Thousands Attend Burial Of Orissa Priest

BHUBANESWAR, India (UCAN) - The Church in Orissa bade a tearful farewell Oct. 31 to Father Bernard Digal, a victim of anti-Christian violence in the eastern Indian state.

Some 5,000 people attended the funeral of the 47-year-old priest, who had died three days earlier, 62 days after Hindu fanatics beat him severely. The priest was the treasurer of Orissa's lone archdiocese, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar led the funeral Mass assisted by bishops from the other four dioceses in the state. The liturgy was in the local Oriya language, with some portions in English.

Priests, nuns and Catholics from neighboring Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal states also attended the services in Bhubaneswar, the Orissa capital, 1,745 kilometers southeast of New Delhi.

The Mass began with a procession from the parish presbytery to nearby St. Vincent de Paul Pro-Cathedral. After the entrance hymn, cathedral parish priest Father Sudhakar Senapathi presented a brief summary of Father Digal's life as a priest.

Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur, in his homily, hailed the late priest as a martyr and said his blood will help the Orissa Church to overcome its current troubles and deepen its faith.

The prelate, a former priest of the archdiocese, said his late colleague had endeared himself to all sections of people in the state. He lamented that violence had ended abruptly the life of a promising priest from whom the Orissa Church expected much.

The martyrdom of the priest, a native of Kandhamal district -- the area most affected by violence -- will help strengthen the faith of the people there and in all of Orissa, he said.

After Communion, Archbishop Cheenath said he lost his "right hand" with the death of the senior priest, on whom he had relied in several critical situations. He recalled several times when he had to be away and Father Digal managed the affairs of the archdiocese. "His simplicity and dedication will always be remembered," the prelate said.

Bishop Thomas Thiruthalil of Balasore conducted the last rites at the church, after which Archbishop Cheenath led the concluding services in the cemetery where the priest was buried, two blocks behind the cathedral compound.

"People obviously loved him," Montfort Brother Thomas Thannickal told UCA News following the burial. "The whole place was swelling with people. I could see several of them visibly crying when the body was taken to the cemetery," he continued.

"It was an emotional ceremony. It was the biggest gathering we ever had for any Church function. It was indeed a solemn burial," the brother said.

Several priests at the funeral recalled how Father Digal had feared he would be eaten by wolves along the deserted forest road where he lay naked, bleeding and semi-conscious after the attack on Aug. 26.

In September, before going to the western Indian metropolis of Mumbai for medical treatment, the late priest told UCA News he ran from the mob but was caught and hit with crowbars and sticks. "The beatings came like heavy rain. They stripped me naked," he said. "Soon I saw blood flowing from my head and lost consciousness. They thought I was dead and left me."

Father Digal recalled that in his semi-conscious state, he thought he heard wolf cries. "I thought I might not even get a burial."

He was rescued, however, and brought to a local hospital and then to Bhubaneswar. After further treatment in Mumbai, he went to convalesce in Chennai, southern India, where he knew people. He died there on Oct. 28 at St. Thomas Hospital.

Police in Orissa conducted an autopsy and filed a case on the death of the priest following a complaint from archdiocesan Vicar General Father Joseph Kalathil. The vicar said his complaint recounted the attack on the priest by Hindu fanatics and the treatment at various hospitals.

Manmohan Praharaj, Orissa's director general of police, told the media the state police's Crime Branch special investigation unit will probe Father Digal's death.Thousands Attend Burial Of Orissa Priest