On July 11, eight explosions struck trains and platforms up and down the line in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, almost simultaneously at evening rush hour --- the latest round of terrorist attacks between India and Pakistan, who have fought three wars since being partitioned by the British Empire in 1947.

More than 200 were killed and some 800 injured, and peace talks scheduled between the foreign secretaries of the two nuclear-armed nations were canceled.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared that terror cells operating in India are "instigated, inspired and supported by elements across the border, without which they cannot act with such devastating effect." Suspicion immediately fell on a Pakistan-based group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, Army of the Pure, which wants to set up Muslim rule in the long-disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

Pakistan, in turn, quickly denounced the bombings as a "despicable act of terrorism."

In countries where religious tensions often boil over into bloody violence, is the worst attack in 13 years enough to spark another war on the subcontinent?

The Tidings spoke to three priests from India, two working in the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the other visiting, about this and their overall reactions to the bombings.

'It looks very scary'
"I was very shocked and very anxious, so I called my family immediately because they live not too far from where it happened," said Father Joseph Moniz, pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Pasadena. "It was very close, and, actually, my nephew was about five trains behind. But, fortunately, thank God, nobody was hurt.

"Along with everything else that's happening in the world, especially in the Middle East," he added, "it looks very scary."

The priest who grew up in Goa, the last Portuguese colony in India, said there was a history of Hindu-Muslim hostility, going all the way back to the formation and division of the two states. Because a part of Kashmir is primarily Muslim, Islamic Pakistan has always coveted the state.

"I hope this doesn't lead to a new escalation of violence between Hindus and Muslims," he said. "It looked like things were cooling off for a long time. But now I'm not sure. You just pray. I don't know if there's any real solution."

Father Victor Fernandes is staying at St. Philip's for the summer on his way back to India. For two years he's been studying in Rome, where he earned a licentiate degree in moral theology.

"I was angry," he said of the bombing. "I just can't understand why people can create such destruction. How are people capable of such things? Two hundred dead and over 700 injured. I can't understand that."

Father Fernandes, too, called his relatives and found out they were safe --- by a "whisker." A cousin's husband was on the train, but escaped unharmed. Another relative was supposed to be on the train with his boss, but decided to stay in the office to catch up on work. His boss was killed.

The 38-year-old priest pointed out that on the crowded Mumbai train a number of Catholics died or were seriously hurt besides Hindus and Muslims. While Christians only make up about 2 percent of the Indian population, most are concentrated in the city and along the coast.

"Terrorism over Kashmir is older than international terrorism," he said. "It's sad to say, this terrorism hasn't been recognized by the international community as it should be recognized. They consider it a freedom movement and have left India and Pakistan to solve this problem by themselves.

"There is a lot of honor at stake. A lot of soldiers have been lost on both sides. And both sides have invested so much money and energy. It is very difficult, and it has become a political issue. The only solution is for the parties coming to terms, with India giving up something and Pakistan giving some. But I don't know if that will ever happen."

About the bombings causing an escalation of violence, however, Father Fernandes was more optimistic. Hatred towards the Islamic community might rise for awhile, but he didn't think it will last. He said most Indians realized that violence in the end accomplishes nothing.

"It could create a type of fear psychosis and hatred towards Islam," he said. "And that anger may provoke a moment of mad decision to call for war or cleaning up of terrorist hideouts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Some people in political circles may call for it. But I don't believe the general feeling in India will opt for more violence."

Good from tragedy
Father Cyprian Carlo, associate pastor at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights, is a native of Mangalore, a city on the western coast of India, about 600 miles from Mumbai. But he has two brothers and their families, along with other relatives, who moved to the financial capital and cosmopolitan center to find work.

"After 9/11, now we seem to have a 7/11," he remarked. "So, of course, it's very sad --- sad for the whole world, I think, this tragic terrorist phenomenon that's going on.

"But out of this tragedy, a lot of good has been seen," he noted. "Like people rushing to the scene in Mumbai even before police and firefighters got there. And people throwing down blankets and clothes and food right away from their apartments. And shopkeepers and venders giving away their goods for free to the wounded."

The 63-year-old priest also knew individuals who missed the train by only a couple minutes. He was relieved to find out that his relatives, including two bothers who live in the city, were safe. He himself had passed through all the bombed stations several times during visits home.

"In Bombay, there are Muslims and Christians and Hindus," he reported. "When it comes to tragedies, nobody looks at those boundaries. Like last year when there was 37 inches of rain in 24 hours, people were killed and the whole city was under water.

"But in three or four days' time, people had cleaned up the city and they were back to business as if nothing happened. That's the greatness of Bombay. There's such a great community spirit. And you see that on the trains, where regular riders become such good friends."

He said that poor refugees from Bangladesh and other places are used by politicians and militant groups to do their bidding and stir up trouble. Oftentimes, these immigrants don't even know what cause they're working for.

"And they are paid money to go and do something nasty," he said. "So they take advantage of their poverty. A lot of time, this is what happens in India."

The religious divide between Pakistan and India has been troubling the nations since India was partitioned, according to Father Carlo. He, too, doesn't see any solution soon.

"The intensity is higher right now, but the violence has always been there," he said. "It's checked sometimes. But it's going to go on. I'm sure."