Italian bishops want anti-Christian violence discussed at EU-India summit
(September 23, 2008): - Catholic bishops in Italy want the European Union to put the
Christian persecution on the agenda of its upcoming India specific meet, saying growing
attacks against Christians are reported from across the world. The bishops’ Italian
language newspaper “Avvenire”, in its front-page editorial on Sunday, referred to
the violence against Christians in India and sought EU’s help in curtailing it. “Persecution
is spreading like oil on water, the number of martyrs continues to grow in the Middle
East, Asia and Africa, and hunting down Christians is an insane and a violent idea
that finds more and more followers,” it said. The editorial concluded asking if
it was “too much to hope that on the agenda there can be also the question of violence
against Christians?" The EU-India summit is to be held in Marseille, France on Sept.
29. The summit agenda focuses on trade, climate and energy issues and food security
issues. Hindu radical violence against Christians in Orissa began after a Hindu
leader was gunned down along with his four associates Aug. 23 by Maoists. But radical
Hindus blamed it on Christians and began to attack them. Some 50 people, mostly Christians
are reportedly killed in the violence, which continues. Hindu Radicals also burnt
down Christian houses, churches and convents driving some 50,000 people out of their
homes into forests or relief camps. The violence soon spread to Karnataka and Madhya
Pradesh with the Hindu fundamentalists also attacking churches in these states..