A new church built beside a destroyed one, where a Protestant Christian was burnt alive in Kandhamal – the epicentre of the 2008 anti-Christian riots in eastern India’s Odisha state – is a sign of hope and renewed faith, say Church leaders. The Catholic Church of Archangel Michael in Gudrikia, a substation under the Padangi parish in Kandhamal district, was blessed on May 26 by Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. The new church was built near an old church, which was attacked during the 2008 anti-Christian riots. The rioting Hindu mob destroyed the church after burning alive Mathew Nayak, a school teacher, for refusing to give up his Christian faith. “The new church is a sign of hope and faith among Christians, as it comes following the worst anti-Christian violence,” said Father Sebastian Thottamkara, the parish priest in Padangi.
Tea Vendor’s Simple Act of Kindness Touches Hearts Across India
A tea vendor from Thrippunithura has won the admiration of people across the country after showing remarkable compassion to a woman injured in a road
