Purushottam Nayak

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, many worshippers took part in Christ the King celebrations. Our Lady of Charity parish was vandalised in 2004 and 2008.

Meghanjali Majhi drew the flowers on paper because she could not go to the forest to collect them. Prayers to Mary to intercede to stop the pandemic. Santojini, Majhi's mother: "Thanks to the intervention of Our Lady we saved ourselves from the attacks of Hindu fundamentalists between 2007 and 2008".

A hundred widows in Raikia, Kandhamal (Odisha) received gift parcels with rice, potatoes, onions, sugar, biscuits, a litre of oil, five pieces of soap, and surgical masks. Due to the lockdown, hundreds of millions have lost their jobs and livelihood.

A Mass was held with the necessary precautions to ask the patron saint of the Church to end the epidemic. Sister prays “every day for the health and strength of my fellow Christians and people of other faiths, who have fallen victim to the coronavirus.” For another, “we must not let God out of this tragedy.” Tonight at 9 pm, Pope Francis will join a rosary by Italian Bishops.

He studied at a ashram established by Swami Lakshmanananda where “They instilled the poison of hatred in my mind since childhood.” Tortured for joining Christianity, today he visits families and invokes the healing of the sick through the power of prayer.

About 700 children who survived the 2008 massacres will take this year’s Grade 10 examination. Christian and Hindu pray at a shrine destroyed during the pogrom. Bishops wish good luck to all students.

Participants observed a minute's silence. The Marian shrine, which is located in the Diocese of Berhampur (Odisha), draws the faithful of all religions. “The only source of true happiness is the Lord,” says the local bishop.

The village where Uglu Sandi Majhi lived was sacked and burnt by Hindu radicals. His two-year-old son died of hunger, thirst and cold in the jungle. For Kotagargh’s parish priest, “No sword or physical threat can stop them from believing in Christ, our Redeemer.”

The service took place at the church in Raikia, one of the villages that suffered the most at the hands of Hindu radicals in 2008. For the Bishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Christians are “ready for sacrifice, even death, to bear witness to the King of peace and justice.”

The water flows from the feet of Christ on the cross and from some rocks below. It began to flow on 2 November, the feats of All Souls. The sanctuary was erected in 1917 at the behest of people of all faiths, to give thanks to the Virgin Mary who had protected them from the plague.

About 50,000 people attended the commemorations of the 11th anniversary. For one survivor, "The martyrs inspire us to bear witness to Christ". "We cannot accept the hatred against Christians spread by extremists in India,” said president of victims’ association.

The Franciscan nun pronounced her solemn vows last month. Priests, nuns and thousands of people gathered in Raikia for a thanksgiving mass. Some repented Hindu extremists also attended the ceremony. In August 2008, the radicals killed about 100 Christians from Kandhamal.