Orissa Archbishop pays homage to Kandhamal Christians’ faith

(March 18, 2011) The retiring Catholic archbishop who has seen his flock bear the brunt of the worst anti-Christian atrocities in eastern India’s Orissa state, has praised Christians for setting an example of living the faith in a hostile environment. “You have raised the faith into new heights at the face of death. I am proud of you,” Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar told on Wednesday addressing 3,000 people at Raikia, a divisional headquarters in Kandhamal district of Orissa. Two thirds of parishes in the district come under the archdiocese, which was the epicenter of the 2008 anti-Christian violence that killed more than 90 people and displaced more than 50,000 people. The Divine Word prelate who will leave office on April 2, is currently making his last pastoral visit. On Feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Divine Word Bishop John Barwa of Rourkela, as the new Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, after Archbishop Cheenath, who reached the retirement age of 75 in 2009, stepped down. “You have not deserted your faith but clung to Christ more. I cannot but salute your faith,” Archbishop Cheenath told his flock. The prelate, however, cautioned the Kandhamal Christians not to be misled by the apparent peace prevailing in the area. He also urged them to continue demanding their constitutional rights especially religious freedom for sustainable peace.