Pope deplores violence on Indian Christians in Orissa, condemns murder of Hindu leader

(August 27, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday condemned violence against Christians in eastern India’s Orissa state and also deplored the killing of a Hindu leader that sparked clashes. Addressing pilgrims and tourists at the end of his weekly general audience in the Vatican the Pope appealed to leaders to build peaceful coexistence and harmony among the nation’s communities. Here is a translation of the Pope’s words:
With profound sadness I have received news of violence against the Christian community in the Indian state of Orissa, which broke out in the aftermath of the deplorable murder of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. So far some people have been killed and many more injured. Moreover places of worship, Church property and private homes have been destroyed.
While I firmly condemn all attacks on Human life, the sacredness of which demands full respect from all, I also express my spiritual closeness to and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the faith who have been tried so sorely. I implore the Lord to accompany and sustain them in this time of trial and to grant them the strength to continue in their service of love to all. I invite religious leaders and the civil authority to work together in order to re-establish peaceful coexistence and harmony between the various communities, which have always been a distinctive sign of Indian society.

Earlier at the general audience, Pope Benedict’s main reflection was on the figure of St. Paul. Here is his discourse in English: Listen
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today’s catechesis presents the life of Saint Paul, the great missionary whom the Church honours in a special way this year. Born a Jew in Tarsus, he received the Hebrew name “Saul” and was trained as a “tent maker” (cf. Acts 18:3). Around the age of twelve he departed for Jerusalem to begin instruction in the strict Pharisaic tradition which instilled in him a great zeal for the Mosaic Law. On the basis of this training Paul viewed the Christian movement as a threat to orthodox Judaism. He thus fiercely “persecuted the Church of God” (1 Cor 19:6; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6) until a dramatic encounter on the road to Damascus radically changed his life. He subsequently undertook three missionary journeys, preaching Christ in Anatolia, Syria, Cilicia, Macedonia, Achaia, and throughout the Mediterranean. After his arrest and imprisonment in Jerusalem, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the Emperor. Though Luke makes no reference to Nero’s decision, he tells us that Paul spent two years under house arrest in Rome (cf. Acts 28:30), after which—according to tradition—he suffered a martyr’s death. Paul spared no energy and endured many trials in his “anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor 11:28). Indeed, he wrote: “I do everything for the sake of the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:23). May we strive to emulate him by doing the same.
I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including the Augustinian Spinellian Lay Associates from Malta, and also the groups from Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Dominica and the United States of America. May your pilgrimage renew your love for the Lord and his Church, after the example of the Apostle Saint Paul. May God bless you all!