Ordinations cheer Orissa Christians

(May 26, 2009) A leading Catholic churchman in eastern India’s Orissa state says the ordination of four local priests has brought much cheer and hope among Catholics in the strife-torn state. About 1,200 people attended the May 20 ordination ceremony led by Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in Our Lady of Rosary Cathedral in Cuttack, the state's ancient capital. During his homily, the Divine Word prelate, who heads the Catholic Church in Orissa, said the newly ordained priests were "the hope of the future Church" in the state. The new priests are Fathers Sushant Pradhan, Sushant Kanhar, Jeevant Nayak and Ashish Kumar Parichha. All of them are from Orissa's Kandhamal district that witnessed four months of anti-Christian violence last year. The priests' families also suffered in the violence started by Hindu radical groups on Aug. 24, 2008, a day after Maoists assassinated a Hindu religious leader, an act falsely blamed on Christians. Archbishop Cheenath said about 3,200 people affected by the violence remain in relief camps and do not want to return to their villages out of fear. Even the administration is not forcing them since it also thinks it is not safe for them to return, he added. "Surely it's a great hope for the Church and the people of Orissa that all the new priests are from Kandhamal," the archbishop said and added that he hopes they will succeed in changing the dismal situation in their district.