Christians in India gathered to pray for the 100 Christians who were killed by Hindu extremists seven years ago.
According to the Christian Post, India’s Christians were remembering the seventh anniversary of the attacks in Orissa.
The Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, His Exc. Mgr. John Barwa SVD said: “The faith of Christians in Orissa has become stronger in the face of persecution.
“They suffered horrific anti-Christian violence. Yet their faith did not waver; on the contrary, they strengthened their faith and love for Christ.”
The attacks happened on Aug. 31, 2008 in Orissa. About 56,000 Christians were left homeless after extremists raided 300 churches and thousands of homes.
Many of those Christians were from India’s lowest caste system. They are known as “untouchables.”
According to the Christian Post, at least one nun was raped during the attacks.
On Monday, Christian activists and others gathered to honor those attacked in 2008.
"The celebration is an opportunity to reflect on the theme of growing intolerance orchestrated by Hindu extremist groups across the country, and how these ideas have infiltrated the government, police and courts, eroding the values of justice, equality, secularism and citizenship enshrined by the Constitution of India," said human rights activist Jagadish G Chandra.
Publication date: September 1, 2015