New archbishop for Indian archdiocese at center of Orissa violence

February 14, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI has named a new archbishop to lead the Catholic Church in Orissa, the Indian state that has been troubled by waves of anti-Christian violence.

Bishop John Barwa, who had been serving in the Rourkela diocese, will become Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. He will replace Archbishop Raphael Cheenath—who, although he submitted his resignation more than a year ago, when he turned 75, admitted that he was surprised that his replacement had been announced.

Meanwhile the specter of anti-Christian violence was evident in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where a Hindu militant leader rallied his followers by comparing Christians to bugs that must be exterminated.

 

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Further information:

• Pope names new head of Orissa Church (UCAN)
• At Hindu Kumbh in Madhya Pradesh, Christians are "bugs to kill" (AsiaNews)