New acquittals for people who attacked Christians in India

New acquittals for people who attacked Christians in India
Fr Edward Sequeira saw anti-Christian violence firsthand and was almost burnt to death during the 2008 pogrom. He alleges that a big organisation is working against Christians.

By Asia News.

Kandhamal (AsiaNews) – A court in Orissa acquitted five Hindu extremists charged with attacking Christians in Orissa and ordered the release of 17 more for lack of evidence. Speaking to AsiaNews, Verbite priest Edward Sequeira said, “Kandhamal is still simmering with communal tension and hostilities. Many of our people have not gone back as they are afraid that they will inevitably be forced to go back to Hinduism.” However, the clergyman, who experienced firsthand the violent pogrom when he was almost burnt alive (see Nirmala Carvalho, “Fr Edward, survivor of arson in Orissa: the Hindu radicals are terrorists,” in AsiaNews, 4 September 2009), said that he was “going back to his lepers” because “they need the love of the Church.” Currently, the priest lives in a parish on the outer edge of the district.

“Thousands of people are still displaced, living in shanties outside the district,” he said. “Many people have had to go to other states. Getting back to normal appears difficult. Housing is a priority but construction is rather slow. Churches or other facilities are not being rebuilt, and security remains a big issue for Christians.”

At present, health reasons have kept Fr Sequeira away from his community. “I am here under medical advice as my lungs are not improving and my breathing problem still persists,” he said. However, “I am also living here in secret” because of “threats to my life.”

Still, “I make unannounced visits to the leper colony in Padampur,” he added, because “I am willing to risk everything for the lepers; they are the people who most need our services. They are the poorest of the poor and are ostracised by mainstream society. Therefore, I often visit in order to provide them with whatever services I can offer. With love and dignity, the Church has always helped them, all of whom are Hindu.”

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