Violence against Christians by Hindu fundamentalist groups has increased in Orissa,India. In the ensuing violence around 80 people have lost their lives, 4000 houses destroyed and over 50,000 have been left homeless. In recent weeks the attacks have spread beyond Orissa to other Indian states. The assassination of a Hindu leader, Lakhmananda Saraswati, was blamed on Christians, despite strong evidence suggesting that it was in fact the work of Maoist guerrillas. Many Christian families have retreated to the forests with only the clothes that they were wearing. Others are living in squalid refugee camps warned that they cannot return to their homes unless they renounce their faith and convert to Hinduism. Roads have been blocked to prevent the police from gaining access and to trap Christians from escaping.Another Catholic Priest, Fr. Bernard Digal, who was attacked by the mob in August died in a hospital at the end of October.After the Canonization of Saint Alphonsa, the first female saint from India, on the 12th of October, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI condemned these attacks and asked that the "authors of the violence renounce these acts and join with their brothers and sisters to work together in building a civilization of love."
