Government blocks rebuilding of church in Orissa

(February 26, 2009) The church of Batticola, destroyed by Hindu extremists and replaced with a temple, may not be rebuilt: the government is not giving permission, because the Christian community does not hold the deed of ownership. Just a few days ago, some news agencies reported that the government of Orissa had stopped construction of a Hindu temple on the rubble of the edifice, in the district of Kandhamal, which was razed to the ground during the anti Christian riots of August. But the authorities are not permitting to rebuild the church in the same place as the government is demanding that the diocese show the deed of ownership for the property. The church of Batticola was built on a tract of land bought in the name of a tribal priest, who is now deceased. Since there is no evidence that the ownership was passed to other parties, the government is bringing into crisis the legality of the building itself. A priest who was pastor in Batticola for a few years explains: "The Catholic community in Batticola is a very small minority, which emerged around 1975. At that time, a tribal priest, Fr. Joseph Pradhan, bought a tract of land in his own name and built a church on it. All of this is legal, and the church of Batticola has the same status as other non-Christian religious buildings. In 1995, a dispensary was added to the chapel, and the foundations were laid for a larger church. But due to the Hindu extremist trouble the parish was closed." It was destroyed again in 2000.
Government blocks rebuilding of church in Orissa(AsiaNews)