Bhubaneswar (AsiaNews) – The Bishops’ Conference of India has set up a commission to examine the massacre of Christians in Kandhamal District to determine whether the victims could be considered martyrs of the faith. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath told AsiaNews that the Orissa Council of Priests wants to “shed light on the clashes” that victimised the community.
Violence broke out in the summer 2008 and touched both clergy and lay people. Because of false accusations of proselytising, churches and Christian-run schools were attacked and destroyed. Christians were forced to abandon their homes and land to seek refuge elsewhere. Many eyewitnesses have said that many Christian converts from Hinduism had their life threatened if they did not go back to the Hindu religion.
During a meeting of the Council of Priests, questions were raised, the prelate said, about the victims’ status. “Many brothers agree with me that the victims should be considered ‘martyrs’. Others believe that religion was not the only motivating factor behind the massacres. Economic issue like access to land as well as politics played a role. What is more, many Protestant clergymen were also among the victims of rightwing Hindu violence.”
The commission is not yet official. “We are just at the initial stages,” Archbishop Cheenath said.”Now we are going to collect evidence and testimonies to see who could be deemed a martyr.”
“Sadly, peace is still a far-off dream in the district,” he added. “Like Jesus dying on Good Friday, the Calvary of our people continues; they are still suffering.”
