Raphael Cheenath

A year and half after an anti-Christian pogrom hit Orissa and Kandhamal District, most of the 54,000 displaced Christians have not been able to go home because of threats of forced conversion to Hinduism. Out of thousands of cases, only a few have made it to court. Many murderers, including local politicians, are still free. Mgr Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, expresses his outrage over the situation.

The Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, recalls the priest who died of serious wounds sustained during the attack by Hindu fundamentalists. Fr. Bernard died "to support the faith of Christians today, and nourish the seeds of faith for future generations." But "for the defenceless Christian community danger is always around the corner."

Sunday 23 August will mark the first anniversary of large scale anti-Christian violence in the State of Orissa, especially in Kandhamal. It all began when Hindu nationalists tried to quench their thirst for vengeance as a result of the death of their spiritual leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, killed by Maoists. Mgr Raphael Cheenath, archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, talks to AsiaNews about the year that has gone by. The extremists sought “to accomplish their goal of wiping out Christianity. But our mission will continue.” Despite the grief, I “drew immense consolation from people, their faith and their determination to continue as Christians”.