CWM

God is our security guard

Thursday, 25 September 2008 11:09

Bishop Bijay Kumar Nayak's Phulbani diocese covers the troubled Kandhamal district of Orissa. But he has not been able to enter his sprawling diocesan centre at Udaigiri since anti-Christian violence erupted on 24 August.

"There is nobody at the mission compound where the Phulbani diocese has its headquarters now. It is not safe for any of us to return to the centre," bishop Nayak told CWM in an interview on 18 September while he was in Bangalore.

Bishop Nayak was in India's Infotech capital city Bangalore to address officials of the three diocese of the Church of South India in southern Karnataka state on the horrors being perpetrated on hapless Christians in Orissa especially in Kandhamal.

More than 4,000 Christian houses, dozens of churches and Christian institutions have been torched in the orchestrated violence by Hindu fundamentalists in Kandhamal jungles.

"God is our security guard. So far, nobody has entered and destroyed the compound," replied bishop Nayak when asked whether the diocesan headquarters is still intact. He and other diocesan officials have been constantly on the run since they are on the hit-list Hindu fundamentalists.

More than 4,000 Christian houses, dozens of churches and Christian institutions have been torched in the orchestrated violence by Hindu fundamentalists in Kandhamal jungles

But four dozen CNI churches in the trouble zone have been destroyed in the ongoing "cleansing" of Christians from Kandhamal. Christians account for 21 per cent of the population.

Worse still, bishop Nayak said at least six CNI members including Thomas Nayak, a diocesan executive committee member, are among four dozen Christians who have been become martyrs for faith at the hands of Hindu fundamentalists.

"Thomas had gone to one of the village to accompany a youth to his house," said bishop Nayak.

The superintendent of the CNI hostel for students at the mission compound with 300 students, 46 year old Thomas fell into the hands of Hindu mob at Gudrikia village near Raikia – 35 kms from Udaigiri on 27 August.

"They immersed him in water, cut his body to pieces and burnt it in front of the church while the crowd cheered," bishop Nayak said.

A week into the violence, another CNI member living in a refugee camp, went to check the site of his home that had been burned down.

"As he returned, he was caught, taken to an isolated spot and murdered," said bishop Nayak. He is regularly receiving such reports from his pastors on the run and the church members on his mobile phone that remains the only link between the scattered congregations like sheep without shepherd.

The only message I have now is 'pray, pray and pray'. Only God can save our people

Twenty of the 32 ordained pastors and four dozen presbyters working in troubled Kandhamal areas, bishop Nayak pointed out, have fled their bases as Hindu fundamentalists are on the look out for pastors "to strike at the foundations of Christian life".

"What can the pastors do when mobs come to kill you? So far, due to God's grace all our pastors have been safe though some other pastors have been killed," said bishop Nayak.

With armed Hindu groups unleashing terror, hunting for Christians and forcibly converting them to Hinduism, bishop Nayak said most of the Christians have also fled their houses except in areas like Daringabadi, Dasingadbai and Bamunigam where Christians are in majority.

"The mobs have looted all their possessions from cattle to household utensils and set their houses on fire," said bishop Nayak.

"Right now, I pass on letters to the pastors who have no (mobile) phone connection and speak to others encouraging them," said bishop Nayak who has temporarily made Behrampur (outside Kandhamal) his base.

"We cannot expect much from the government," pointed out bishop Nayak narrating the experience of a pastor who approached senior police officials to stop the "reconversion" of his people under "death threat".

However, police officials told the pastor bluntly that "Christians were Hindus earlier and there is no harm in them being made Hindus again."

In such a helpless situation, bishop Nayak said: "The only message I have now is 'pray, pray and pray'. Only God can save our people."

"That's is what I am telling everyone. I make the same appeal to the CWM member churches also so that our people can come out this," he added.

Comments (0)