KANDHAMAL (UCAN): The Kandhamal district of Odisha [Orissa], India, witnessed the worst-ever anti-Christian riots in 2008. On October 2, the Vatican gave the nod to start the beatification process of 35 martyrs from the indigenous tribal community.
Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar hailed the Vatican’s move in an October 25 circular announcing that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has granted the Nihil Obstat [no objection] to commencing the beatification of the martyrs, Kanteshwar Digal and Companions.
“Indeed, this is a momentous occasion in the life of our archdiocese and the Church in Odisha state and India at large,” he told parishioners, adding, “The life of Servant of God Kanteshwar Digal and Companions has been a source of great inspiration” to the Christians in the nation.
The 24 men and 11 women, all tribal Catholics, remained unwavering in their faith during the 2008 Kandhamal riots.
The unabated violence, which commenced on 23 August 2008, in India’s eastern tribal belt, lasted for more than seven weeks. It left around 100 people dead, some 300 churches destroyed and rendered more than 56,000 people homeless.
Digal, a family man and a catechist in the parish of Sankarakhole, was killed at the age of 53 on 25 September 2008. His body was thrown into a river. The others also perished in the extreme violence that included mass killings, and widespread arson targeting churches and homes of tribal Christians, who were forced to seek refuge in the forests to escape the attackers instigated by hardline Hindu nationalists.
The unabated violence, which commenced on 23 August 2008, in India’s eastern tribal belt, lasted for more than seven weeks. It left around 100 people dead, some 300 churches destroyed and rendered more than 56,000 people homeless
Archbishop Barwa said the martyrs “left an indelible mark on our spiritual journey” through their ultimate sacrifice.
The archbishop, who sought the formal nod for the beatification process on May 31, was informed of the Vatican’s decision through a communication on October 18.
Father Dibakar Parichha, of the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, said that Catholics “are grateful to the Vatican for its speedy approval,” adding that the Vatican nod will soothe the feelings of all Indian Christians who were “shaken by the worst-ever inhuman persecution” they faced in India.
“It is indeed a joyous moment for all of us, but more than that, it is a great message for all of us to be firm on our faith,” Father Parichha, who has been helping the victims of Kandhamal riots, said on October 26.
The people of Kandhamal are “real heroes,” he said, “because even after losing their near and dear ones they kept their faith alive and the result is here.”
The archdiocese will now start the beatification process by collecting testimonies before submitting them for approval to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
…even after losing their near and dear ones they kept their faith alive and the result is here
Father Parichha
Many who witnessed or later researched what happened in Kandhamal in 2008 have described it as a “catastrophe” and an “organised anti-Christian violence in two millennia of Christianity in India, fetching the obscure jungle tract a place in the annals of history.”
The remote district in Odisha state, surrounded by idyllic jungles, went up in flames after the murder of 81-year-old Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati by alleged Maoist rebels on the night of the Hindu feast of Janmashtami which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.
The murder was promptly dubbed as a “Christian conspiracy” and an ultimatum was issued for them to renounce their faith. Four Christians, including an illiterate 13-year-old boy, were picked up by the Hindu activists. They were beaten up and dumped in a police station.
Hindu groups later accused them of killing the swami and blamed Christians for hatching a conspiracy against Hindus. The hate and anger generated by the leaders led to mob lynchings and burning in the Christian villages.
Despite the brutal persecution and a hostile milieu, hardly any Christian has recanted their faith over the past 15 years. Even those who brutalised Christians are now flocking to the churches they tried to banish from Kandhamal, including disciples of the slain swami, reports say.
