VATICAN CITY, AUG. 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI asked for an immediate end to the acts of violence against Christians in India, which has caused at least nine deaths over the past three days in the eastern state of Orissa.
After delivering his weekly catechesis today in Paul VI Hall, the Pope said he "learned with deep sadness" the wave of violence against Christians, which intensified over the weekend after Hindu political leader Swami Laxmananada Saraswati and several of his companions were killed.
Christians are being blamed for killing the Hindu leader, although authorities suspect communist rebels are responsible.
The eastern Indian state of Orissa has long been plagued by Christian-Hindu violence, as Christian missionaries work with poor tribal peoples of the region and Hindus accuse them of forcing or bribing conversions.
Saraswati, a leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu Council, was active in the campaign to stop villagers from converting to Christianity or to win them back.
The Pontiff called the murder of the Hindu leader "deplorable," while noting the violence that has erupted in the wake of the killing: "Some persons have been killed and others injured. Worship centers, church property and private houses have also been destroyed."
"While I firmly condemn all attacks against human life, the sacredness of which demands the respect of all, I express my spiritual closeness and solidarity to the brothers and sisters in the faith so hardly tried.
"I implore the Lord to accompany and support them in this time of suffering and give them the strength to continue in the service of love in favor of all."
Benedict XVI also asked "religious leaders and civil authorities to work together to restore among the members of the various communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which have always been the distinguishing mark of the Indian society."
Victims
The violence began Monday morning when Hindu extremists set fire to an orphanage, a 21-year-old laywoman who taught computer classes critically injuring the priest.
Four people were killed later that day, including two who were burned alive when their thatched huts were set on fire.
A Christian man was killed in his home in Kandhamal, and three others were victims of fires.
Sister Meena of the Bubaneshwar Social Center was raped by groups of Hindu extremists before the building she worked in was set on fire, reported AsiaNews.
Some of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's sisters were also attacked; a few were pelted with stones and one was seriously injured. And a hospital for the elderly, run by the Missionaries of Charity, was destroyed for the second time, the news agency reported.
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told government authorities today that a total of nine people have been killed in the attacks, reported the Associated Press. He added that the situation was "under control."
The episcopal conference of India is meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday to urge him to hold an independent inquiry. "We will also ask the prime minister for payment of immediate compensation to victims and their rehabilitation," spokesman Father Babu Joseph said.
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay, announced that all Catholic schools across India will be closed Friday as a sign of solidarity with the Christians in Orissa and a protest against the attacks.
The episcopal conference of India has also declared Sept. 7 to be a day of prayer for missionaries in the context of the brutal murder of Father Thomas Pandippally, who was slain Aug. 16 in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh.
Only 2.3% of India's 1.1 billion citizens are Christians in the majority Hindu nation.
ZE08082708 - 2008-08-27
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-23486?l=english
Pontiff Asks for End to Violence in India
Condemns All Attacks Against Human Life
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