September 16, 2009

Catholic leaders say Orissa convictions strengthen Christians

BHUBANESWAR, India (CNS)—Catholic leaders in India’s Orissa state say the convictions of six people for offenses committed during last year’s anti-Christian violence have convinced Christians that justice is within their reach. The Sept. 7 convictions on charges of riot and arson have “strengthened our people’s morale,” said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, whose archdiocese includes Kandhamal, the district where much of the violence occurred. The archbishop spoke to the Asian Church news agency UCA News. Father Ajay Singh, a social activist working among victims of the violence, agreed that the court verdicts “emboldened” Christians to pursue court action against their attackers. “However, they have lots more challenges to face,” the priest told UCA News. Christian lawyers and social workers say witnesses have become uncooperative in court following threats to their lives. They report that gunmen comb villages for people named as witnesses in cases related to the anti-Christian violence. The predominantly tribal district of Kandhamal was at the center of four months of violence that left about 90 people dead and 50,000 displaced.