Fuel crisis threatens pastoral ministry of Bangladeshi priests

Many priests who normally use motorcycles have been forced to rely instead on boats, rickshaws, three‑wheeled battery‑powered vehicles or overcrowded public buses.

Global market pressures triggered by the war in the Middle East have caused a fuel crisis in Bangladesh, severely disrupting the pastoral work of Catholic priests, particularly in remote rural areas where communities are widely scattered and transport options limited.

Across the country, an estimated 90 per cent of priests depend on motorcycles to reach villages separated by rivers, muddy tracks and flood‑prone terrain.

With persistent petrol shortages and long queues at filling stations, many priests have been forced to rely instead on boats, rickshaws, three‑wheeled battery‑powered vehicles or overcrowded public buses. These slower and less reliable alternatives are reducing the frequency of Masses, catechism classes and the administration of sacraments.

Fr Swapon M. Purification, parish priest of Nobai Bottola parish in the Diocese of Rajshahi, told The Tablet that fuel scarcity has badly affected his daily ministry.

“There is not enough fuel at the filling stations. We have to stand in queues for six to eight hours to get petrol for our motorbikes,” he said. “That is why I no longer use my motorbike. I now go to remote villages for pastoral work in a battery‑powered three‑wheeler.”

Previously, Fr Purification could reach nearby villages within 20 minutes. Now the same journey takes around one hour. “It takes much more time. During that extra time, I could have done other important pastoral work. I am suffering due to the lack of fuel,” he said.

The crisis is compounded by frequent power cuts. Fr Purification’s parish experiences multiple episodes of load shedding each day. “At night, sometimes there is electricity for only one hour, followed by three hours without power. I cannot sleep properly, and because of that, I struggle to work effectively during the day,” he said.

Similar difficulties are being felt elsewhere. Fr Vincent Baburam Hasdak, who ministers at Dostompur sub‑parish in Thakurgaon, said the fuel shortage has forced him to sharply reduce pastoral visits.

“Earlier, I used to celebrate several Sunday Masses. Now I celebrate only one. When devotees called, I would go immediately. Now I go less, because without fuel I cannot use my motorbike,” he said, appealing to the government for urgent action.

Lay Catholics are also affected. Ravi Murumu, a Christian working for a non‑governmental organisation, said he has stopped using his motorcycle altogether. “I am very tense about when this oil crisis will be resolved. It has become difficult to reach the office and even do basic daily tasks on time,” he said.

The government recently raised consumer‑level fuel prices, effective from midnight on April 19, setting diesel at Tk 115 per litre, petrol at Tk 135, octane at Tk 140 and kerosene at Tk 130 (all between 70p and 90p).

To ease shortages, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation increased depot‑level fuel allocations nationwide from 20 April. However, priests and parishioners say immediate relief on the ground remains limited.

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