The Voice of the Martyrs Canada :: Priest dies after being beaten by Hindu militants in Orissa :: Providing Information and Support for Persecuted Christians

Language:
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language.

Religion:
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, Other 1.8% (2001)

Government Type:
Federal Republic

Capital:
New Delhi

Population Below Poverty Line:
25% (2007 est.)

Country Reports

Priest dies after being beaten by Hindu militants in Orissa

November 05, 2008

^{Father Bernard Digal, marked with the red cross
Photo from}^GCIC

On October 28, Father Bernard Digal (48), died after succumbing to injuries he suffered in an attack by Hindu militants in Kandhamal, Orissa in late August. Thousands of believers attended the funeral for the martyred priest on October 31, commending his courage, his tireless commitment to working with persecuted Christians and his willingness to forgive those who brutally beat him.

Thank the Lord for the life and work of Father Digal. Pray that those who mourn for him will find strength and peace in Christ. Pray that God will embolden Christians in India to follow in his example of cross-bearing discipleship in an environment of opposition (1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16).

More about Christians suffering for righteousness' sake in India can be found by visiting India's Country Report.