Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated renovated and extended building of St. Vincent’s Pro-Cathedral Church in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Odisha. “I am delighted to be here for the completion of the renovation of the church. Thank you very much,” said the chief minister in his inaugural address to the gathering on December 9, at the pro-cathedral. Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar in his welcoming speech said Christians in the state have experienced the chief minister’s care and attention. “We thank you sir wholeheartedly for your coming over here this evening to grace the occasion,” said the Divine Word prelate.
Dilip Tirkey, president of the Hockey Federation India and a native of Odisha present for the inauguration, too expressed the gratitude of Christians of the state to the chief minister.