Churches Face Opposition in Various Ways

The Voice of the Martyrs received two reports this week, demonstrating the challenges facing the Church in India.

Naxalite rebel

Zenit reported two separate incidents of violence against the Catholic church in early December.  On December 3, vandals broke into St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mathal, Tamal Nadu.  The door and windows were destroyed, along with the statue of St. Francis outside the church.  Days before, the church had received threats from a militant Islamic group called Byath.  The pastor, Father Perpetual, expressed surprise at the violence, saying that the Hindus, Christians and Muslims had always lived in peace in that area.

Two days later, Naxalite rebels ransacked and burned down the Church of Matha Mary in the village of Pusnar in the state of Chhattisgarh.  According to Bishop Simon Stock Palathra, the Maoist Naxali rebels do not want the people to become either Christian or Hindu, but to "retain their tribal culture."

On another note, St. John's Church of England in Jatni in the eastern state of Orissa is facing a legal battle with a Hindu temple.  In 2002, Hindu villagers built a Hindu temple on the grounds of St. John's Church.  According to a report from Compass Direct, the 150-year-old church is on land formerly owned by a church member who died without a will in 1989.  The land was passed to her brother who also died without a will in 1991.   The Hindu temple was built fifty metres from the church on the property claimed by the church.  The church has appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, asking for intervention in the face of inactivity by local authorities.

Pray for the difficulties facing Christians in India from various sources, whether authorities, individuals or militant groups opposed to the spread of the Gospel.

For more information on the challenges of being a Christian in India, click here.