mostly private at various churches. In Ranchi, Christmas is celebrated in a big way and by a lot more people cutting across religious lines. I will be the main celebrant at the century-old St Mary's Cathedral at Ranchi. Christmas will also be a leadership exercise for me," he said.

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