THE church in India has begun assembling data for the canonization process for Christians killed years ago during anti-Christian violence in eastern India, Church officials said.
“The official process has not yet started. But we are working on it and hope to start it in a few months,” said Father Ajay Singh, secretary of the Odisha (formerly Orissa) state’s regional bishops’ Commission for Justice, Peace and Development.
The efforts are aimed at the Vatican declaring as martyrs those killed when Hindu extremists attacked Christians in the tribal-dominated Kandhamal district in Odisha state in 2007 and 2008.
The 2008 anti-Christian violence engulfed more than 600 villages and killed about 100 people, including disabled and elderly people, children and women. Some 350 churches and 6,500 houses were looted and burned down, making 56,000 people homeless. Several rapes were reported, including that of a Catholic nun.
The anti-Christian rioting was sparked by the gunning down in Aug. 23, 2008, of a Hindu spiritual leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, 85, and four of his associates. Hindu extremists blamed Christians for the murders even though Maoists at that time had claimed responsibility for the deaths. The killings unleashed a reign of terror the following day that lasted for four months. The state had also witnessed an earlier round of anti-Christian violence during Christmas 2007.
Documentation of the victims is ‘not an easy job’ as most official documents were destroyed in the rioting, said Father Santhosh Digal, spokesman for the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archdiocese, which covers the area.
“However, we are collecting evidence and data on the victims” to help start the canonization process, he said.
Archbishop John Barwa told UCA News that the process will start “within few months” after consultation between India’s bishops, who are to meet in March for their biennial general conference.
Father Singh said although the process should start at the diocesan level, “we want this to become a national Christian affair that would help people reaffirm their faith.”
“Many would not have been killed if they simple abandoned their faith and hailed Hindu gods. Although very poor and living in huts without basic amenities, they stood up for their faith, and dared to be butchered. These are remarkable witness stories, good enough to embolden Christians facing persecution anywhere in India,” Father Singh said.”
The church in Odisha plans to build a memorial for the victims this year, Archbishop Barwa said. UCA
