It must have been a proud moment for the Catholic Church when the foundation stone for the St. Peter's Church was laid on the "roof of the world" on July 29. The Press note issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) did not mention the exact place where the church would come up. Laying the foundation stone, Bishop Peter Celestine of the Jammu-Srinagar diocese said, "This is going to be the first church on the "roof of the world", 11,550 feet above the sea level and the Lord will be proclaimed, not just from the housetop but from the top of the world."

The Ladakh-Leh region where the event took place has a small Christian population of 15,000 in a total population of 10 million. As I read the report, I wondered whether the Press note was right in describing the place as the "roof of the world" when the sobriquet belongs to Tibet.

Readers may find that too trifling a matter to deserve mention in this column. While that is excusable, the claim that it will be the first church on the "roof of the world" is unacceptable. More so when the claim is made by a bishop who belongs to the Capuchin order. Readers' attention is directed to this paragraph, "The Feast of St. Francis of Assissi, the 4th October, 1726, (which by the way also marked the Fifth Centenary of the death of this great Saint) was fixed for the solemn blessing of the chapel and the official opening of the Friary. It was a grand occasion. On that day, the Fathers had the joy of saying the first Mass in that little chapel, dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady, in the presence of eleven neophytes, mostly Newari, natives of Nepal. Mingled feelings of joy, thanksgiving and hope must have filled the heart of the small congregation as the Prefect Apostolic went up the altar to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass in the first and only temple ever erected to the true living God atop the roof of the world". (The Bell of Lhasa by Fr Fulgentius Vannini, Published by Capuchin Ashram, Agra, Pages 473)

The Capuchin missionaries left the uplands of Tibet a long time ago. Nothing now remains to remind a casual traveller of the great missionaries who, in obedience to the command of Christ "to go and preach gospel to all nations" penetrated the very depths of the Forbidden City to preach the good news, and of their toil and sufferings there, except a lonely bell. If it could speak, it would reveal the fate of those poor Christians who were left behind. It is the one solitary witness, over the years, to see the rise and fall of Tibet. It is still there, like a forlorn child, waiting for the return of the loved ones. It will be a serious omission if we forget that bell and all that it exemplifies.

Vannini's book is a must for all those who want to know about the 10 expeditions the Vatican sent to Tibet in the 18th century, first to establish contact with the "lost tribe" of Christians and then to establish Christianity on the roof of the world. When the book was published in 1976, it rebutted the affirmation of a mission historiographer who said about the Tibet mission, "That mission had, of Tibet, only the name. It was in reality the mission of Patna in charge of Capuchins, none of whom ever set foot in Tibet".

The Italian Capuchin who did pioneering research work found out that Fr Horace Olivieri of Pennabili not only reached Tibet but also worked in ways that have much to teach modern-day missionaries. He brought to Lhasa a complete printing press of Tibetan character, established friendship with the Regent of Tibet, received into the church a number of catechumens, faced persecution and finally quit Tibet ending the great mission in 1745. In 10 expeditions, 49 missionaries were sent, some of whom did not even reach Tibet having died on the way or were forced to return. Nonetheless, they remain in the church records "Tibetan missionaries". Today it takes only a few hours to cover the distance between Rome and Tibet but when the first expedition was sent out in 1704, it took them three years to cover the same distance when they followed the "overland route" to India.

Church historians may describe the Tibetan mission as a failure. After nearly 40 years of labour by one of the most sincere, talented and enterprising missionaries, all that remained of the mission were a handful of Christians. But then one of them succeeded in planting Christianity in Bihar, at a place called Bettiah in the erstwhile Champaran district. The Christians of Bettiah consider themselves the oldest Christians of Bihar. It is perhaps the only town in Bihar which has a modicum of Christian culture. The Christians are not large - just 4,000 or so as I was told when I visited the town a decade ago - but their influence, particularly in the field of education is substantial. It has produced church leaders of the eminence of the present Patna bishop. Bettiah Christians are today all over the world. Their story is as fascinating as any other community's. Now let us scan the pages of the Bell of Lhasa. It was a disease that first brought Christianity to Bettiah, which derives its name from its famous cane (bent) wealth. Bettiah was then ruled by Raja Dhurup Singh, a Bhumihar whose forefathers got the title of Raja from Emperor Shahjehan (1628-58). The Raja came in contact with the Italian priest, Fr Joseph Mary Bernini, when the latter was in Patna prior to taking up his assignment in Tibet. The ruler had heard about the medical abilities of the priest and, therefore, when he fell ill, he rushed to Patna to meet the priest.

Fr Bernini won the Raja's heart when he successfully treated him. Impressed by his skill and knowledge, he invited the priest to Bettiah where he promised him generous hospitality. But how could the priest accept the invitation except with the express permission of the Holy Father? He politely refused to go to Bettiah. A few months later, Fr Bernini, was transferred to Lhasa where he did yeoman medical service. But the Raja did not leave the matter at that. He wrote to the Pope asking him to grant permission to the Capuchins to establish a station at Bettiah.

The Raja was very keen to have his service because Fr Bernini had a few months before his departure for Lhasa, visited Bettiah and cured his wife of a serious illness. The times were not good for the missionaries in Tibet. Their mission in Lhasa stood threatened by the Tibetans who, incited by the Lamas, were determined to drive out the missionaries. A stage came when the missionaries had to retreat from Tibet in the face of violent opposition from the local people and the government which came down heavily upon the converts who were given 20 lashes each at a public place. The question that arose before the priest was, where to go? Fortunately for them, they got permission from Rome to open a mission in Bettiah. Fr Bernini was assigned the job. He reached Bettiah on December 7, 1745, and the Raja allotted him a house with a garden near his palace and allowed him to preach and make converts. He carried on his work till his death. He had the assistance of one Michael, a Nepali citizen, who had embraced Christianity while in Lhasa.

When the English took Bettiah in1766, Sir Robert Barker, who was in command of the forces, assigned the mission about 60 bighas of land in the fort and also a plot of land outside Bettiah called the Dasaiya Padri, extending over 200 bighas for the support of the missionaries and their Christian converts. These grants were approved and renewed by the Governor-General in Council in Calcutta in 1786. The mission is still in possession of most of the land. When the Capuchins left Bettiah, their place was taken by the Jesuits, who now manage the mission.

In the meantime, following the death of Dhurup Singh, Raja Jugal Keshwar Singh succeeded to the throne. This Raja soon came into conflict with the East India Company but it did not take much time for the British to subjugate him. A few generations later, Harendra Keshwar Singh became the king. He was known as the Maharaja, a title given to his father by the British for the services rendered to them. When the King did not beget a successor, he married again. But within a few days of his second marriage, he died. The rumours then had it that he was poisoned by his first wife.

Following his death in1893, the British took over the administration of Bettiah under the controversial Doctrine of Lapse. The Maharaja's younger widow, Maharani Janki Kuar, who was called Maharani out of courtesy, staked her claim to the estate. There were other claimants also but their claims were all disallowed.

The Maharani who lived most of the time in Allahabad, died in 1955 at the age of 85. She had been declared insane before her death. Even today, the Bettiah Raj holds a vast property spread all over Champaran and parts of Uttar Pradesh. It has been managed by bureaucrats who have fattened their pockets with the wealth of the estate. The condition of the palace today is indicative of the bad days of the Raj. It would not take long for the crumbling edifice to disappear.

Except for Raja Dhurup Singh, none of his successors seems to have shown any interest in things Christian, said a local resident who has a large repertoire of anecdotes about the Christian heritage of Bettiah: "Raja Dhurup Singh had great faith in Christianity. He used to attend mass also." But what prevented him from embracing the new religion? "It is not that there was no opposition to the church at that time. There were Hindus who opposed every move of the Christians and since they could have created problems for the Raja, he played safe by not officially accepting Christianity as his religion. Nevertheless, he had instructed that when he died, a cross should be placed on his chest."

To drive home his point that in the initial days the Christians were looked down upon, he narrated how a Hindu was ostracized from his community because he had shared a hookah with a Christian. "Of course, he also became a Christian". He narrated another story to buttress his version that Fr Bernini was an extraordinarily courageous man. In Bettiah, he was offered a house which people believed was haunted. Nobody was willing to stay there. But the priest did not have any problem in staying there peacefully. Nevertheless, what kind of a man was Fr Bernini who brought Christianity to Bettiah? The man who sowed the seeds of Christianity in the virgin soil of Bettiah was an Italian missionary, Fr Joseph Mary Bernini. An epitome of devotion and perseverance, he is credited with the distinction of being the paterfamilias of the Christians of Bihar. Born in the noble family of the Counts of Bernini on September 2, 1709, Fr Bernini shone for his religious piety and sterling qualities of head and heart. His biography is as gripping as it is indicative of his strong, generous and ardent soul. Having been brought up as a child in an old-fashioned and austere way of life, it made him pine for a life of mortification and suffering, the cardinal characteristics of a missionary.

Not yet in his teens, he entered into an agreement with a younger brother that they would whip each other in a spirit of penance. Thus they began to experience the rigours of flagellation. Whenever Bernardino's (the Christian name of Fr Bernini) turn came, he would tell his brother: "Courage, lay on, for I shall not have such a pity for you". Bernardino was sent to Vienna to study at the house of an uncle. Whenever his tutor rebuked him, his face would flare up in rage while his hands sought the little sword hanging from his side. Once he accepted a challenge from a companion, who was stronger and more skilled in fencing, but the challenger failed to turn up at the appointed place.

Later, Bernardino took to reading spiritual books and became so engrossed in things spiritual that he decided to become a hermit. He also managed to persuade one of his younger brothers to follow his example and embrace the same solitary life. The two of them fled one day from Vienna to a hiding place in the neighbourhood. After two days, however, they were found out and brought back to the uncle.

Well-versed in Latin, French, German and Italian and having finished the study of the humanities, young Bernardino made up his mind to enter the Capuchin order. While in Rome in 1738, where he had been sent to complete his ecclesiastical training, he met Fr Francis Horace, who was then the head of the Lhasa mission of the church.

On being asked by Fr Horace whether he was ready to join the mission, Fr Bernini replied: "If Holy Obedience sends me to the mission, I am most willing to come and work under you". That settled the issue. Initially, Fr Bernini was posted at Patna where he reached at the end of 1739. He set out for the Forbidden City where the fledgling mission was in great straits, in January 1742, reaching the Tibetan Capital on May 27 the same year. Following the persecution of the Christians there, he moved out of the city with all the missionaries on April 20, 1745. The same year, the Holy See permitted him to open a Catholic station at Bettiah where he remained till his death in the Odour of Sanctity on January 15, 1761. His medical skill was renowned throughout Bihar, Nepal and Tibet. He was the first foreigner ever to write pamphlets and religious tracts in the Hindustani language and to translate several classics of the Sanskrit literature into Italian.

On account of his writings and translations, his knowledge of the eastern languages and his love for the lore of the East, he was numbered among the noted Orientalists of the time. Besides, he was a holy man of God, a shepherd with boundless love for his sheep. It is a pity that no one has taken up the cause of his beatification and that his name has been allowed to fall in the void of oblivion. He truly had the stuff which goes to make saints and heroes. It will be a pity if the church forgets the contributions of Fr Bernini and his colleagues which helped establish the first church on the "roof of the world" in 1726.

The writer's e-mail address:

bharataputra@hotmail.com