ENI – Violence against Christians continued in India, as the nation celebrated the 139th anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi's birth in October. The All India Christian Council said in early October that 57 Christians had been killed in the violence in the Kandhamal district, and that 4,300 Christian houses, as well as 142 churches and many Christian institutions had been looted and torched. Often described as a prophet of non-violence, Gandhi led the Indian independence movement against the British empire through peaceful protest.
In the Indian capital New Delhi, more than 10,000 Christians and others marked the final day of a week-long protest against the current violence by marching to the city's main memorial to Gandhi.
"Religious leaders have spoken out in one voice that there can be no justification for violence in the name of religion," Andrews Thazhath, Catholic archbishop of Thrissur and secretary of the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council said at a meeting with Hindu leaders.
In a joint statement, the religious leaders said, "Violence is not part of any religion. Acts that pave the way for religious hatred and disharmony should not be promoted, and have to be stopped." The leaders also declared that "forced conversion is no conversion" and they deplored "exploitation of faith for political gains."
The violence in Orissa broke out after the killing of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in August. A Maoist leader is reported to have claimed responsibility for the killing but some Hindu groups say it was a Christian conspiracy, as the 85-year-old slain monk had been campaigning against conversion to Christianity in Kandhamal, where he was based.
