Orissa archbishop says their strength lies in the cross of Christ

(August 22, 2009) As the Catholic Church in eastern India’s Orissa state today marks the first anniversary of the start of the brutal anti-Christian violence in the state, a leading Church official feels the strength of Christians lies in the cross of Christ. “I was deeply anguished and pained at the intense brutality and inhumanities our people were subjected to; yet in the face of all this persecution they remained faithful witnesses to His name,” Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar told AsiaNews ahead of Sunday’s anniversary. It all began when Hindu extremists tried to quench their thirst for vengeance as a result of the death of their spiritual leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, killed by Maoists on Aug. 23 in Khandamal District. Speaking about the year that has gone by, Archbishop Cheenath said the extremists sought “to accomplish their goal of wiping out Christianity,” but he affirmed, “our mission will continue.” He said, “There were moments when there were no answers to the cries and laments of our people… But I drew immense consolation from people, their faith and their determination to continue as Christians.” Archbishop Cheenath said there were still threats against Christians and lamented that though a good number of the Christians have returned to their homes, many are still in government relief camps and many more have been displaced to neighbouring towns and states. The archbishop said they have called for August 23rd to be a ‘Day for Peace and Harmony’, because the murder of Swami Laxmananada Saraswati and anti-Christian violence must never happen again. He particularly expressed gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for his prayers and for firmly condemning the Orissa violence.