Church commission in Orissa to examine Christians’ martyrdom

( March 30, 2010) The Bishops’ Conference of India has set up a commission to examine the massacre of Christians in Orissa’s Kandhamal District, to determine whether the victims could be considered martyrs of the faith. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar told AsiaNews on Monday that the Orissa Council of Priests wants to shed light on the clashes that victimised the community. Violence that broke out in the summer of 2008, touched both clergy and lay people. Because of false accusations of proselytising, churches and Christian-run schools were attacked and destroyed. Christians were forced to abandon their homes, and many Christian converts from Hinduism had their life threatened, if they did not go back to the Hindu religion. The commission is not yet official. “We are just at the initial stages,” said Archbishop Cheenath. ”Now we are going to collect evidence and testimonies, to see who could be deemed a martyr. Sadly, peace is still a far-off dream in the district,” he added. “Like Jesus dying on Good Friday, the Calvary of our people continues and they are still suffering,” he said.