Church Welcomes Court Allowing Relief To Reach Orissa Victims
Tuesday, April 15th, 200811/4/08
The head of the Catholic Church in Orissa state has welcomed the Supreme Court’s overruling a lower court ban on religious institutions helping victims of sectarian violence in the eastern state. “The Supreme Court has finally recognized the right to life” as superceding the Orissa High Court’s order as well as the “inconveniences and the difficulties” the order caused, said Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar. Calling the Supreme Court’s April 8 order “a blessing from God,” the Divine Word prelate told UCA News the Church would be able “to comfort and console its people, who have been suffering for the past four months.” About 3,500 homeless Christians, mostly tribal people, live in government-run relief camps in Kandhamal district.
