He spoke as tens of thousands of Christian-run schools and colleges across India were reportedly closed on Friday, August 29, to protest the recent wave of anti-Christian violence in Orissa.
The well-informed priest, who did not want to be identified citing security concerns, said "the most devastating situation" was in the state’s Kandhamal District, where a leader of the Hindu group Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or ‘World Hindu Council’ (VHP), Lakshmanananda Saraswati, and several associates were killed.
Authorities blamed a Maoist rebel group, but Hindu hardliners said Christians were responsible for the killings.
"The Hindus radical groups such as Sangh Parivar, Bajrang Dal and VHP have shaken [the Christian community] and are destroying us. Orissa is still burning," the priest told BosNewsLife. "The situation is not better after six days of violence in Kandhamal. It is worst than last December 2007," when several people died in anti Christian violence, the church leader said.
CHRISTIANS FLEEING
The priest added that Christians are fleeing from several areas in Orissa. "All the houses of Christians are destroyed, broken and burnt in Phulbani, Tikabali, Phiringia, and Balliguda" regions, he stressed. He said several Catholic church leaders were also attacked, including Catholic Priest Bernard Digal and a Catholic nun, who he claimed "were severely beaten" and are hospitalized with "multiple injuries."
In a separate statement, Pope Benedict XVI said the attacks against Christians had "profoundly saddened" him. He also described as "deplorable" the killing of a Hindu leader, saying he was against "any attack on human life."
The president of advocacy group All Indian Christian Council, Joseph D’souza, said at least 30,000 Christian schools and colleges closed down Friday, August 29, to protest against the attacks. He said churches also planned to hold special services to pray for peace and solidarity.
ROMAN CATHOLIC
In addition, some 12,000 Roman Catholic educational institutions apparently joined Friday’s shutdown after a meeting in Mumbai. Archbishop Oswald Gracias said the actions underscore that the government should better protect minority groups. "Innocents should not be targeted," he said in published remarks. "We have appealed for calm."
Prime Minister Mohandis Singh told the Catholic Bishops Conference of India in a meeting late Thursday, August 28, that the Orissa incidents were a “national shame” and promised the government would make every effort to restore normalcy, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
However in Orissa, a priest accused the local government of defending Christians because of upcoming state elections. "Chief Minister Nabin Patnaik is giving in to the demands and instructions of the [Hindu] Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), because it is a coalition partner in the ruling government," he told BosNewsLife.
