Murdered Indian nun loved the poor

A nun active in fighting for the rights of villagers threatened by coal miners was killed last week by unknown assailants in India's eastern Jharkhand state, sparking calls for an urgent investigation. Sister Valsa John a sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Charity of Jesus and Mary, had led a campaign for five years against alleged exploitation of villagers by private coal miners.

“This is the price, in extreme cases, that we have to pay for helping the poor,” said Sister Valsa John’s religious superior, Sister Valsala George Chennakadam”.

Sister Valsala spoke about the reaction of her community to the death of Sr. Valsa John: “We are deeply affected as a congregation. It’s a pain. We hope that the blood that she has shed will bear some fruit for the poor in the future.”

Listen to Sr. Valsala’s full interview with Alessandro Gisotti: