India: Day to remember martyrs proposed

The Catholic Church in India proposes to observe a national day of remembrance for modern Christian martyrs of the nation, scheduling it for the last Sunday in August, in memory of the 2008 violence in the state of Orissa. Violence erupted in 2008 in Orissa followed the murder of a Hindu leader when fanatics blamed his death on Christians, proceeding to murder at least 80 people, burning churches and Christian properties. Thousands fled the area and remain fearful.

The Indian Catholic bishop conference's Commission for Ecumenism proposes to remember Christians who "sacrificed their lives because of their faith in Christ" adding that they are "modern martyrs" of today's India.

The proposal has the agreement of all Christian confessions in India. If the proposal is approved, it will be celebrated as an ecumenical event, drawing in all Christian faithful.
Bishop Anil Couto of Jullundur, president of the Commission for Ecumenism, averred that martyrdom is the highest form of love, saying the it is important to remember "all those who died in the name of the Lord Jesus." Said the bishop, "It is a memory we wish to confirm and continue for the benefit of the new generations," the bishop said. And he added that celebrating the martyrs in an ecumenical event reinforces Christian unity in India.

Meanwhile, delegates from an Indian Catholic youth movement are making an appeal for an end to the violence, as more than 500 young people took part in a demonstration for peace, which was held in Mangalore.

The Christian community has criticized the delay of justice: Only a small percentage of those arrested for the Orissa violence have been sentenced. And those who have been released are considered a new threat to eye-witnesses of the violence. A delegation of observers from the EU now in Orissa have been denied permission by Indian authorities to interview victims of the Hindu onslaught.