"Deep sorrow" for the death of Father Bernard Digal, happened on October 28th. He was from the archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar, in Orissa. It was expressed by the Indian Bishops’ Conference in a note made known today, signed by Secretary General Msgr. Stanislaus Fernandes. He was the first Catholic priest dying because of the violence of Hindu fundamentalists against the Christians. Father Digal had been assaulted and battered on August 24th. He died in hospital, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, because of serious damages at his head. The funerals of Father Digal are taking place tomorrow, October 31st, in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. With his death, the number of the victims of violence goes up to sixty. The Indian bishops said to be "worried" for the continuance of the attacks against the Christians in Orissa: "Many people are still suffering in hospitals and refugee camps, where medical assistance is insufficient and life is miserable". The bishops ask the Indian government "to offer people correct medical therapies and assistance, which are necessary for over ten thousand people hosted in refugee camps". Another reason for preoccupation is the fact that "the owners of agricultural land cannot go back to their villages to take care of their crops". In the meantime, today, in Italy, the Senate passed unanimously a motion signed by all political groups against the persecutions suffered by the Christian communities in the world. ” “
