Church in India Remembers Its Modern Martyrs
National Day Proposed to Mark Deaths From 2008
11/17/2009 India (Zenit.org).- The Church in India is proposing to institute a national day of remembrance for the modern martyrs of the nation, scheduling it for the last Sunday in August, in memory of the 2008 violence in the state of Orissa.
That conflict erupted after a Hindu leader was killed and fanatics blamed his death on Christians. At least 80 people died in the violence and dozens of Church properties were destroyed. Thousands fled the area.
The Indian episcopal conference’s Commission for Ecumenism is proposing a remembrance day in honor of the priests, religious and laypeople who “sacrificed their lives because of their faith in Christ,” the Fides news agency reported.
“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 .
