About 10,000 people participated in the beatification ceremony of Sister Rani Maria Vattalil, the Franciscan Poor Clare assassinated in 1995 when she was stabbed 54 times in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Her assassin Samunder Singh, who later regretted the cruel gesture and was forgiven by the Blessed’s family was also among participants. He told Matters India: “I’m so happy that ‘Didi’ (older sister) has been recognized as a martyr.”

The ceremony took place on November 4 in the courtyard of Indore’s St Paul Higher Secondary School and was chaired by Card. Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Card. Baselios Cleemis, President of the Indian Bishops’ Conference, Card. George Alencherry, Head of the Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of the Latin Rite Conference concelebrated the Mass. The rite began at 10.00 am (local time) with the reading of the papal announcement of beatification. On November 5, the Apostolic Nuncio Msgr Giambattista Diquattro presided at a Mass in Suffrage on the grave of sister Rani Maria, at the Sacred Heart Church in Udainagar. Even Pope Francis during the Angelus recalled the Indian nun. “Sally Vattalil – said the pontiff – gave testimony to Christ in love and mildness, and joins the long line of martyrs of our time. Her sacrifice is a seed of faith and peace, especially in Indian land. She was so good that they called her ‘the smiling sister.”