(ANS - Kandhamal) - Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), has given a favourable opinion to the introduction of the cause of beatification of the "martyrs of Kandhamal", the Christians killed in 2008 in Orissa, during a vicious campaign of massacres motivated by religious hatred.

"I spoke to the Prefect of the Pontifical Congregation for the Causes of the Martyrs in Rome. I am willing to talk personally to Pope Francis about the violence perpetrated in Kandhamal and about its martyrs” the Cardinal told the Fides Agency.

"The opening of the cause is a source of pride for the relatives of the victims and for the whole Church. Our men, women and children who were martyred because of their faith have not been forgotten (...) Even if they were killed in a horrible way, their death has brought new life and new faith. This makes the relatives of the victims proud" said Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, who has been appointed by the cardinal to lead the process of the "martyrs of Kandhamal".

The attacks against the Christians took place in 2008 following the killing of Swami Lakshmanananda, leader of the Hindu nationalist group Vishna Hindu Parishad – a murder which was claimed by Maoist guerrillas. Numerous reprisals were carried out in retaliation in the days following the murder. About 90 Christians were killed, more than 56,000 people were forced to abandon their homes, about 6,500 homes and 395 churches were destroyed. To date, nearly 10,000 people have not yet returned to their homes.

The Salesians have three works in the Indian state of Orissa: at Kuarmunda and Jharsuguda, and, since 2013, also in Muniguda, thanks to the efforts of the Salesian Missions Day. Here they have reopened a Christian mission that had been sacked and destroyed during the violence of 2008.

Published 8/1/2016